Publishers are starting to report increased sales two years after the unveiling of Google's controversial plan to digitally scan all books in print.
Google has been enlisting publishers to voluntarily submit their books so that web searchers can more easily find titles related to their interests, but some fear the project could lead to piracy or exploitation of their copyrighted content.
"Google Book Search has helped us turn searchers into consumers," said Colleen Scollans, the director of online sales for Oxford University Press.
She declined to provide specific figures, but said that sales growth has been "significant". Ms Scollans estimated that a million customers have viewed 12,000 Oxford titles using the Google programme.
Google does not release data on how many people are using the service, how many books have been scanned or how many searchers have clicked through to buy books.
Book search results from Google provide short page snippets and links to buy the books from online retailers or directly from publishers.
Some of the same publishers participating in the programme have also united to file a lawsuit against Google alleging copyright violation over a separate plan by the web search company to digitise the world's libraries.
Others, including News Corp's HarperCollins, are building their own digital repositories.