Book distribution in India: where journeys begin and minds grow.
Face-up display in airport bookstores, university campuses and retail chains across India — alongside the bestsellers travellers actually pick up. You get photographs of your book on display as proof of placement, and unlimited restocking.
Two things on every package, and a free signing on every airport package.
Face-up display
Your cover faces the reader, not the spine. Front-of-shelf placement in the bestseller and new-arrivals bays, where browsing travellers actually look.
One free author signing
Meet readers at an airport location of your choice, at no extra cost. Included on every airport package.
Unlimited reorders
If your book sells, it gets restocked — as many times as needed for the full term. No shelf sits empty.
Five airport packages.
Every airport package runs face-up display plus one free author signing. Listed cheapest first.
Relay Airport Stores
WHSmith (now GLOBIQ)
Bon Voyage Airport Stores
Bookscetra Airport Store
Shortest term of any package. Ask your manager whether Bookscetra suits your title before choosing it over Bon Voyage.
Request pricing
WHSmith — extended network
*Cochin and Patna carry children's books only.
Request pricingEight campus bookstores.
WHSmith (now GLOBIQ) Universities
Face-up display in campus bookstores at eight universities for six months, with unlimited restocking. Strongest fit for academic titles, business books and self-help.
Author signing is not included on the university package — it is available on every airport package instead.
Enquire about campus placementOr reach the high street instead.
Separate from the airport network: placement in general retail bookstores across Indian cities, with a stated royalty on every copy sold.
- 15–20 bookstores across major cities
- Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, Delhi & Chandigarh
- 80–100 copies, supplied by the author
- 10–12 display photographs as placement proof
- Book signing events available*
- 50+ bookstores nationwide
- North India, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai & Kolkata
- 150–200 copies, supplied by the author
- 10–12 display photographs as placement proof
- Book signing events available*
*Book signing events are available in Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata and Delhi, subject to store calendars. Copy quantities may be increased on request. Pricing for every distribution package is shared on enquiry.
Compare all eight.
Airport and university placements are display-led; retail bookstore packages carry a stated royalty. Pricing is shared on enquiry.
| Package | Channel | Locations | Term | Signing | Royalty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metro | Retail bookstores | 15–20 | — | Available | 45% of MRP |
| Pan-India | Retail bookstores | 50+ | — | Available | 45% of MRP |
| Relay | Airport | 5 | 6 months | 1 free | Ask |
| WHSmith — Package 1 | Airport | 4 | 6 months | 1 free | Ask |
| Bon Voyage | Airport | 10 | 6 months | 1 free | Ask |
| Bookscetra | Airport | 1 | 3 months | 1 free | Ask |
| WHSmith Universities | Campus | 8 | 6 months | — | Ask |
| WHSmith — Package 2 | Airport | 9 | 6 months | 1 free | Ask |
Airport and campus packages are display placements bought for a fixed term; ask your project manager for the royalty terms that apply to copies sold through them. Retail bookstore packages pay 45% of MRP on every copy sold.
Book distribution, answered
What does "face-up display" actually mean?+
Your cover faces outward on the shelf instead of showing only the spine. It is the placement bestsellers get, in the bestseller and new-arrivals bays, and it is the single biggest driver of pick-up in a store where nobody came looking for your book by name. For real examples, see The Simplicity Trap, Maharishi Sushruta Compendium and The Whole Nine Yards on bookstore shelves across India.
Do I need to have published with Author's Ink?+
Distribution packages work alongside any Author's Ink publishing package. Speak to us about your title if it was published elsewhere.
Which package gives the widest reach?+
Bon Voyage covers ten airport locations for six months — the widest airport footprint on offer. For general retail rather than airports, Pan-India covers 50+ bookstores.
What happens if my book sells out on a shelf?+
Every package includes unlimited reorders and replenishments for the full term, so a selling title gets restocked rather than leaving an empty slot.
Can I do an author signing?+
Every airport package includes one free author signing at a location of your choice. Signings are also available on the retail bookstore packages in Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata and Delhi. The university package does not include one.
How long does placement take to go live?+
Ask your project manager for current lead times — they depend on the retailer's planogram cycle and on stock reaching the warehouse.
Not sure which shelf your book belongs on?
Tell us the title, the genre and who you think reads it. We will tell you honestly which package fits — and which ones don't.
