Amazon launches Indian Kindle store

Well now, looks like Amazon’s presence in India just grew in a big way.

The tech giant today launched a localised version of its Kindle store in the country, meaning that people can now shop for Kindle books in rupees.

Amazon says the Indian Kindle store will offer over one-million e-books including 70 out of the top 100 Nielsen best sellers. It also claims that it offers the “lowest prices of any e-bookstore in India”.

Kindle and Kindle accessories can also now be found in selected retail stores in India through a partnership between Amazon and electronics retailer Croma.

The move certainly makes sense, especially as the base model Kindle in the country will sell for US$129. That’s not too bad and could attract a lot of customers among the country’s growing middle class.

Granted, in the states, the same model costs US$79 but that lower price is largely down to the fact that it’s ad-supported. The version selling in India won’t come with ads. According to Cnet, the store already offers titles such as Love, Life and a Beer Can by Prashant Sharma, and Reality Bites; a not so innocent Love Story by Anurag Anand.

The store could also be a potential boon to independent Indian authors, as it supports Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP).

The Kindle store launch is the latest shot Amazon is firing at the Indian online market. Earlier this year it launched its own ecommerce play in the country Junglee.