Google Books Launches in Canada

In Tech Digest by Hannah Johnson

By Hannah Johnson

Following its initial launch in the United States almost a year ago, the Google Books platform recently launched in the UK in October, and in Canada on Tuesday.

As of the launch, Google Books Canada has partnerships with major Canadian publishers, including Random House, McClelland & Stewart, Douglas & McIntyre, House of Anansi and Dundurn.

The Winnipeg Free Press quoted Scott Dougal, director of Product Management for Google Books, as saying, “We have every major publisher in Canada and a lot of very small Canadian publishers.”

Google has also partnered with two independent Canadian bookstores, McNally Robinson in Winnipeg and Campus eBookstore in Ontario, to sell Google eBooks through the bookstores’ websites.

Google will now be competing with Canadian e-bookstore Kobo, as well as Amazon and Barnes & Noble, which also sell e-books to Canadian readers.

About the Author

Hannah Johnson

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Hannah Johnson is the publisher of international book industry magazine Publishing Perspectives, which provides daily information and news about book markets around the world. In addition to building partnerships with international cultural and trade organizations, she works with the Frankfurt Book Fair to organize and support a number of its overseas initiatives. Hannah has also worked as the managing editor for an online media company, The Hooch Life, focused on craft distillers and cocktail experts. Prior to that, she worked as a project manager for the Frankfurt Book Fair’s New York office, managing various business and marketing activities.