Times Internet’s strategic investment in A1Books of US

book marketplace under the brand www.a1books.co.in.

Webnotions USA was founded in 1995 by Mr. Shinu Gupta. It is based in Netcong, N.J.and has 70 employees. The India branch based in

Noida, U.P commenced operations in December 2007.

As part of this investment, the Times Group will create value for A1Books by providing brand support to expand its growing market.

A1Books shall make available over a million book titles on TIL’s indiatimes.com and will in turn capitalize on the latter’s huge user

base in India. A1Books’ online book buyers will benefit from the synergies created by this move, as both companies share a joint

vision of making quality books easily accessible.

A1Books brings in its book-focused technology platform where Indian book publishers, distributors, importers and retailers can

register and sell their inventory. A1Books has partnerships with leading global distributors and fulfillment services will enable

it to sell foreign titles in the country. Customers can simply log on to the website, pick a book of their choice and have it delivered

to their doorstep at a reasonable price.

Commenting on this partnership, Chief Executive Officer, TIL, Mr Dinesh Wadhawan says, “At TIL, we aim to partner with

companies looking at creating sustainable competitive differentiation through focus on brands and technology. A1Books

has a direct consumer-connect business. With their strong technology platform and partnerships with international and

Indian publishers, we are sure to gain significant presence in this space which will give both A1Books and TIL a competitive

advantage”.

According to Shinu Gupta, founder & CEO of A1Books, “India has had a strong untapped need for a marketplace with

superior service which offers the best books at reasonable prices. With our technical and business expertise in this area,

our highly competent team has built a powerful website with an unbeatable collection of books. However, the most

crucial aspect of this venture was to get ourselves in front of the Indian public and make people aware of this grea

t book resource. With the support and resources of Times Group, we can focus on enhancing the customer experience

and grow the online book market in India. We are poised to make the leap from being the best-kept secret in the book

industry to establishing ourselves as the preferred destination for online book buyers.”

A1 not only offers books but also provides book enthusiasts useful content including a host of reviews and features on

its website. TIL understands that online marketing is about building relationships which in turn leads to a greater presence

in the Internet world. Together the two companies aim to create a unique marketplace that will enable the publishing

industry in the country to get closer to the consumer.

Brief on Times Internet Limited

Times Internet Limited, (TIL), is the Internet venture of India’s largest media house – the Times Group. TIL made its

foray into the Internet with a mission to create world-class Web products and services. In a short span of time, the

company has emerged as India’s foremost Web entity, with diverse portals and niche websites. Over the years

TIL has established its presence as India’s most comprehensive Web entity seamlessly integrating content, community

and commerce. It is one of the fastest growing web based networks in the world. TIL operates many premier web

properties on the Internet, Indiatimes.com is the flagship brand of TIL.

Indiatimes.com is the largest internet portal in India with interests in telecom, e-commerce, online advertisement

solutions, events and guru-seminars. Crowned as the youngest ever “Business Superbrand”, it is a preferred on-line

destination for millions of Indians, who want rich and self-directed online experience. Of all the web properties,

Indiatimes is a leading multi-faceted portal and has more than 1 billion page views in a month

For Further Information:

Yashmeen Baru

Times Internet Limited,

I-World, DLF Phase V, Opp. DLF Golf Course,

Gurgaon, Haryana,

tel:+91 124 4187000 Ext:2920,

Mob:+91 9811699757,

yashmeen.barua {at} indiatimes.co(.)in