Nielsen releases 'The India Book Market Report'

Nielsen, a leading global provider of information and insights into what consumers watch and buy, was commissioned by The Association of Publishers in India (API) and the Federation of Indian Publishers (FIP) to produce a major new study: The India Book Market: Understanding the India Book Market – a comprehensive report on the India book market.

A first-of-its-kind release, this report looks at the fast-growing books market from the perspective of local and international publishers, retailers and book consumers. The aim of the report is to provide the Indian book publishing industry with greater insights into the market and their consumers, to enable the industry to meet the needs and demands of a well-educated nation that continues to grow.

Vikas Gupta, President of the API, commented: “The India Book Market Report delves into the publishing landscape in the country – size and potential of the industry, what challenges it faces and what opportunities lie ahead.  Various government initiatives and policies affecting publishing; the status of education in India; book retailing and the digital publishing industry as the future of publishing, have all been discussed at length. It also reveals some interesting facts about the industry – such as the size of publishing being larger than the Indian film Industry.”

In conclusion, the report highlights the enormous potential the Indian publishing industry has shown in recent years, substantiated with Nielsen’s market estimation study. An astute and powerful first edition, the India Book Market Report is an invaluable tool for everyone in the book publishing industry.

“We are extremely pleased to have launched the report; it is truly a first in many ways for India’s burgeoning print book market. The market in India has seen a double digit growth in the last four years, and our studies peg India as the second largest English-language book market in the world, with the print book market at the sixth position globally.  This intensive report  captures the vernacular  print market in India, as well as the resurgence of Indian authors writing in English – tracking in-depth trends that have attributed to the rise of the market in India,”  said Prashant Singh, MD, Nielsen India. “The rise in literacy, a growing middle class and greater disposable income hold significant opportunities for the future growth of publishing businesses in India,” he added.

Jonathan Stolper, SVP & Global Managing Director of Nielsen Book, said “Nielsen Book is the leading provider of retail sales analysis and consumer research but this is the first time we have been asked to look at a market and conduct such an in-depth piece of research. Some of the facts that have come to light are very impressive – there are 9,000 publishers, over 21,000 retailers and 22 official languages and if you include regional dialects the total is 1,600. Literacy in India is rising rapidly, from 65% in 2001 to 74% in 2011 and it is predicted to reach 90% in 2020. We are delighted to have been asked to work with the API and the FIP on this project and pleased to be a part of the book industry in India which is growing rapidly.”

Dr Ashok Gupta - President FIP (Federation of Indian Publishers) said: “[The India Book Market Report] is a good development for the whole of the Indian Publishing Industry. It has long been felt that there is a need for such a definitive study on the size of the industry conducted by a reputable, internationally known and credible agency like Nielsen. The India Book Market Report will provide new insights which will benefit the global publishing industry.”

The India Book Market Report is the first study for decades, Rohit Kumar, Ex-President of the API, commented: “After such a long time, we have real data on the size and potential of the Indian book publishing industry.  The sheer number of readers in India is increasing at one of the fastest rates in the world.  The impact to Indians through the written word has never been higher; India's growth to a developed economy will only happen through its youth developing their minds and thoughts.  The publishing industry and authors play a key role in influencing this in the right way."

“The Indian publishing industry has tremendous potential but also faces some challenges. A cumbersome distribution network, long credit cycles and piracy are considered key roadblocks within the market. This combined with a lack of ‘industry’ recognition, support and policies makes it more challenging for publishers in the Indian publishing industry.  A key recommendation is for the automation of certain sectors, for instance, publisher prefix and ISBN allocation – which could improve the process and flow of information for publishers large and small.  However, the overall growth of the market is very encouraging for existing and new players,” said Vikrant Mathur, Director, Nielsen Book India.