As expected, Google Book Search is moving beyond the intergalactic online card catalogue concept and into actual sales. UK and U.S. publishers in the Google Books Partner Program who can confirm holding the appropriate rights will be able sell access to books through Google Book Search. From the program’s description: “Google Book Search helps users who find and preview your books buy them through online retailers, local bookstores, and soon, will let them pay for immediate access to them right from their browser. It’s a way for publishers to experiment with a new method of earning money from their books in addition to those that already exist. Think of it as a way to reach more users by offering a new version of your book with a different reading experience.” Google calls it the first of a suite of tools to help publishers derive online revenue.
So what will users get? A book that can only be read by a particular user through a browser and can’t be downloaded or copied although publishers can approve the right to print it out. This appears to be more restrictive than Google Video, which at least can be viewed when you’re not online.
Danny Sullivan, who had an early heads up from Google, stresses that the program does not include books scanned as part of the library project.
Publishers Weekly: Jim Gerber, director of content relationships, tells PW: “This will enable publishers to experiment with different pricing models.รข
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