Publishing houses like Penguin, HarperCollins' plan to release a slew of e-books -- as Indu Nandakumar and Srividya Iyer write in The Economic Times -- doesn't sound like much of a headline -- except that the publishers they are talking about are the Indian branches, and the fact that e-books have barely registered in the Indian market to date.
So, for example:
So, for example:
Sayoni Basu, publisher at ACK Media -- which brings out the Amar Chitra Katha titles - says: "The e-book market in India is in the nascent stages. But once the cost of devices reduce, it will be a big market. Also, the mobile market in India is huge, and publishers look for ways to tap that." But HarperCollins feels the devices will probably have to be remodeled and designed keeping the Indian demographics in mind.Still, one has to wonder whether they'll be prepared for what is likely, sooner or later, to hit them:
Penguin says entry of e-books will contribute to wider availability of content, but wouldn't affect sales of standard books. "We want the readers to be comfortable with digital content and want it to be available in every possible format. Both physical and e-book markets will flourish. One will not cannibalise the other," Padmanabhan said.'One will not cannibalise the other' ..... Famous last words, no ?