Publishers are still arguing about whether Google’s mass digitisation of books is theft or a new route to market.
Google Book Search enables users to seach the contents of a book and read the whole thing in they so wish if it is out of copyright. They’ll be able to read a few pages if it is in copyright, or none at all if the publisher or author is unwilling to make it available.
This article in Information Today reports how the Chief Exec of Macmillan resorted to political stunt tactics to make his point by nicking Google’s laptops at the recent BookExpo America. At the same fair, other publishers discussed the uplift in hits on their site and direct sales as a result of partnering with Google (which has a ‘Buy this book’ link next to the book).
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