Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) is preparing to launch an e-book store called Google Editions. Google Editions will give customers access to digital copies of books at various prices. Book sellers will be able to sell their work on Google Editions and will collect most of the profits from the sale. The announcement was made by Google’s manager for strategic-partner development Chris Palma. [WSJ]

Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) is preparing to launch an e-book store called Google Editions. Google Editions will allow consumers to buy books and read them on e-book devices. This is the first time that Google will be getting into the e-book sales market.

Google Book Search publisher partnership program head Tom Turvey said that the publishers will be the ones responsible for setting the price of the e-books. Next year Google Editions will launch with about 400,000-600,000 e-books. “It will be a browser-based access,” stated Turvey at the 61st Frankfurt Book Fair. “The way the e-book market will evolve is by accessing the book from anywhere, from an access point of view and also from a geographical point of view.”

Google will earn 55% of the e-book profits and the rest will go to the publisher. That is too massive of a chunk for selling someone elses’ work in my opinion. Google lets developers keep 70% of revenue earned on the Google Android Market mobile application store.

Some of the most popular e-book readers on the market today include the Amazon.com Kindle and the Sony Reader.