Google, Widgets Mark IDPF Afternoon

by Calvin Reid -- Publishers Weekly, 5/9/2007 3:28:00 PM

The IDPF’s afternoon session was highlighted by Google’s plan to add features to its Google Book Search application, and Random House and HarperCollins briefly renewing the widget wars, as they discussed consumer use of their Insight (RH) and Browse Inside (HC) features.

After quoting a few book-related online statistics (13% of all books purchased are bought online), Google’s Tom Turvey discussed plans to roll out two features for Google Book Search, including paid online access to books; and a new feature called Full View. Turvey said paid online access could provide permanent access to an online edition, or consumers could rent access a week at a time. Google Book Search currently limits the consumer to a display of no more than 20% of a book’s content, but with publisher permission, the Full View option will allow 100% of the book to be available to consumers. Publishers can opt into the program which also features some ad support. Turvey said there were no dates set to launch either feature.

Both Random House v-p of digital, Matt Shatz, and HarperCollins senior v-p of global marketing Carolyn Pitts, discussed the importance finding ways to help consumers discover books online. The widget, a software application that allows consumers to find book excerpts and other content, is showing up on author, retailer and social networking Web sites. Shatz provided usage stats for Insight, the Random House widget. Since it was launched, more than 185,000 unique visitors have viewed more than 3 million pages of online book content, said Shatz. "People are actually using it to look for book information," he said. In the future, Random is looking to expand distribution of the widget to more sites and add new "bells and whistles’ to the application. Random will also look at ways to harvest consumer information from widget users and how to use the widget to generate book sales.

Pitts discussed the widget’s role in viral marketing on the Web, noting how the Harper Browse Inside widget is being used for teen books on MySpace as well as on retailer Web sites and on all Harper e-newsletters. And she emphasized that it can be cost neutral, if a publisher develops the widget itself. "Over time we’ve learned how to save thousands of dollars per title, to offset the cost of producing the widget." And Pitts was nimble when asked about the widget’s capability for selling books direct to consumers. "Distributed commerce" or having a multiplicity of ways to sell content online, "will expand the market for books," said Pitts, "and we think this model can coexist with traditional book retailers."

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