Google set to launch e-book Google Editions store by June or July
Google is preparing to enter the e-book market this summer with the launch of its Google Editions store, but unlike other options out there, this one will be built to work everywhere you want it.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Chris Palma, Google’s manager for strategic-partner development, spoke to a publishing industry panel on Tuesday, and announced that Google Editions would be ready to roll out by June or July. Unlike Amazon and Apple that have locked down their respective stores to certain devices, Google’s books will be browser-based, meaning they will work on any device with a Web browser built-in. There may be versions optimized for devices like the iPhone and iPad, but that was not definite as of yet.
Google has not yet announced if it will allow the publishers to set their own prices, but seeing as those are the deals being struck with Amazon and Apple, Google may not have a choice. At the same time, no publishers have announced yet that they have signed on to this deal.
The new twist in this situation is that Google will allow small book dealers to sell the books through their own websites with the dealers keeping the majority of the revenue from the sale. Considering that small retailers had no way to get into the e-book market before this, and these books are device-agnostic, this could be a saving grace for smaller retailers.
No firm timetable was outlined for any of these benchmarks to be rolled out.
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