The reading habit is moving to phones, and Nepali publishers are following
Print runs are small and distribution is hard. Audiobooks and e-books reach a diaspora that bookshops never could.
A Nepali novel that sells a few thousand copies is a success. Getting those copies to readers in Dhangadhi or Dharan, let alone Doha or Sydney, has always been the hard part. (Various, 2019)
Digital formats remove the lorry from the equation. Several publishers now release audio and e-book editions on the same day as print.
Literacy is the ceiling
Adult literacy has risen sharply over two generations but remains uneven by district and by gender, which sets the limit on any reading market. (‘Global Education Monitoring’, 2024)
- Tagged
- books
- publishing
- diaspora
References
(2024). Global Education Monitoring Report. UNESCO. https://www.unesco.org/gem-report/en
Various (2019). The Printed Book in the Himalaya. Himal Books.
Cite this story
Dispatch Report (2025) ‘The reading habit is moving to phones, and Nepali publishers are following’, 4 November. Available at: https://thedispatchreport.com/article/the-reading-habit-is-moving-to-phones-and-nepali-publishers-are-following (Accessed: 5 October 2026).
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