Google has finally launched Google Play Books in India. It is now available for all Android, iOS devices and on the web. It is available as a separate app and books can also be purchased via the Google Play Store on the web or directly from the respective apps. It also has a dedicated site.
Google Play Books currently carries over 4 million titles, comprising one of the world’s largest selection of ebooks. Purchased books are stored in the cloud and are available for both online and offline viewing.
Google Play Books are currently available in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Japan, Italy, Germany, Spain, France, South Korea, Brazil, Russia and now India joins that list.
Google also offers other services like Play Music, Play Magazines, Play Movies & TV and Apps. So far, only the App section was available for India users.
It looks like finally India is being shown some importance with Google launching Books, other services could also be in the pipeline. Last Year, Apple had last year launched their Music and Movies services for India.
Pricing
While there is a free book section, the paid books seem to start from Rs 50. When we compared books on the Play Store with those in Flyte, we found most prices to be around the same with just a couple of rupees difference for most books. A number of books in the new release section of Flyte could not be found on Google Play Books.
Others in this space
There are many players already in this space. While Amazon has been around for some time, local players like Landmark and Flipkart’s Flyte also offer ebooks. eBooks purchased on Flyte can only be read through the Flyte eBooks app.
Recommended Read: What will make ebooks tick in the Indian market
