Google will soon launch into the ebook market, a move that could trample Amazon’s Kindle ebook service as well as Apple iBook platform.
Google Editions will allow publishers to sell their ebooks directly through their websites as well as through Google. Contrarily to Apple’s iBook platform and Amazon’s Kindle ebook publishing service, which both charge substantial premiums on independent publisher sales, Google’s self-publishing service will allow authors to keep almost all of the cover price of their works.
Keeping in line with their motto, “Don’t be evil”, it seems Google is aiming for quantity in their revenue model, making their platform all-the-more attractive for independent publishers.
The Kindle App for iPad
Who will be the looser in all this?
The Amazon and the Kindle. All ebooks sold through Amazon work exclusively on the their device or on the iPad via the Amazon Kindle App. Google will use open formats that will be widely compatible on other devices like Sony’s Reader or even in Firefox.
An other area where Google will crush Amazon is in the sheer quantity of books they will offer: 12 million in total! The company has been digitizing in-print and out-of-print books for the past several years and has built up and extensive library of works dating back centuries.
While Google has not yet officially revealed any tablet or ereader device, many are expecting to see a Google tablet in the near future. In any case Google Editions will be a major player in the future of electronic books, the next major publishing industry to be revolutionized after the film and music.
