But now, only two years later, the service is already shutting down.
So what is an avid reader to do?
Closing the Book
Osyter announced the newsin a blog poston September 21st.
What Might We Expect from Google?
Google’s interest in books began with its effort to digitize all of the world’s literature.
The company started withpublic domain books and works that either had lenient licenses or expired copyrights.
It wasn’t until 2010 that we saw the emergence of the Google eBookstore and Google eBooks.
Google partnered with thousands of publishers to offer millions of titles.
Today, Play Books lets users purchase books orupload their own DRM-free collectionto read on their devices.
To get an idea of how a future reading subscription service could potentially work, look to Play Music.
Now it’s known as Google Play Music Unlimited.
It’s not too hard to imagine a similarly named Google Play Books Unlimited roll out someday.
Then again, nothing could happen.
The company was bought by Dropbox.
A similar product has not emerged.
Some clouds just fade away.
What Are Your Options Now?
For now, your Oyster account will continue to function as normal.
Anyone who would rather abandon ship can request a refund at refunds@oysterbooks.com.
Last year Amazon launchedKindle Unlimited, a similarall-you-can-read buffetintended for users of its Kindle devices or apps.
Though initially a US exclusive, the service has since launched in a number of other countries.
For more on these two options, you canread our comparison from last summer.
Google went after Oyster employees precisely because of the service’s promise.
What did you think of Oyster?
How about reading subscription services in general?
Do you expect Google to offer us something good?
Share your thoughts below!
Image Credits:The old manuscriptby seahorsetwo via Shutterstock
