Google eBookstore Opens Its Digital Doors
Jinfo Blog

8th December 2010

By Nancy Davis Kho

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It was six months late, or maybe 3 weeks early: the Project Formerly Known as Google Editions which had been anticipated for months has been released ahead of the latest anticipated release date of 31 December , with the quite straightforward if not inspirational title Google eBookstore. The beta project, available now in the US with an expectation for UK release next year, puts the front end on Google's Library Project, its lengthy effort to scan hundreds of thousands of books and make them available in the public domain. Books are also available through a partner programme which invites publishers and authors to upload and sell their books. The new project enables readers to browse a few pages of a published work before giving them a choice to purchase the full electronic version, and according to a Barron's story on the release, 'Publishers will be able to set the prices themselves and receive from Google 70% of the list price for each sale. A small portion of eBooks will still be sold under a wholesale model and Google will set the price itself, reportedly paying publishers 52% of the sale price.' (http://digbig.com/5bdbnt) As for the user interface, Google's eBook files will be readable on any device except Amazon's Kindle. Purchased books are stored in the cloud and can be accessed from multiple devices without losing your place. Initial reports from both authors and readers have been tempered, citing the relative clunkiness of uploading a digital book to Google's platform as compared to Amazon or Barnes and Noble. An anecdote on Melville Publishing's MobyLives blog by Paul Oliver points out the other clunky aspect of Google's foray into eBooks - publishing quality (http://digbig.com/5bdbnx). In searching for work by Charles Dickens, Oliver found flaws in tagging, needlessly scanned frontispiece illustrations, and digital books divided inexplicably into two volumes. Of course, with the resources Google brings to bear, these issues of usability and quality are mere blips on the radar screen. The eBook market is simply too lucrative to pass up on right now. The title of Forrester's latest assessment of the space says it all: 'eBook Buying Is About To Spiral Upward'. Author James McQuivey anticipates that the market will triple to $2.8 billion by 2015, and points out in a blog post that 'Just 7% of online adults who read books read eBooks. But - they read the most books and spend the most money on books. And here’s the kicker – the average eBook reader already consumes 41% of books in digital form.' (http://digbig.com/5bdbpc). The Forrester report also points out that nearly half of those eBook readers don't even have an eBook device - more justification that Google's new eBookstore will find plenty of traction, even without the help of devices.

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