India has implemented a new policy that will dramatically decrease the cost of e-books. This will be a big win of consumers who will be able to buy more digital content, while spending less.
The Information and Broadcasting Ministry announced that “One of the key highlights of the policy include promoting online readership by pricing the digital version of the publication at 75% of the price of printed version. This would ensure that 25% discount is passed on to the readers.”
According to the policy, the revenue earned from sales of digital books would be shared in the ratio of 70:30, between the publications division and e-commerce platform.
India is hoping that passing on greater discounts to consumers will allow for more competition. Flipkart was one of the bigger companies involved in the e-book sector, but shuttered their service a few months ago and transferred all of their customers to Kobo.
Michael Kozlowski is the Editor in Chief of Good e-Reader. He has been writing about audiobooks and e-readers for the past ten years. His articles have been picked up by major and local news sources and websites such as the CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and Verge.