India's Book Market

How big India's book market is, why education dominates it, and how English and Indian-language publishing differ.

India is one of the world’s largest book markets by volume.

Size

Industry estimates put India’s book market at several billion dollars, with thousands of publishers producing tens of thousands of new titles each year.

Education dominates

Textbooks and exam preparation books make up the majority of sales.
Trade books (fiction and general non-fiction) are a smaller share.

Languages

English publishing is prominent in cities.
Hindi, Bengali, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil and other languages have large readerships.

Major publishers

Global firms: Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Hachette.
Indian firms: Rupa, Westland, S. Chand, Arihant (exam books) and many regional publishers.

Growth drivers

Literacy and education.
Competitive exam culture.
Online bookselling.

Low prices

Indian books are priced low compared with Western markets, reflecting incomes and competition.

The exam shelf

In a small-town bookstore, most shelves hold exam guides and textbooks, with only one shelf for novels.

Thinking novels dominate the book market

Education and exam books make up most sales in India.

Key takeaways

India is one of the largest book markets by volume.
Textbooks and exam books dominate.
English and many Indian languages have strong readerships.
Books are priced low relative to Western markets.