E-tail, retail sectors fight over Pranab's book on Indira

The sale of President Pranab Mukherjee’s book on Indira Gandhi has now provoked another round of war between e-tailers and retailers.

Publisher Rupa’s decision to make available “The Dramatic Decade: The Indira Gandhi Years” only on Amazon for the first three weeks after its release on December 11 has left bookshops across the country fuming. Bookshops will only be allowed to sell the widely-anticipated book after December 31.

Mukherjee’s book, which he penned while in office, is a chronicle of the politically tumultuous 1970s and has impressions of the former prime minister. The book runs into 348 pages and is expected to unravel many not-so-known vignettes from the period. It is also likely to throw new light on Gandhi’s personality.

Rupa Publications entered into a three-week exclusivity agreement with Amazon, following which some bookshop chains have urged for the plan’s withdrawal. Bookshops have threatened to stop selling books published by Rupa if they are not allowed to sell the book. Rupa managing director Kapish Mehra has declined to comment.

In September, Rupa had entered a one-month exclusivity agreement with Flipkart, another e-commerce platform, to sell former comptroller and auditor general Vinod Rai’s book.