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By Paul Biba

image A Google-Sony partnership is now bringing 500,000 of Google’s public domain books to the Sony Reader as well as PC desktops and laptops—in ePub format.

David Rothman and I learned of the deal in a half hour interview Tuesday with Steve Haber, President of Sony’s Digital Reading Division, and Jennie Johnson, a spokesperson for Google.

A new "store" was added to the Sony library software, effective 9 p.m. Pacific Time yesterday. It will let Sony Reader owners download the 500,000 public domain e-books to their libraries, and their Readers, at no charge. And non-Reader owners, including Kindle owners with the right conversion software for ePub, can also benefit. This is only a part of Google’s library of 1.5 million books, but Google is working to add the rest of the books to this program. Google and Sony did not give a time frame for completion of this project.

No, you don’t have to own a Sony Reader to enjoy the new ePub library created by Google. David successfully downloaded an ePub copy of Will Warburton, the George Gissing novel, to his HP desktop after using a different mailbox for registration from one he had when he owned a PRS-505. The partial screen shot shows the book as viewed on free Sony software that PC owners can download and use. Plus, you can see the file in Adobe Digital Editions, if it’s on your desktop or laptop, by clicking on the "external viewer" option within the Sony reading program.

Viewable with any ePub reader—and fodder for conversion to Kindle

The related ePub file are not encrypted, so any ePub-capable software should work, as will the Calibre library management and file conversion program, meaning that e-book-smart people could change the ePub books into a variety of formats for nonSony handhelds, even Kindles via Calibre.

For now, at least, as best David can determine, an ePub version is not reachable directly from Google’s listing for Willburton. That would be a still-more open approach. But this week’s moves are still very welcome news. The Sony software is only for PCs, not Macs, but Sony intends to address that issue. Will we see a version for Linux desktops and laptops, too, someday?

Sony’s apparent intent, meanwhile, beyond adding value to the Reader, will be to use public domain books in ePub to entice people to install its software and in time buy its reader devices.

In the exclusive TeleRead interview, Steve emphasized that this program is part of Sony’s commitment to an open platform, as opposed to the closed platform of its major competitor (hint, hint, the name starts with an A). The ePub conversion is being done by Google itself, as noted; and Sony and Google are exploring ways to make copyrighted ePub material available.

Sony also will be working with libraries to make the commercial ePub material available in the public library’s typical time limited format for copyrighted material. This is nothing new, it is being done today in conjunction with Overdrive, but Sony would like to make this library interaction easier, perhaps even making it part of the Sony store. No time frame has been set for this. It seems to me that Sony clearly has a vision for e-books, and its Reader, of course, that goes beyond the simple "buy my book" vision of other companies.

On related matters, Steve, under my questioning, indicated Sony’s support for the Mac and said that a Mac version of the store would be forthcoming, but he would not commit to a time frame. He also said that over 400,000 Sony Readers have been sold and that sales during this Christmas season were triple those of last Christmas. I couldn’t get Steve to give any time frame for the wireless version of the Reader, but he indicated that it was still in the works.

This is not the first time Google has worked to get e-books on a mobile platform. It’s released software for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

From Sony’s PowerPoint presentation

moz-screenshot-2.jpg

Here is how owners of PCs—not Macs—can use the new Google classics service

1. Within the eBook Store from Sony (http://ebookstore.sony.com), click on the Google Search Banner–probably a bit down on the right side of the page.

2. "If you do not have an account, you will need to set one up. Just follow the easy steps. All free."

3. Type in your book search words

Related: New York Times story on the Sony-Google deal, plus a just-posted MobileRead account. I’d love to see the Times do more with the ePub angle. Also see Techmeme roundup with links to the story in other major newspapers.

 
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