Google is gearing up to challenge Amazon’s dominance in the e-book market. The New York Times is reporting that the company signaled its intention to introduce a system for publishers to sell digital versions of their books at the BookExpo convention in New York this past weekend.
According to the report, customers will be able to purchase books directly from Google on any device that has Internet access–even smartphones. Publishers would set the retail pricing for new prints, which is expected to be equivalent to hardcover pricing. However, Google is reserving the right to adjust any pricing that it finds to be “exorbitant,” the Times noted.