Google to sell e-books by end of 2009; what will Amazon do?

Amazon, get ready: Google's throwing its hat into the e-book ring.

Google has indicated its intent to introduce a program by that would enable publishers to sell digital versions of their newest books direct to consumers through Google, according to a recent article in the New York Times.

The move pits Google against Amazon, which looks to control the e-book market in a very Apple-like way with its Kindle offerings and e-book sale pipeline to them.

That's bad news, at least for Amazon.

The good news is that publishers who have expressed concerns or disagreement about Amazon's pricing strategy now have another option in the budding market -- Google has said it will allow publishers to set consumer prices, in stark contrast to Amazon's strategy, which offers Kindle editions of most new best sellers for $9.99 (new book titles usually command $25 or so).

The strategy is similar in intention, if not scope, to Interead's plan for its Cool-ER reader.

Google has discussed such plans with publishers before, the Times reports, but "it has now committed the company to going live with the project by the end of 2009."

In a presentation at BookExpo, Tom Turvey, director of strategic partnerships at Google, added the phrase: "This time we mean it."

As you'd expect, the e-book retail program will be separate from the company's book-scanning project, in which the company has scanned more than seven million volumes, the majority of which are out print.

Still, the possibilities are bewildering. (Students, rejoice!) The move also creates yet another revenue stream for Google.

Prior to this news, Google made its 1.5 million public-domain books available for reading on mobile phones and the Sony Reader. The company said it would not "silo" or limit its e-book sales to a specific device, as Amazon does with its Kindle e-book sales.

Would you buy an e-book from Google?