Publishers can beat free Google eBooks

 
After reviewing a couple of classics from Google Books recently, I'm convinced that publishers should not see Google as a threat to their business. Last month the folks at Astak sent me a review unit of their new EZReader Pocket Pro [1], a small eBook Reader to try. I was pleased to get it because I had researched and written about eBooks and eBook Readers, but only tried them briefly at demos. This time, I wanted to download some of the free classics that Google had scanned and see first-hand what the fuss was about.

While the classics are less controversial than the more modern books, there is still a business out there for publishers who produce classic literature, and traditional publishers can't be happy about Google giving these books away. After sampling a couple, I can tell you that with a little effort, publishers could easily provide a higher quality product--one that justifies fees.

It's scanned and looks it

After searching for several authors, I found it was harder than I would have thought to find an actual novel. Sure, there were tons of academic criticisms, but finding the novel itself proved more challenging. It actually required that I go pre-20th century. For my samples, I downloaded "Wuthering Heights" and "David Copperfield." I was immediately shocked by the quality. Those of us who are a certain age likely remember using micro fiche to do research in the library back in the day. It had the same feel to me.

The cover pages show scan marks and there is scanning "noise" on many pages. It has the library plate from the college library where the book lived. It's not a great presentation and it's something that any book publisher with an imagination could produce in much higher quality and take greater advantage of the electronic medium.

For academic and preservation purposes

These books were put online in the quickest way possible, scanned in high-speed scanners, no doubt. The idea was not to make the books presentable, but to make them searchable. Google is not, after all, in the book business. First and foremost, it is a search engine. While these books, are available online and you can find them and use them for free, they do not offer the highest quality and they are not the most comfortable to read. They are simply there for the record.

Book publishers (much like other content providers) complain loudly about Google, but just like public libraries didn't kill the publishing industry, neither will Google Books. This service is not meant as a replacement for quality publications. Those of you who really want to delve deeply beyond research purposes to find the sources you need, are probably going to want something that's easier to read and one that has been optimized for an eBook Reader experience.

So far, Google has failed in this regard, and book publishers should seize the opportunity to differentiate themselves from what Google is producing instead of complaining, litigating and worrying. Publishers still have a much higher value proposition. They need to get out there and sell it. - Ron [2]

I'll be doing a more comprehensive review of the EZReader Pocket Pro in a couple of weeks.