Looks Like Google is Getting Into EBooks

What does it all mean? What about my Kindle? Yikes! I guess we will see soon!

Google Editions e-book venture to launch by year’s end

“Computerworld – After months of delays, Google will launch its e-book retail business, now being called Google Editions, in the U.S. before the end of the year, a spokesman for the company confirmed today.

The spokesman gave no reason for the delay and declined to offer other details. A Google executive had said in May that the company planned to sell digital books last summer.

The Wall Street Journal reported today that the venture had cleared some technical and legal hurdles and that Google Editions would launch in the U.S. by year’s end and internationally in the first quarter of 2011. A federal court recently gave preliminary approval to a settlement agreement between Google and authors and publishers, which apparently has provided further impetus for the Google e-book concept.

Under the Google system, independent booksellers are expected to be able to sell e-books through Google Editions — and they have received contracts to make that happen, according to the WSJ report. Independent booksellers would benefit the most from Google’s concept.”