Google: Proprietary system is not the future of e-books

by Marcus on June 2, 2009

Sony Reader, PRS-505 model
Image via Wikipedia

The most interesting thing to come out of the  Book Expo in New York is Google’s commitment to selling E-Books. New York Times covered it (with a correction already!) in this article: Poised to Sell E-Books, Google Takes On Amazon.

The Sony E-Reader may have some life left in it after all if Google gets into the game on their team.

Here are highlights of the New York Times article that I marked through my diigo account.

  • …at the annual BookExpo convention in New York over the weekend, Google signaled its intent to introduce a program by that would enable publishers to sell digital versions of their newest books direct to consumers through Google.
  • In early discussions, Google has said it would allow publishers to set a suggested list price, but that Google would ultimately set consumer prices.
  • Google has already made its 1.5 million public-domain books available for reading on mobile phones as well as the Sony Reader
  • Google has discussed such plans with publishers before, but it has now committed the company to going live with the project by the end of 2009.
  • …with books, Google planned to sell readers online access to digital versions of various titles…
  • “We don’t believe that having a silo or a proprietary system is the way that e-books will go,” he said.
  • Google would reserve the right to adjust prices that it deemed “exorbitant.”
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Tagged as: BookExpo America, E-book, ereader, google, kindle, publishing, Sony Reader

{ 2 comments }

1 nancy June 2, 2009 at 11:09 am

things sure have changed a lot from the days of making paper and dipping feathers, or chipping into stone.

2 Marcus June 2, 2009 at 3:12 pm

And I think things will continue to change for the next few decades as we sort out whatever this new media is going to look like in the end.

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