Publisher's Weekly discusses Amazon's proposed new launch.
From the article...
But can local branches, many already running dry, survive if Amazon gives Prime, which is becoming more and more of a deal at $79 as it decorates its price tag with feature after feature, and its users the capability to access any book a library could provide, without having to leave one’s home? Publishers, reportedly worried that Amazon’s digital library will devalue books in the eyes of consumers, obviously have the rights to the books and can put the brakes on the plan. But once one publisher signs, and assuming it finds success, expect a flood of others to follow. And really, it’s hard to imagine a feature that puts books right in front of your nose and charges you no additional cost not taking off.
Interestingly enough, Amazon’s digital library for a subscription fee idea is basically what Google was looking to achieve before it was condemned to litigation limbo. Google, in scanning thousands and thousands of books, was looking to present to subscribers a vast well of literature and research materials. And what makes this whole story even more interesting is that their first clients were to be institutions–like libraries.
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