Google may soon be testing the waters in digital publishing with their bookstore Google Editions. Some expected the bookstore to hit the ground running during the summer months but Google had some fine tuning to do. They didn’t want to release this new sector of the company without having everything thoroughly planned out. Many believe they have a tough battle ahead of them with Apple and Amazon owning a great deal of the market share in the field.
Google Editions does come with a twist though when compared to Apple and Amazon. These leaders in the field use iBook, iPad, and the Kindle to allow users to read the books. Google has focused their efforts on allowing anyone who has access to a web browser to view the books. This may also open the gates to allow users to view the books on their web-accessible televisions.
The Wall Street Journal reported that independent booksellers have already received contracts to supply Google Editions with their work. Self-publishing authors may be the best way for Google to initially make money until the larger publishing companies can trust Google and their new system. Others may raise the question on piracy if the content is accessible simply on web browsers. There still has been no official word on the release but rumors are this will come out before the new year. Just another thing to keep our eyes on over the next few weeks.
