Online eBook store launched
BookHUB an ebook store was officially opened to readers marking a
momentous milestone in Sri Lanka's publishing history.
Spearheaded by Etisalat, Microimage and M.D. Gunasena, BookHUB has
been launched a month after its announcement. The BookHUB website
www.thebookhub.lk and the reader for Android smart devices and PCs were
launched in the presence of Secretary to the President, Lalith
Weeratunga and Chairman State Trading Corporation, Pradeep Gunawardana.
The eBook store will launch over 25 titles and aims to reach a 100 in
a month. eBooks bought through the online store will be priced lower
than the hard copy.
Purchases can be made through the use of Etisalat preloaded cards and
credit cards, irrespective of the mobile service provider or Internet
provider.
Etisalat's CEO, Dumindra Ratnayaka, said, "This is a landmark
occasion for Etisalat and for publishing in Sri Lanka. We finally have a
chance to be a part of the global phenomenon of eBooks that has spread
through the increasing popularity of smartphones, tablet PCs and eBook
readers.
This innovation will not only see Sri Lankan literature becoming
easier to preserve, distribute and read but will also help take it to
reach a global audience. The ones to benefit will be local authors and
reading enthusiasts of today and for generations to come" eBooks and
eBook readers have become a global phenomenon as the rise in smart
phones and mobile devices have led consumers to look to satisfy an
ever-increasing segment of their needs through them.
Sri Lankan publishers and authors haven't been able to take advantage
of this innovation though, because the cost of hosting books on major
international eBook stores is too steep.
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