With e-books and a multitude of reading devices ranging from the Kindle to the Ipad and a host of regular tablets becoming very popular, India is also seeing a rise in authors using e-books to connect with readers. Has the e-book revolution meant that new authors get a better chance to exhibit their skills and win audiences? Are people selective about what they on their reading devices?
Writer Rose Garg, who has published two short stories anthologies as e-books on Amazon says, “E-books offers a better chance for new and aspiring authors because the rating system is fairly unbiased, and helps you reach a much wider audience purely based on your own merit. Publishing companies like Amazon, Smashwords, Kobo etc allow anyone interested in publishing their work a fair ‘chance’ without any middlemen involved and also without wasting time. Anyone interested in publishing, who has the ‘guts’ to put their work out in the public domain must be given a shot, without being told that their writing is not good enough. Reading is a habit, the medium does not matter much. People who read on their devices are usually serious readers, aided by the easy access to a number of books and types, at any given time, read a lot. There is no specific genre, everything goes.”
Amish Tripathi, who has authored the extremely popular Shiva trilogy agrees, “Publishing is often time consuming and requires one to spend a lot of time, energy and money on the process. I think e-books have made it easier for young authors to get noticed more easily. Having said that, e-books and reading devices are still catching up in India. It will take some more time before they could actually compete with physical books. It does help in generating a lot of buzz about a particular book. Unless vernacular languages make a mark on the e-book scene, I do not think e-publishing will be very big in India.”
He adds, “I use the kindle because I find it very convenient. I do not have to carry a group of books with me. I mostly read non-fiction and it works well for me on that count.”
Talking about the e-publishing industry, Russell Grandinetti, senior vice president for content at Amazon contends that Kindle singles are very popular on Amazon. “These are longer pieces than magazines and newspapers would allow and lesser than what a full fledged book would require. We aim at giving an opportunity for you to tell a story quickly, without the many gatekeepers that physical books and writers have to encounter.”
He adds, “Kindles are best for reading fiction novels and text books, without too many graphic elements. We are trying to make comics that fit the e-ink panels. Most comics do not fit the panel and this forces many people to read physical graphic novels instead of picking a digital copy.”
Ravindra Singh, author of four bestselling books is not very confident about new authors making a mark by starting with e-books in India, at least for now. He contends, “You need to be a fairly established author to attempt an e-book only version. For many people, reading is also a statement to the world. I would think that unless you are a known face, it would be tough for you to make a mark in digital publishing.”
He adds, “Having said that, I feel that creating a digital footprint always helps. It helps you connect more with your readers and ensures that they keep coming back. Free books in the e-book format is not a very wise step. It may help in the short run, but will not work in the long term.”
