super teaser, gell

Google may go into online book lending

Google is talking to at least one publisher to allow consumers to rent and view online copies of books for a week, according to a media report today.

Under the Google plan, the proposed fee would 10pc of the book's list price, and it wouldn't be downloadable or printable, The Wall Street Journal reported in its online edition.

"Google Print is exploring new access models to help authors and publishers sell more books online, but we don't have anything to announce," The Journal quoted a Google spokesman as saying. Several other companies have announced plans to allow users to pay for the right to view books on a page-per-view basis. Bertelsmann AG's Random House says it intends to sell the content of its books on that basis with the provision that the material won't be downloadable, The Journal reported.