Kannada e-books, which were struggling to find takers, have seen a sudden spurt in demand during the pandemic. Multiple platforms that are exclusively dealing with e-books and audiobooks have reported “great response” as many in the field put it.
Vasant Shetty of MyLang app, started last year on Rajyotsava Day, now has over 500 e-books and over 80,000 downloads. “The pandemic saw an explosion of consumer interest and every month since then, we are seeing a growth in the range of 10-15%. It is hearty to note that over 80% of our customers are in the age group of 15-40,” he said. Other platforms like VividLipi and Rutumana have also made strides in the e-books market.
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Meanwhile, the audiobooks market, though still nascent, is taking baby steps in the Kannada space. Storytel, a Swedish multinational audiobooks platform, has entered the Kannada market and optioned works of prominent writers, sources said. “I have given rights to four of my novels to be produced as audiobooks to Storytel. Earlier, I read out my first novel Karma as an audiobook for MyLang app and now Storytel has optioned my novels,” said novelist Karanam Pavan Prasad. Other Bengaluru-based platforms like MyLang, Alisiri, and Rutumana have also entered this space.
The biggest hurdle for e-books and audiobooks was the publishers who feared this will only lead to free sharing on messaging platforms hitting sales. “Now the publishers are also slowly realising that this can only supplement their revenues, but can never replace the book market. They cater to different demographics,” Mr. Shetty said.
However, Mr. Pavan Prasad warns, “There is a need to create awareness among writers to retain rights to e-books and audiobooks. Now there is confusion as to who holds these rights.”
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Book cataloguing
What has only added value to this ecosystem is a Kannada book cataloguing platform BookBrahma, on the lines of GoodReads. During the pandemic, the platform has been hosting book release functions as well online.