It is difficult not taking your work back home here in FICCI. :) Sumeet Gupta, Head, Publications shares his views on the confluence of digital and print in our lives.. Views Personal.

1. 28 August 2012 | Edition:108
Guest Comment: Sumeet Gupta, Additional Director, FICCI
Print or Digital - What lies ahead?
Whenever I travel by Delhi metro, particularly in the yellow line near Delhi University, I come across a lot
of youngsters with gadgets and latest gizmos. The other day I saw a funky looking guy with gelled hair
reading one of his favorite novels on his galaxy tablet. A group of girls were peeping in the iPad and
giggling. I assume they were reading the digital version of Mills and Boons. I got off at Vishwavidhalaya
and took escalators to exit the station. In the premises, just outside the station I saw a kid (permit me to
use that word) of around 20, was sitting on the Metro stairs. I would have ignored him, had it not been
for his rhythmic head movements. I got distracted. I stood there watching him, slightly conscious of my
own feeling of awkwardness. He had earphones plugged in and the rhythmic shaking of his head
suggested that he must have been a great fan of rock music. Simultaneously he was reading a
newspaper on his tablet. By this time he noticed me watching him and made a questioning face. To hide
my embarrassment, I asked “Which way for St. Stephens college?”. After getting the directions, I
congratulated myself on my acting abilities, though still trying to gaze at the screen of his handheld.
The point that I want to make here is not about the youngsters or their cool habits, but how the
consumption of media content is evolving. The consumers these days want “content anywhere, any
time and on any device”. Welcome to the world of digital convergence. Publishing has been equally
affected by this. Though youngsters are generally the first ones to latch on to emerging technologies,
this phenomenon is catching up among adults as well. If we look the world over- US and UK are the
countries that have embraced ebooks. Infact, in these markets, the sale of print editions is either flat or
dipping, where as ebook sales are picking up. It is estimated that global sales of ebooks will reach USD
9.70 billion by 2016. The phenomenon also has picked up in the STM (Science, Technology & Medicine)
segment, with digital content available and easily accessible by students community. Now trade
publishers in UK and US are simultaneously releasing print and digital editions.
In India, this trend is catching up slowly. With greater broadband penetration and increase in sales of
tablets & smart phones, distribution infrastructure is conducive for ebooks. Availability of various
ereaders will further create the demand for e content. In addition to Amazon's Kindle, there is 'Pi' by
Infibeam offering over 5,00,000 e tittles. Another choice is of 'Wink' by EC Media.

2. While digital publishing is a great opportunity for Indian publishers to monetize their content, they do
have some apprehensions regarding the same. Digital piracy is one of the major concerns. Despite DRM
(Digital Rights Management) systems, publishers are unsure about the security of their content. The
community is still in a maze with regards to pricing of ebooks. Lack of proven revenue model
discourages publishers to venture into otherwise lucrative propositions.
Well, as I walked down the road of the University campus, my mind was going through these thoughts –
the opportunities and challenges for Indian publishing industry in the context of digital publishing. I am
quite convinced that with optimal mix of technology and business acumen, soon the industry will latch
on to the digital wave. While my optimism was at its peak, the sight of a lemonade vendor stopped me
and my thoughts. His wrinkled face had a warm welcoming smile. His grey hair revealed his long
acquaintance with the campus. Greeting me, he put down his paperback, a pulp fiction in Hindi. I
immediately juxtaposed my thoughts about two clearly different scenarios – the classical print era and
the upcoming digital revolution. Would print ever perish or would I like the scenario where print dies, I
questioned myself. The honest answer is never. I must admit that I just love the aroma of paper, of a
freshly opened book.
I sipped my sweet lemonade. In Delhi's sultry summer, this is the most refreshing drink. I immediately
had the feeling of déjà vu as I found myself going back to my campus days. I was so pre-occupied with
my thoughts that I failed to notice my fellow customers. One of them was a professor with a bunch of
books in his hand and another was a youngster holding his ereader. I smiled to myself at the co-
existence of the two different worlds. Probably that's the way Indian publishing industry will gradually
emerge as.
The author is Additional Director, FICCI. Views expressed are personal.