Google Inc. is in the final stages of launching its long-awaited e-book retailing venture, Google Editions. Google Editions hopes to upend the existing e-book market by offering an open, "read anywhere" model that is different from many competitors. Users will be able to buy books directly from Google or from multiple online retailers—including independent bookstores—and add them to an online library tied to a Google account. They will be able to access their Google accounts on most devices with a Web browser, including personal computers, smartphones and tablets.
That's a different approach from Amazon.com Inc., which is estimated to have as much as 65% of the market. Users of its proprietary Kindle device can purchase books only from an Amazon store. Digital book sales are expected to more than triple to $966 million this year, according to Forrester Research, from $301 million in 2009.
Read more at the Wall Street Journal.
