Google Book Search on the lookout for local partners

Google Book Search is on a partnership drive with Indian publishers, seeking to put their titles on to its search platform where they can be browsed through by surfers.

Having recently tied up with Indian publishers like Orient Longman, Sage Publishers, Roli Books, Orient Paperbacks, Diamond Publications and New Age International, Google is looking for more.

While the partnership gives Indian publishers wider reach and reduce their marketing expense, Google can hope tp tap the India-focused advertisers.

The advertisement revenue is shared between Google, the world's largest search engine, and the publisher, while the entire sales revenue accrues to the publisher alone.

The publishers are not required to shell out any money to be on this service.

"We have already tied up with thousands of publishers in the US and UK and are now in talks with several Indian publishing houses over the past few days," said Gautam Anand, strategic partner development manager with Google. He declined to name the publishing houses.

Launched at the Frankfurt Book Fair in October 2004, Google Book Search -- pooling content largely from publishers and libraries -- enables people to browse through a book, search through it, buy and find its publisher as well as a neighbourhood book shop that may have a copy.

India is the third largest publisher of English books worldwide after US and UK at roughly 28,000 books -- 40 per cent of the 70,000 books that are published every year.

To safeguard the copyright of these books while making them accessible at large, the search allows browsing of only 20 per cent of the pages, consecutive viewing of no more than 5 pages and bars printing, saving, copying or downloading of any content.