Going Digital
“Unlike in some other parts of the world, staying home hasn’t necessarily meant more book buying in India. Since more people tend to read books rather than e-books [in India], store closures and lockdowns have definitely affected visibility and sales,” he says.
But like most sectors, publishing is focusing on digital, too — with books being made available online for sale. Marketing moved into the digital space in 2020, says Jagoorie of Hachette. “Marketing of books has now turned online as well — with virtual author events and virtual book fairs,” she says.
Many bookstores — such as Rastogi’s Bookland — are selling online. Publishing houses are attracting eyeballs with catchy slogans and offers. “The more (books), the May-rrier,” says Penguin Random House, listing their recommendations for the month of May.
Says Rachna Kalra, a marketing professional from the publishing sector, “We had to adapt a lot when it came to the marketing of books, as everything moved into the virtual space. We ended up doing webinars, online events, etc. but there is no denying the fact that real events cannot be replaced by the online space.”
Publishers add that social media has greatly helped in spreading the word around. Kalra adds that the thrust is now on small and local dedicated reading communities, instead of “getting lost on the internet by bombarding information” everywhere.
All is not bad news, however. Several publishers reported that online sales increased proportionately to the loss in sales of physical copies, and ended up keeping sales at the same level as before 2020. Says Jagoorie, “We are hoping that this trend continues, and that the pandemic has forced people to migrate online as a second option if not by choice.”
Publishers such as HarperCollins report 70-80 per cent of sales to be driven online post the pandemic. “I believe the share in sales between physical purchases and online used to be roughly 60-40 pre-pandemic, but the ratio is much more disproportionate now with online sellers, mainly Amazon, enjoying a far greater market share,” Guha Sarkar of Macmillan adds.
A study — Impact of COVID-19 on the India Book Consumer — conducted by Nielsen Book India in June-August 2020 found several insightful results. It found that more people were buying books through online platforms than earlier. More than two-thirds of Nielsen’s respondents reported they were reading more books since the lockdown of March 2020.
Both reading and audiobook listening went up, increasing by a substantial seven hours weekly on average to as much as 16 hours total per week. Two of five respondents said they were spending more time with print titles. One in two said they were spending more time reading e-books and listening to audiobooks.