Google to take on Amazon in ebooks

At the BookExpo over the weekend, Google announced its intention to open an ebook service and said it will be up and running by the end of the year. Google will essentially create a program where publishers will be able to sell digital versions of their newest books directly to customers. Such a move pitches it squarely against competitors like Amazon, which sells ebooks via the popular Kindle reading device. Also affected would be the likes of Barnes and Noble-owned Fictionwise, which sells ebooks via software readers on a number of smartphone platforms.

The key beneficiary appears to be book publishers. For one, Google says it will allow publishers to set consumer prices, a far cry from Amazon's pricing strategy which sees Kindle editions of most new bestsellers priced at just $9.99. This is much lower than the typical $26 that a new hardcover will cost.

David Young, the chief executive of Hachette Book Group, told the New York Times, "Clearly, any major company coming into the e-book space, providing that we are happy with the pricing structure, the selling price and the security of the technology, will be a welcome addition."

Pricing aside, customers stand to benefit by Google's desire to create an open platform. Says a Google spokesman, in the Times article, "...We want to build and support a digital book ecosystem to allow our partner publishers to make their books available for purchase from any web-enabled device--whether it's a PC, a smartphone, a netbook or a dedicated reading device."

Highlighting the seriousness of Google on this project, Tom Turvey, director of strategic partnerships at Google, sums it up by saying, "This time we mean it."

For more on this story:
- check out this article at The Register
- check out this article at the New York Times

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