The Google book project

This is something very interesting. Google is working on a platform that would allow users to easily download the entire content of books in a format that could be read on mobile devices. This will be part of the Google Books Library Project. This is somewhat modeled after Apple’s iPod product. Google will be doing for books what Apple has done for music.

This “virtual library” seems like a great idea to me, a consumer. I’m not much into collecting music (.mp3’s and whatnot) even though I am a music lover (I can play a mean guitar – in my own right, ha!). But the bookworm (bookshark?) in me would most definitely love the idea of being able to carry a few e-books here and there in one small device instead of having to lug around bulky tomes.

Imagine this:

– You’re traveling and got stranded in an airport because of a storm coming in. Flights are canceled or postponed. So what do you do to while away the time? You pop out your Google Reader “thingy” and, oh what luck, you’ve stored your favorite books and are able to catch up on your reading.

– You’re a tourist. You’ll be traveling to a country you’ve never been to before. So how can the Google Reader “thingy” help you? Well, you could download and store almanacs, tourist books, translation dictionaries, phone directories, and maps of the place you intend to visit. Now tell me this isn’t handy.

That’s one side of the story, taken from the point of view of a consumer. But how would publishers, and authors react? I believe that one of the key success factors for this product is a collaboration between Google and publishers. If Apple was able to do it with record companies and artists, I don’t see why Google can’t do the same.