New Delhi, Oct. 6 -- British author Jeffrey Archer sold more than 300 million books worldwide, with a significant number of copies in India being pirated. The bestselling British author, who died on Monday, had spoken publicly about the issue for several years.

In a 2016 interview with The Times of India, Archer described piracy as a major problem in India. He said pirated editions of his latest books could reach the streets before legitimate copies were available in bookshops.

According to Archer, his publishers responded by releasing his books in India before other international markets. He said they "always launched in India first".

He recalled that the final novel in the Clifton Chronicles series reached Indian readers two days bef...