Google books in NZ
An interesting development on the front of Google Books is the joining of New Zealand authors. There seems to be mixed opinions, but I found the take of Auckland University Press sensible.
“Allowing people to preview books generates more sales, so we are going to give that a try. If in a year or so we don’t like it, then we will pull our books out,” says Sam Elworthy, Auckland Uni Press.
I find the feature to preview a book very useful, especially if it is an academic resource. Often the title can be somewhat misleading and it is not until you've had the opportunity to look at the contents page and even some of the chapter excerpts that you can make an informed decision about buying the book. I think that Google Books definitely exposes the work of authors to a much wider audience and in my view that is the ultimate goal - to have as many people as possible read your work!
