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Google has finally set a date � or at least a ballpark one � for its long-awaited foray into electronic books, Google Editions.
The company will introduce Google Editions by the end of the year,
Google Editions will allow users to buy e-books from Google or from the Web sites of independent bookstores, which have yet to find a way to compete with Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Apple on the electronic front. E-book customers would be able to set up an account for buying books, store them in a central "library" online and read them on Internet-connected computing devices, including smartphones and tablets. Millions of books would be available free.
Many independent bookstores have welcomed the venture as a profitable way to sell e-books on their own Web sites, and the American Booksellers Association, a trade group for independent sellers, said that more than 200 bookstores across the country could sign up. Users can already see previews of millions of new and backlist books in the Google Books program.
But it is unclear if Google Editions will be successful in luring consumers of e-books away from established retailers like Amazon, which already offers customers the ability to buy e-books and read them on the Kindle and other devices like the iPad through the Kindle app.
Electronic books are more popular than ever, as the cost of e-reading devices has gone down and publishers have begun releasing e-books simultaneously with new hardcover editions. Analysts have predicted that the holiday season will spur even more adoption of e-readers, many of which are priced below $150.
Oren Teicher, the chief executive of the American Booksellers Association, said that he had been told that the start of Google Editions was imminent, and that he expected the vast majority of independent bookstores that already participate in the association's IndieCommerce program, an online retail platform, to sign up for Google Editions.
The bookstores on that list are some of the best-known independents in the country, including Books and Books, which has stores in South Florida and Grand Cayman; Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena , Calif. ; and the Elliott Bay Book Company in Seattle
"It's clear that a certain percentage of readers are going to want to read books electronically, and independent bookstores can curate that content in the same way we curate content for physical books," Mr. Teicher said. "This is an opportunity to do so, and we're eagerly looking forward to it."
Cathy Langer, the lead book buyer for the Tattered Cover bookstores in Denver
"I always say that indies need to be players in all parts of the game, so this is going to be great to bring us into the e-book game in a reasonable, affordable way," she said. "We would like to make a little money off of it. But we have got to stop the bleeding."
