Introduction
So, you’re looking at publishing companies in India to publish your book. The book matters the world to you and so you want a publishing partner who will do justice to it.
You can choose to go with a traditional book publishing company (the list in this article) or go with a self publishing company (list here). Making that choice can be difficult and this article “traditional Vs Self publishing in India: which is better for the first time author” might help.
If you have decided to go with a traditional book publisher, there are two ways to proceed further:
- Approach a literary agent for which you will need to understand what a literary agent does, and further you can meet the top literary agents in India .
OR - Send in your submissions directly to traditional book publishing companies in India.
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Traditional publishing is the most coveted option for most authors. There are various reasons behind this. For starters, it means your manuscript had value enough for someone else to see merit in it. Authors are very often introduced with their publishing houses’ names added to their name e.g. Meet XYZ, a Bloomsbury author. Or Meet ABC, a Penguin author. It adds weight to the already heavy credentials of an author and makes the introduction impressive.
The bigger the brand of the publishing house, the more heft it carries. Another big benefit is the distribution that a traditional book publishing company brings to your book. Distribution is a big reason to choose a traditional book publishing company in India. Self-publishing companies fail miserably in that department.
What to expect?
In this article, we have collated a list of traditional book publishing companies in India. (Please note this does not include the list of online journals where you can publish single short stories or poems.) To make this list easier to follow, we have categorized it into Tier One, Tier Two, Specialist publishers, and new/experimental publishers. Tier One includes the oldest names, ones that are large & highly reputed. Tier Two includes names of publishing houses that are smaller but well established. Specialist publishing houses typically focus on a particular genre or category of writers. The last group consists of new entrants and experimental publishers.
We have also highlighted their genres-in-focus to make it easy for authors to decide where to submit their manuscripts. These can change, so please check their updated social media handles or websites to know any recent changes in their strategies. Market trends play a huge role in the genres which are considered to be in demand for that particular year for any publishing house. Apart from all of the above, we have also added some of the best-selling authors of these publishing houses to give you an idea about the kind of work they promote. A few disclaimers before we share the list:
- This list is a ready reckoner for authors who wish to submit their manuscripts to book publishing companies in India. Himalayan Writing Retreat has no say in the selection process or has any affiliation with any of the publishing companies.
- Please go through the submission guidelines of the respective publishing companies before submitting your manuscript.
- Please note, as always, this list is dynamic and we will keep updating it from time to time.
- If you know of a traditional book publishing company that is not a part of this list, please share the details through this form and we will add them to this list.
Tier 1 – The Largest Traditional Publishers in India
Jaico
- Origin: Indian
- Year/Date of inception of the publishing house: 1946
- Accepted Categories: Academic, Fiction, and Nonfiction
- Genre: Romance, Drama, Sci-Fi, Self-help, Religion and philosophy, Mind/body/spirit, Business, Travel, Current Affairs, Biography, Science, Translated Works, Memoirs.
- Submission guidelines: http://www.jaicobooks.com/j/Profile.htm
- Best Selling Author(s): Robin Sharma, Deepak Chopra, Khushwant Singh, Brian Tracy, John Maxwell, Sri Sri Ravishankar, Jack Canfield, Deepak Chopra, The Dalai Lama, Osho, Devdutt Pattnaik, Brian Tracy, Khuswant Singh
Penguin Random House India
- Origin: MNC
- Year/Date of inception of the publishing house: 1985
- Accepted Categories: Academic(Selected manuscripts in management and engineering.), Fiction & Non-Fiction
- Genres: Poetry, Horror, Romance, Sci-Fi, Adult, Erotica, Novella, Self-help, Religion and philosophy, Mind/body/spirit, Business, Travel, Current Affairs, Biography, Science, Cooking.
- Submission guidelines: https://penguin.co.in/community/publish-with-us/
- Best Selling Author(s): Arundhati Roy, Kiran Desai, Ruskin Bond, Amitav Ghosh, Kiran Nagarkar, Anita Nair, Ravi Subramanian, Arun Shourie, S Hussain Zaidi, Vibha Batra, etc.
Hachette India
- Origin: MNC
- Year/Date of inception of the publishing house: 2009
- Accepted Categories: Fiction and Nonfiction
- Genres: Drama, Women Writing, Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Self-help, Religion and Philosophy, Business, Travel, Memoirs, History, Culture, Sports, Lifestyle, etc.
- Submission guidelines: https://www.hachetteindia.com/PublishWithUs.aspx (Hachette does not accept direct submissions of adult books, only kids books. For a manuscript for grown-ups, you can approach the Hachette Book Publishing company in India through an Indian Literary agent. The full list of all literary agents in India is here. )
- (No unsolicited submissions – only through Literary agents.)
- Best Selling Author(s): Samit Basu, Tavleen Singh, Amit Varma
Aleph Book Company
- Origin: Indian
- Year/Date of inception of the publishing house: 2011
- Accepted Categories: Fiction & Nonfiction
- Genres: Drama, Women Writing, Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Self-help, Religion and Philosophy, Business, Travel, Memoirs, History, Culture, Sports, Lifestyle, etc.
