The Global eBook Report: Current Conditions & Future Projections. Update October 2013 by Rüdiger Wischenbart

including publishers of Indian languages, beginning with Hindi, to sell their ebooks.
    Flipkart has said that according to Nielsen BookScan Retail Panel data, Flipkart holds 80% market share for online book sales in India, and holds 40–45% market share for all trade book sales across brick and mortar and online. In August 2013, Flipkart inked a deal with self-publishing platform Smashwords , to distribute its titles in India.
    Amazon’s Kindle, which has brand recognition in India, made it easier for Indian customers to buy books, with the launch of the Kindle India Store in August 2012, which enabled transactions in Indian Rupees (INR). Amazon had tied-up with Croma retail chain to sell its basic e-reader, the Kindle Wi-fi 6” E Ink Display device.
    When Amazon launched Amazon.in , its marketplace platform in India, in August 2013, it integrated the Kindle India store under that domain. The Kindle range of e-reader devices was also made available through Amazon.in shortly afterwards.
    The ebook space in India is about to get more exciting, with the coming of Kobo , which will soon launch here. In an interview to the author of this report, Malcolm Neill , Kobo’s Director Content Acquisition and Publisher Relations APAC, said that Kobo’s entry will drive competition. It has also identified a retail partner, and has been building relationships with publishers for over a year now.
    Before Flipkart and Kindle India Store set up, ebooks were available from locally established online retailers, like Ahmedabad-based Infibeam and The Wink Store, which is based in Kottayam , Kerala. Infibeam’s ebook store with over 900,000 ebooks, complements the Pi e-ink reader. When it first launched, most ebooks available through Infibeam were those published by global STM publishers.
    Google extended its ebook section on Google Play marketplace in India, in February 2013. With Android devices having greater penetration, Google Play is an important platform for content, where ebooks are priced in Indian rupees.
    Offline retailers
    Offline retailers are also making a foray into ebook retail segment. In September 2012, Landmark retail chain’s online store announced an ebooks section, and an Android-based e-reader app. Landmark’s catalogue seems to be made of foreign ebooks, aggregated from an international distribution service.
    The other leading book retail chain, Crossword , is poised to launch its ebooks retail channel by October 2013 or so, according to Kinjal Shah, the company’s COO. [N10] Crossword’s plan to launch ebook retailing space has been on the anvil since September 2012.
    Telecom companies join in
    The telecom operator Aircel has launched Aircel BookMate , an ebook store for its subscribers, in mid-September 2013. The store will allow its subscribers to browse, download and read books, magazines, and comics on their smartphone, tablets and PCs, through a monthly subscription or one-time purchase. But one needs to have an Aircel number to register. The Aircel BookMate app for Android smartphone can be downloaded from the Google Play Store, while the iPad and iPhone app appears to be in development.
    In early September 2013, Vodafone tied up with Rockstand , the ereading app, to provide Vodafone subscribers to buy digital content available on the app through their mobile bills or balance. Vodafone users are now able to purchase books and magazines at Rs 7 ($0.12) per day, cheaper than the current prices of ebook and emagazines offered on the app.
    (Telecom operator _Bharti Airtel_’s mEducation initiative in the educational content space has been mentioned above.)
    By all indications, most publishers of ebooks realize the value of releasing books across all platforms, and they are experimenting with creating their own reader apps. With the Android platform being the most popular operating system in India, the Android-based apps would be the first choice. Cloud computing is offering a solution to create reader