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Google may e-publish copyrighted books
By siliconindia
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Wednesday, 12 November 2008, 16:04 IST
Paris: A new genre of revolution is under way with books going digital. Now copyrighted books will be available online. This comes in as new change from the paper books to e-books.
American authors and publishers have arrived at an agreement with Google to settle lawsuits over Google's Book Search program. It is known for scanning millions of books and makes their contents available on the Internet but now the deal will allow Google to sell electronic versions of copyrighted works that have gone out of print, reported Deccan Chronicle.
The agreement will remain subjected to court approval. The bookshop is said to be functional only in U.S. for now. Google would also be sharing online sales revenue with publishers and authors. The deal is only a part of the numerous initiatives that is hitting the book industry as such; this being considered one of the biggest technological leaps in the genre.
Neill Denny, Editor, The Bookseller said, "Almost overnight, not only has the largest publishing deal been struck, but the largest bookshop in the world has been built, even if it is not quite open for business yet."
Presently, a group of European national libraries and archives are also planning to open Europeana, an online database of two million books and other cultural and historical items, including films, paintings, newspapers and sound recordings.
Earlier, book sales in the U.S fell 1.5 percent in the first nine months of 2008, according to the Association of American Publishers. The country also saw a surge in sales followed the introduction of the 'Kindle' last year and upgrades in rival devices like the Sony Reader, which allow users to download books wirelessly or from an Internet-connected computer. But in Europe, the sales of e-books still remain at a primary level.
However, revenue from e-books and other digital sources remains meager, less than one percent of the worldwide sales of Penguin Group, according to Genevieve Shore, digital director for Penguin in London.
Now the publishers are searching for new ways to sell books digitally. Penguin is considering subscription plans, where readers would pay a monthly fee for online access to best sellers. Another option would be free or reduced-price online versions of books, supported by advertising.
