Google eBooks is the new store that Google put up earlier this year. It gives you the ability to purchase books directly and are normally bestsellers and modern day books. The company has only been targeting the USA up until this point and they have plans to do simultaneous launches of the store in Australia, Canada, and the UK.
Google had sent Canadian publishers last month an email saying that they can now submit books to be sold under their bookstore ecosystem. This would allow publishing companies and authors to sell their books and collect payment. This is a viable alternative to other bookstores and offers a solid revanue share program. Under the system authors and publishers can have their books listed on the Google main ebook website but can also sell them directly on their own blog, store, or webpage.
The Australian ebook system has seen massive change this year with the collapse of Borders, Redgroup, and Angus & Robertson. In the land down under it is getting harder to buy books online. If Google eBooks were to open soon it would make getting free and paid ebooks easier than before.
Canadians have few options to buy books as well and all have limited selections. Amazon continues to be very popular in Canada but are severly limited to the number of books that are available vs American based customers. The best store right now is the Kobo bookstore to buy and have the ebooks delivered right to your device. With Google making moves it would stimulate the Canadian market to have their published works available in that ecosystem.
There is no confirmed date when they all will launch, but reps in Canada and Australia have told us to expect it to be online by the end of the year.
With Google eBooks coming to the UK, Canada, and Australia, it may make the iRiver Story HD a relevant purchase. It is the first e-reader that taps into Google Books to purchase and download right to your device. Unfortunately it is only sold in the USA, and is barely usable outside it. We reviewed the iRiver Story HD last month and it is a very solid e-reader and has the best resolution of its class.
If you live in Canada, Australia, and the UK and want to tap into the Google Books ecosystem next month, think about purchasing the iRiver Story HD from our retail sponsor Shop e-Readers. They import them from the USA and sell them internationally. It would make a great gift and would be a good way to get millions of free books at a click of a button.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
