Google to launch electronic bookstore

From TG Daily -

Google has announced plans to launch an online ebook store, Google Editions, which will initially offer approximately half a million books that can be read on any device or web browser. Google will act as a wholesaler, as a book distributor, and enable retail partners, especially those without a digital platform, to sell their books. It will collect 55% of the profits.

Google Promises Publishers (And Amazon) Will Sell E-Books In 2009

From Paid Content -

Google plans to enter the commercial e-book business this year. But unlike Amazon which sets most Kindle titles at $9.99, it apparently plans to let publishers set prices. The program would be separate from the recent book-scanning settlement. Moreover, readers can read online, implying access to books won't be limited to specific devices, but it does require Internet access and some sort of off-line caching, possibly Google Gears.