After a long delay, Google is finally set to launch its much-awaited e-Book retailing venture, Google Editions. This is one of the highly anticipated ventures from Google this year, and is expected to upend the way we sell digital books. Google Editions will be debuted in United States by the end of this year, and in rest of the world in first quarter of 2011.

The project was expected to be launched during this summer, but had some legal and technical hurdles.

“Because of the complexity of this project, we didn’t want to come out with something that wasn’t thorough,” says Google product management director Scott Dougall, in a Wall Street Journal interview.

Through this venture, Google will be offering a “read anywhere” model for e-Books that will be its USP, and different from most of its competitors. The users of Google Editions will purchase books directly either from Google or other independent book sellers, and add them to an online library linked to their Google account. This account can be accessed on different devices; computers, smartphones and tablets.

Independent booksellers are expected to play a big role in the success of Google Editions and it has already started making contacts with them. While the key details of this project are still ambiguous, it is expected that over 200 independent booksellers in U.S. alone may sign up with it, as reported by American Booksellers Association.

Many independent booksellers are quite optimistic about Google Editions and consider this as a good opportunity to open their digital stores.

“If I don’t change with what is going on, I am going to be behind,” says Liz Murphy, owner of the Learned Owl Book Shop in Hudson, Ohio, who is eager to see what Google will enable. “People are getting e-books but they aren’t getting them from me.”

This will particularly affect Amazon.com, which currently holds approximately 65 per cent of the market. The unique approach of digital book selling by Google may provide it a leading edge in the near future, in line with many of its other virtual efforts.  Google’s been doing a great deal of prep work, dealing with publishers to create digital copies of books and other printed material.  This store launch could be a grave competitor to Apple’s efforts, as well as Amazon and others.

Digital books and other media are fast becoming a big business, as we are watching several great deals in this realm. For example, we recently heard about Google, Amazon and Comcast reaching out high points and making good on partnerships.  Another development in digital books business was the Borders’ partnership with Chegg.com that will give students access to millions of Chegg’s textbook titles with the help of Border’s website.