The year 2013 - a new feather has been added to the Indian history of eBooks.  This is the first time ever Indian language books are available in true eBook format and are accessible through a range of devices. Now readers across India and the world have got more reasons to explore Indian literature and its rich content. 

Your favourite books now are in digital format and are in original Indian flavour and colour.

Did Conventional book reading take a backstage?

Yes, it is – slowly but steadily. Reading books in India is next to the religion, but so-called rituals have changed a lot in the last few years. There are millions of avid readers in India and abroad who have limited access to the printed version of their favourite books and that too in major Indian languages. Change in book reading habit and ease of technology have also factored into this.

Accessibility and Distribution– The Primary Concern

The authorship value of Indian language books is deep-rooted. The readership for Indian content is also high across the globe. However, accessibility of books has been a regular issue with Indian readers as there is a limitation in proper channelisation of books across the country. The result is that book lovers either wait for another book fair to be organised, once or twice in a year or end up downloading PDF versions of their preferred numbers. That is not satisfactory for obvious reasons.

Global readers of Indian content have the same opinion as Indian language books are not readily available worldwide, especially the ones written by regional authors or the ones published in regional languages such as Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Marathi and more.

Availability of stocks and order delivery are also major concerns. Books are now considered as assets and printed copies have a limited shelf-life. Traditional bookshops may not provide you with the latest or oldest collections of your favourite authors.

In any way, there is a continuous gap between demand and supply of printed books. Books that are of 18^th or 19^th centuries are not widely available in bookshops. There is a scarcity of books of less popular authors or publishers also. The reading habit and resources have also changed a lot in the last few years.

Paradigm Shift in Book Reading Habit 

A large segment of gen Y readers in India are not well connected to length and breadth of Indian content. They are more open to classroom books, exam papers, course materials than the history of great Indian literature. Conventional education system does not allow them to read famous authors and their life-time publications.

Moreover, readers are now more comfortable with modern computing devices. They prefer reading books online and on their handheld devices.

Cost Factor – A Potential Reason

Cost of buying books and availability of time are also important factors to consider. Printed copies usually come in the higher range and passionate readers may not find an easy and cost-effective solution to this.

This continuous demand and shift in reading trend among Indian book lovers have led to the rise of eBooks and the modern book reading ritual.

Indian Startup Venturing into eBook Market

The plunge is on. A number of IT professionals, publishers, regional authors and mobile application developers have joined hands to explore the opportunity. Budding entrepreneurs, funded by venture capitalists and supported by community help have got fresh oxygen for such projects.

Swiftboox (www.swiftboox.in), an Indian startup makes book reading easier with their innovative e-reading services. Their objective is to take rich Indian culture, heritage and literature to the international level and promote greatest Indian authors along with their creations. 

Swiftboox was founded in the year of 2012 and is owned by an Indian startup, AppsWorld Software (P) Ltd based in Kolkata. The company aims at creating a platform that enhances readership of Indian books on a global frame. They also provide authors, publishers and retailers an opportunity to showcase themselves on global book market.  

eBook Specialities – The Gallery of Indian Content

Reading your favourite books is now simpler, quicker and more fun. Indian tales, comics, graphic novels, poetry, ancient ballads, autobiographies, literature, fiction or kids specials - anyone can enjoy reading them in their regional Indian languages and in English, anytime from any place. Name any author, publisher or the book you want to download and read at your convenience –it is all possible with a perfect eBook gallery.

Now you can read your favourite ‘Batul The Great’ in all three languages Hindi, Bengali and English in eformat. Khai Khai, Chander Pahar, Abol Tabol, HaJaBaRaLa are some of the world famous books on children fiction that you can download and read on your iOS, Android, Windows or Mac system. You can also find eBooks on any popular subjects such as fiction, travel, biography, comic, literature, history, religion, society, nature and more.

Reasons of eBook’s Popularity in India

Greater accessibility:

Books in digital format have a global reach. You can own them anytime from any part of the world at your discretion. There is no long wait for a book to get released, ordered and then read. eBooks are instantly available worldwide.

Genre of collections:

eBooks have an universal appeal. There are no age bar or geographical restrictions. Whether it is a book on fiction, travel, society, history, literature, biography or any subject you need, there are collections according to your tastes and preferences.

Device compatibility:

You can simply download a whole book of your choice and start reading on your PC, Mac, laptop, eReader, Tablet, iPad, iPhone, Android, PDA or any Smartphone device you have. It generally takes 3-4 minutes to download an average size novel.

Adobe support:

There is a number of eReader software that support eBook reading. Adobe Digital Edition software support all industry-standard eBook formats including ePUB and PDA/F. It helps you to view and manage eBooks and maintain a digital library. You can simply download Adobe digital editions 2.0 on your PC or Mac before purchasing an eBook and then read them both online and offline.

iOS and Android support:

You can simply download Bluefire reader (a free app found in Apple App store) on your iOS devices (iPhone, iPad or iPod) with some easy instructions and get started with.

Android users can just download the latest version of Aldiko Reader for free and import eBooks in PDF or ePub format. There are two ways to do this. First, you can directly go to Aldiko website and install the latest version of Aldiko Book Reader on your Android device. You can also visit Google play store or download Android Market app for free to search for Aldiko book reader.

Quick search           

Searching books by keyword, title, author or category have given readers a quicker access that was not possible earlier.

Cheaper:

eBooks usually cost less than printed books. The margin could be 5 to 10 times if you find the right supplier.

Thus, the history of Indian books has now come of an age. It is important that we, the modern generation readers access and publicise them in true globalised format. The idea is to make reading books easier and effortless. Since technology has been playing a major part in this, we must have a centralised approach to create eBooks that are compatible to all devices.