19.05.10 | Graeme Neill in The Bookseller
The Booksellers Association has signed an agreement for its members to sell Google's e-book system later this year, as well as share its membership data with the search engine.
BA chief executive Tim Godfray told delegates yesterday afternoon (18th May) at the Book Industry Conference in London that any BA member will be able to start selling Google Editions, the "buy anywhere, read anywhere" e-book system, when it launches this summer.
He said: "This will have a significant impact on e-book sales for members." Godfray also said the BA would be sharing membership data with Google on a weekly basis. He said consumers using the search engine to look for booksellers would be directed to BA members.
Google Editions works by saving content in "cloud library" so a user can read a book across a range of different devices.
Google, along with Apple and Amazon, will be "hugely influential" in determining how the digital landscape changes over the coming years, said Godfray. "They should be part of the trade associations and inside the tent. It puts us at a disadvantage not to have companies sitting at a table and working with us to map out what the best way forward."
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