Google launches eBookstore in US

Google has launched its long-awaited online bookstore, describing it as the world’s largest collection of eBooks.

The Google eBookstore has more than 3 million titles, of which “hundreds of thousands” are for sale, the company said.

Google eBooks will be start to be made available to markets outside the US from the first quarter of next year.

Books purchased using the service are stored in the cloud and accessible through a web reader, open format eReaders, or through free apps for Android and Apple devices.

The software allows readers to switch devices partway through a book without losing their place.

Google said it had decided on a web-based model to ensure the service supports as wide a range of devices as possible.

Google eBooks may also be purchased through Google's independent bookseller partners, including Powell's, Alibris and the American Booksellers Association.

The company is following a pricing model similar to other eBook sellers. Most publishers will set the price for new releases, but Google will determine how much to charge for older books sold using the traditional wholesale model, WSJ.comsaid.

Google has digitized more than 15 million books from 35,000 publishers in 400 languages since launching Google Books in 2004.

Two years ago Google paid $125 million to settle a copyright dispute with US authors and publishers over its books digitization project.

MORE ARTICLES ON: Android, Apple, Cloud computing, eBooks, Google