It has operations in Singapore, Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates. It is now preparing to enter the USA, the UK and Australian markets. Co-founder and CEO Naveen Valsakumar talks about how technology and artificial intelligence are transforming the publishing industry. Excerpts:
Industrial Economist (IE): What does Notion Press do?
Naveen Valsakumar (NV): Notion Press helps authors publish, print and sell books across the world. An author can design, edit and publish a book on our platform. When a reader places an order online, the book is printed and shipped. We do not store inventory. Everything works on a print-on-demand model.
IE: How is this different from traditional publishing?
NV: Traditional publishing is slow and difficult to access. It can take 15 to 18 months to publish a book. Publishers also decide who gets published. In self-publishing, the only restriction is legal compliance. We support writers even at the idea stage, not just after a finished manuscript.
IE: How large is the platform today?
NV: We have published around 120,000 titles so far. Every 30 minutes, a new book goes live on Notion Press. In India, all publishers together release about 90,000 new books a year. Notion Press alone publishes about 30,000 to 40,000 books annually.
IE: What is the cost structure for authors?
NV: If an author uses our self-service platform, publishing can start at around Rs 5,000. If they want additional services like editing, cover design or marketing, packages start from around Rs 40,000 and go up depending on the services chosen.
IE: What is your business and revenue model?
NV: We co-monetise with authors. When a book is sold, the author earns about 70 per cent, and we retain around 30 per cent. Our focus is not just on publishing books but on helping authors earn from their work.
IE: How has Notion Press grown financially?
NV: This year, we are on track to reach around Rs 90 to Rs 100 crore in revenue. We have been growing at around 40 per cent per year. We are also operating at over 20 per cent profit, which allows us to reinvest comfortably in technology and expansion.
IE: Are you expanding outside India?
NV: So far, we have primarily served Indian authors and readers. We are already present in Singapore, Malaysia, and the UAE. The next step is launching in the USA, the UK, and Australia. By 2030, we want Notion Press to be a global company operating across at least four continents.
IE: Technology seems central to your operations.
NV: We see ourselves as a technology company in publishing. If a task is repeated, we automate it. Due to this, a team of about 350 to 400 people can manage work that would otherwise require more than 1,000 employees.
IE: What role will AI play in the future of Notion Press?
NV: AI is a major opportunity. We are launching our AI tool next month. It will help authors improve writing quality, convert books into audio formats and translate books into different languages. The idea is to expand the author’s market, not replace creativity.
IE: What are the main challenges in the publishing industry today?
NV: Plagiarism and piracy are big challenges in India. Many people are not fully aware of content ownership. We have built systems to detect plagiarism and block illegal or inappropriate content. Since printing is controlled by us, piracy is also reduced.
IE: What kind of books perform well on your platform?
NV: Business, self-help and personal finance books perform very well. Books by influencers also do well. Poetry has become a strong category because social media allows poets to reach large audiences quickly.
IE: How do you measure success at Notion Press?
NV: Our key metric is author success. We track how many copies an author sells and how many cross meaningful sales levels. If our authors succeed, our business grows naturally.
IE: Where do you see Notion Press by 2030?
NV: By 2030, we expect to cross one million books published. More importantly, we want to keep lowering barriers so that language, format or geography does not stop a good idea from becoming a book