Digital audio books have emerged as the latest fad of the tech savvy, avid reading Indian. The segment has been virtually non-existent in the country that has so far been familiar with encyclopedia CDs or those that accompanied academic text books. The total volume of the audiobook segment is still small but is showing a lot of potential. Efforts are on to make the general public aware of the concept. Also, what better place to do that than the ongoing Delhi World Book Fair where initiatives like Reado Green Boulevard let visitors have an idea of what digital audiobooks are all about.
“We are witnessing a tremendous growth in the demand of audio books in India. We have sold over 24,000 audio book CDs since the last year and the market is poised to grow at 50-60 per cent in the FY 2013-2014,” said Sumit Suneja, Founder and CEO, Reado Audio Books, who happens to be a pioneer in this field.
“The digital downloads on our website have seen a jump of almost 52 per cent in the last quarter,” the CEO further added. The company has been dealing with the concept for almost a decade now, though it’s perhaps the first time it has been witness to the excitement that audiobooks have generated.
“We have been into this market since 10 years but in the current book fair I realized that it’s not that people are not aware of the concept but they have an illusion that audio books are available for some thousand rupees and 7-8 discs for a book, which is not true. Our books are priced very reasonably from Rs 100 onwards,” Sumit Suneja told PTI.
Among the titles that have evoked considerable interest among the visitors include Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs by Carmine Gallo, the Rich Dad series by Robert Kiyosaki, Puffin Lives by Penguin India, Ambani & Sons by Hamish McDonald, Kiss That Frog by Brian Tracy, Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson, to name just a few.
With a keen interest in tech, I make it a point to keep myself updated on the latest developments in technology and gadgets. That includes smartphones or tablet devices but stretches to even AI and self-driven automobiles, the latter being my latest fad. Besides writing, I like watching videos, reading, listening to music, or experimenting with different recipes. The motion picture is another aspect that interests me a lot, and I'll likely make a film sometime in the future.
