Kobo and Indian booksellers Crossword, WHSmith and electronics retailer Croma, have announced the arrival of Kobo’s digital reading platform in India.

Starting today, Kobo will be available in retail locations across India through its partnerships with Crossword, WHSmith and Croma. Readers will also have access to Kobo’s eBookstore, featuring nearly 4-million titles across 68 languages including ninety-five percent of India’s bestselling content featuring work from top-selling Indian authors including Jhumpa Lahiri, Ramachandra Guha and Sachin Garg to international bestselling authors like Dan Brown, John Grisham and Lee Child.

“As e-commerce continues to expand and demand for digital content continues to grow, we are thrilled to be launching in India and look forward to introducing passionate Readers to our world-class digital reading platform,” said Wayne White, Executive Vice President & General Manager, Kobo. “India is in the early stages of what we believe is a 25-year transformation from print to digital reading. In partnership with some of the leading booksellers and retailers in the country, Kobo is poised to lead this transformation, by delivering a fully localized experience designed to meet the increased demand for digital content in India.”

Kobo is the global leader in providing passionate Readers with a selection of high quality content. The title list continues to grow and expand to include content from thousands of local and international publishers and authors including self-published authors through Kobo Writing Life.

“Traditionally known as the land of storytelling, it was important to us that we enter the market with an offering that met the expectations of a discerning Indian audience who are passionate about the books they read,” said Michael Tamblyn, Chief Content Officer, Kobo. “We are delivering an experience that delivers the very best from around the world and titles from the most beloved local authors. In partnership with some of the best retailers, we’ll set the standard for digital reading in India.”

Kobo is a global company that creates localized experiences with a dedicated team focused on building new partnerships in the local market with the objective of delivering an industry leading digital reading experience to meet increased local demand.

“With e-commerce in the midst of a rebirth and a steady increase in demand for more digital content, the time is right for Kobo in India,” said Haja Sheriff, Country Director – India, Kobo. “Literature and the love of storytelling are ingrained in our culture and the Kobo platform will make it easier than ever before for Indians to access to the stories they love – anytime, anyplace and on any device.”

In a survey* commissioned by Kobo and conducted by Ipsos India, 93 percent of self-identified Readers, said they are familiar with eReading devices or apps that allow for reading across a variety of devices and 56 percent said they would prefer to read digital content on a dedicated eReading device. Furthermore, 54 percent of respondents said they would read more if they had an eReader that provided them with access to their own digital library anytime, anywhere, anyplace.

“Crossword aims to be a point of cultural and social interaction – a place and space for people who seek information and knowledge through the pleasure of reading,” Kinjal Shah, COO, Crossword. “Kobo was the natural choice when looking for a partner to enhance our offering to book lovers by bringing them what we believe to be the leading digital reading platform in the industry.”

“Our partnership with Kobo aligns with our commitment to deliver the latest and the best technology to our customers. We’ve once again been named as the Most Admired Retailer for the 6th consecutive year because of such efforts.” said Mr. Ajit Joshi, MD & CEO, Infiniti Retail Ltd., Croma. “Kobo’s award-winning line-up of E Ink and tablet devices allows us to deliver an unmatched digital reading experience to meet the growing demand of our customers.”

“Having enjoyed tremendous success working with Kobo in other international markets, we are thrilled to expand our partnership to include WHSmith locations in India,” said Surjit Verma, Vice President Commercial, WHSmith. “As leading purveyors of books, magazines and stationary, we look forward to providing a complete reading experience to our Indian customers with the introduction of Kobo’s digital reading platform to our stores.”

To celebrate Kobo’s launch in India, and Festival of Lights, special Diwali pricing will be available until November 3 on select Kobo devices including:

Kobo Arc available at Rs. 9999 (regularly priced at  Rs.11, 999)

Kobo Touch at Rs. 6999 (regularly priced at Rs. 7,999)