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so the author is upset that he might not be able to register http://benwerd.book when he can just as easily get http://benwerdbook.com only 3 characters longer?

People are failing to realize that if google weights these gTLDs then some could be screwed. imagine if .book is penalized over .author or .read ?

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Which in turn would open a can of worms, because Google themselves have applied for their own gTLDs.

I'm worried about the long-term implications, not my immediate realities, fwiw.

That's a good point.

Even then, I wonder why would Google choose a gTLD over any other TLD. For Google, content only matters. It doesn't matter what your address is. If your meal (content) is good, then spidey is happy to munch it and send it's recommendations (traffic).

I don't think that's true. Google gives more value to .gov and .edu domains, for example.

While that's true, it's probably because gov and edu domains are strictly regulated.

I could imagine google giving higher priority to .book addresses, provided that (a) the user was searching for a book and (b) .book addresses required that the registrant prove that they're the author/owner of a book/book series.

In that case, it'd make sense to. I think Google thinks that way with domain names as well.

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