The contemporary literary scene in India is growing by leaps and bounds. Walk into any book store today and you will see tons of fiction and non-fiction books written by Indian authors, competing on par with international books and bestsellers. And as a writer your dream is to most likely see your work alongside other greats in many book shops around the country and eventually beyond. Therefore, knowing what book distributors in India should be doing for you is vital.
The role of the book distributor is much more important than people give it credit. As aspiring writers we usually think about publishing companies or self publishing options and usually dont give much through to the distribution system. But even if you have written a masterpiece, who would ever know if it hasnt reached and been distributed to the right places. And it goes without saying with the great new talents cropping up in the country all the time, there is always another writer round the corner to occupy the bookshelves if you dont get there in time!
If you have decided to go the self publisher route, your print on demand publishing company will most likely not offer any services regarding book distribution and you will have to look for an independent book distributor. Some book distribution companies work with both small national and international publishing companies and also self published writers, only if they think the books are worth their time and money and also only deal with the finished and final product. Also the book distribution company usually gets a cut in the revenue your work generates at the stores. If you have thought of attempting to try and distribute the books yourself, remember that most book stores will not deal with self published writers directly and a good book distributor will be able to access far more channels and avenues than you can or know of.
When it comes to traditional publishing and
book distributors India is also home to many traditional book publishing companies that have their own distribution system and department, eliminating the need to hire one independently. A few reputable publishing companies in the country offer a large and multilevel distribution set up which deals with modes like national book retail store chains to online book stores and bulk sales to the more contemporary and dynamic sphere of digital book sale for electronic readers and the like. Of course you also have the added comfort of knowing that the company that publishes your book will do their best when it comes to marketing and distributing a title under their banner. Whatever route you decide to take, make sure you find out about this very vital aspect, or you and your work will never reach where it has the potential to.
