Google has announced plans to launch an online electronic book store. According to reports, Google Editions will initially offer approximately half a million books from various publishers that can be read on any device or web browser.
“It will be a browser-based access,” Tom Turvey of Google Books told the Associated Press. “The way the e-book market will evolve is by accessing the book from anywhere, from an access point of view and also from a geographical point of view.”
Turvey explained that Google would collect 55 percent of the profits. A “vast majority” of the sum would then be transferred to retailers, while the rest would be remitter to the publisher.
“Google Editions allows retail partners to sell their books, especially those who haven’t invested in a digital platform. We expect the majority (of customers) will go to retail partners not to Google. We are a wholesaler, a book distributor,” added Turvey.
