Delhi recently saw the launch of a new reading device which could well be the one which makes the switch of reading habits in India to electronic format. The Wink, developed by EC Media is the brainchild of Ravi DeeCee a well known publisher based out of Kerala, India (DC Books) and has many similarities to that of the Kindle. There are a couple of versions coming on to the market ranging in price from INR 6,999 to INR 13,499 – the current model retails at INR 11,490 (£160). Coming in Wi-Fi and 3G models, and with 2 screen sizes, 6” and 5”, the display is eInk B&W (16 Grayscale). Special features include a text to speech facility which is currently in English but soon to be launched in Hindi and then other Indian languages. What makes this device so special to India and what EC media hope will be the changing force in Indian reading habits is the ability it has to support many different Indian languages – 15 to be precise including English and Hindi. Content for The Wink is supplied the wink estore www.thewinkstore.com, which has currently 197,000 titles, which will grow to 300,000 in about 2 weeks and to half a million by the end of the year. Costs for the ebooks vary but in general are about 70% of the paperback price, although there is also a catalogue of about 100 free ebooks. 

India has a burgeoning e-publishing industry, and the Wink is one of a number of new products and devices being introduced to this nascent market. The e-publishing industry is estimated to be worth around $1.46bn and growing.  Whilst India has traditionally resisted e-books and e-readers, preferring print books, the digital hub cannot be ignored and the country is expected to adapt completely to digital formats by 2013. E-book sales may continue to be small in India for the time being, but the launch of products such as the Wink suggest that there is growing confidence in this market. Many believe that India is firmly set on course to have e-book sales outpacing print books in future.

Publishers can work with EC Media and The Wink in a number of different ways; directly or via aggregators using the different business models that are currently available with other platforms. Format can be supplied in many ways including the most popular epub and pdf. The device is for sale via the Wink Store online or at most major Indian bookstores.

The most exciting think about the device says Ravi DeeCee is that it “will provide access to books in the rural parts of India where physical books still do not have an outlet”.