News
Google to Launch Digital Book Distribution Service
posted on by Crystalyn Hodgkins
Icarus Publishing reported on Friday on an e-mail message that the Google Books team sent regarding the new Google Editions service. In 2010, the service will allow publishers to upload digital versions of their books online for customers to buy through Google Books and online retailers. Google Editions will be a paid access program.
According to the help site for the program, when customers buy a book through the service, the book will "live in the consumer's online bookshelf, available to be accessed and read on most devices with internet access and a web browser; as well as on supported partner devices." Customers will be able to preview a book before purchase.
Retailers will have the option to sell a bundle of the book with a print copy, as well as the option to apply Digital Rights Management (DRM) software to the file download.
Retailers will also be able to lift restrictions Google Editions will place on books by default. The restrictions will allow consumers to only copy and paste 20 percent of the book's content over a 60-day period, and also restrict printing to 20 pages with a single print command, although it will allow for the entire book to be printed.
According to Icarus Publishing, the revenue split for these purchases will be 63-37.
Source: Google via Icarus Publishing
