A recent PWC report states that e-books have stormed the global market and have captured 9% of the market for publishing. By the year 2017, the e-book market is expected to grow to 22% of the global publishing market. In India, e-books occupy just 1% or less of the market share.
The main reasons for this low percentage of market share for e-books in India can be attributed to the lack of awareness about e-books. Most people do not know how to download e-books and are not aware about the devices available to read them. The high percentage of e-book presence in the UK and USA can be attributed to the awareness of the e-book concept and e-book reading devices.
However, the launch of e-books in India has opened the door to their online purchasing and reading by people. Due to this, growth has been more than it was expected. The chief editor of Harper Collins, India, V. K Karthika says, that it would take as little as two years for the e-book market in India to take off.
Evidence is beginning to emerge as to why India can be the next superpower to occupy the global e-book space. It is the third largest market for e-books. The growing literacy amongst the population with adequate disposable income, the ever increasing adaptability to internet usage, the interest of the populace for reading, as well as the onslaught of companies launching Internet enabled reading devices, all point to the huge potential that India is sitting on for becoming the next superpower in terms of consumer demand for e-books.
Companies like Google, Flipkart, Amazon and more recently Kobo have entered the market and are constantly endeavouring to reach a larger clientele. Even Landmark, the book store has entered into the concept of electronic publishing and reading by starting an online store for e-books lovers.
The awareness about e-books is still not created amongst the common man. The only way that India can explore its full potential in the e-book sector is through creating awareness. This could be through advertisements, organizing events at University campus grounds or any other marketing activities to bring the status of e-book reading from the reach of a niche category to the masses. The offer of electronic reading in regional languages also will add more demand to online reading and India could very well emerge as the next superpower for e-books.
Image credit: Sean Ellis on flickr and reproduced under Creative Commons 2.0[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://writingtipsoasis.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Nidhi.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Nidhi Manuja is a creative freelance writer who started her career as human resource professional but later moved on to writing, which has given her a chance to be creative and follow the path of her father’s success as well who is an author.[/author_info] [/author]