Google Editions due in June or July

E-book store going live within a couple of months

5 May 2010 10:46 GMT / By Duncan Geere

Google has announced that its "Editions" e-book store will be going live in late June or early July. The service, which was announced back in October 2009, will offer up a catalogue of around half a million titles from a range of publishers.

It's not yet clear who will be setting the prices - Google or the publishers - but unlike rivals Apple, Amazon and Barnes & Noble, the priority for Google will be allowing people to view the content they've purchased onto as wide a range of devices as possible, rather than locking consumers into a controlled ecosystem.

Google will use its Book Search service to point people towards the offering, allowing customers to buy a copy of any titles that it's got a license to sell. Book retailers will also be able to embed a Google Editions shop on their website, allowing them to sell e-books through Google's store.

No publishers have publicly committed to the project yet, but while Google's had its fallings-out with book publishers in the past, it's not likely that many will complain if the search giant wants to shift more copies of their work. We'll keep you posted of Google Editions' progress.

Via: online.wsj.com

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Software, Websites, E-Books, Google, Google Editions, Google Books