- Submission guidelines: http://www.alephbookcompany.com/submission/ (Note that the Aleph book publishing company is not accepting any direct submissions at the time of this update on January 2024)
- (No unsolicited submissions)
- Best Selling Author(s): Shashi Tharoor, Devdutt Patnaik, Vikram Thapar, Vikram Seth, Khushwant Singh
HarperCollins Publishers India
- Origin: MNC
- Year/Date of inception of publishing house: 1992
- Accepted Categories: Fiction, Nonfiction & Poetry
- Genres: Romance, Romcom, Drama, Women Writing, Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Self-help, Religion and Philosophy, Business, Travel, Memoirs, History, Culture, Sports, Lifestyle etc.
- Submission guidelines: https://harpercollins.co.in/publish-with-us/
- Best Selling Author(s): Amitav Ghosh, Chitra Divakaruni Banerjee, Anuja Chauhan, Aravind Adiga, Mahesh Rao, Kiran Nagarkar, Amruta Patil, Isabel Allende, Anita Nair, Paulo Coelho, Raghu Karnad, George R R Martin, Michael Crichton, The Dalai Lama, Tarun Tejpal, Sidney Sheldon, Thrity Umrigar, B.K.S. Iyengar, Raghuram Rajan, Satya Nadella
Rupa Books
- Origin: Indian
- Year/Date of inception of publishing house: 1936
- Accepted Categories: Fiction, Poetry & Nonfiction
- Genres: Mythology, Young Adult, Comedy, Romance, Romcom, Thriller, Fantasy, Horror, Drama, Women Writing, Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Self-help, Religion and Philosophy, Business Management, Travel, Current Affairs, Health, Diet, Literary Essays, Memoirs, History, Culture, Sports, Lifestyle, Social Sciences, Politics and Government, Biographies, Epidemiology, Religion, Astrology etc.
- Submission guidelines: http://rupapublications.co.in/submissions/
- Best Selling Author(s): Anuja Chandramouli, Chetan Bhagat, Cyrus Broacha, Derek O Brien, Ira Trivedi, Isher Judge Ahluwalia, Koral Dasgupta (http://rupapublications.co.in/authors/)
Bloomsbury India
Fun fact : Bloomsbury was the original publisher of Harry Potter. Scholastic has since published Harry Potter books in the USA, but Bloomsbury cotinues to be the main Harry Potter Publisher worldwide.
- Origin: MNC
- Year/Date of inception of the publishing house: 2012
- Accepted Categories: Fiction & Nonfiction
- Genres: Young Adult, Mythology, Romance, Romcom, Thriller, Fantasy, Horror, Drama, Women Writing, Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Self-help, Religion and Philosophy, Business Management, Travel, Current Affairs, Health, Diet, Literary Essays, Memoirs, History, Culture, Sports, Lifestyle, Social Sciences, Politics and Government, Biographies, Epidemiology, Religion, Astrology etc.
- Submission guidelines: https://www.bloomsbury.com/in/company/contact-us/
- Best Selling Author(s): William Dalrymple, J.K. Rowling, Anand Ranganathan etc. (https://www.bloomsbury.com/in/authors/)
Simon and Schuster
- Origin: MNC
- Accepted Categories: Fiction and Nonfiction
- Genres: Romance, Romcom, Thriller, Fantasy, Horror, Drama, Women Writing, Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Self-help, Religion and Philosophy, Business Management, Travel, Current Affairs, Health, Diet, Literary Essays, Memoirs, History, Culture, Sports, Lifestyle, Social Sciences, Politics and Government, Biographies, Epidemiology, Religion, Astrology etc.
- Year/Date of inception of publishing house:
- Submission guidelines: https://www.simonandschuster.co.in/c/ss-india-submissions
- Best Selling Author(s): Prayaag Akbar, Jairam Ramesh, Shobhaa De Githa Hariharan, Narayani Basu, Priya Sahgal, Ashok Banker etc.
Westland Books
- Year/Date of inception of publishing house: 1950 (Westland was an Indian publishing house which was acquired by Amazon in 2016 to become Amazon Westland. It then was shut down by Amazon in Feb 2022 only to be brought back to life by the digital publishing company Pratilipi)
- Accepted Categories: Fiction & Nonfiction
- Genres: Mythology, Young Adult, Romance, Romcom, Drama, Women Writing, Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Self-help, Literary Essays, Memoirs, History, Culture, etc.
- Submission guidelines: No unsolicited submissions
- Best Selling Author(s):Amish Tripathi, Ashwin Sanghi, Rashmi Bansal, Rujuta Diwekar, Preeti Shenoy, Devdutt Pattanaik, Christopher C Doyle, Anand Neelakantan, Anuja Chauhan , Ravi Subramanian, BKS Iyengar and Savi Sharma, among others.
- Best Selling Author(s): Ashok K. Banker, Deepti Naval, Jaswant Singh, M.K. Rasgotra, Rajiv Malhotra, Sudheendra Kulkarni, Ian Talbot, Kiran Khalap, Mridula Bajpai, Sreemoyee Piu Kundu, Preeti Gill, Rachna Singh
Srishti Publishers and Distributors
Srishti Publishers are primarily known to be leaders in picking debutants compared to other publishing houses. They are also the launchpads for some of the bestselling authors of today, like Preeti Shenoy, Ravinder Singh, Durjoy Dutta, Sudeep Nagarkar etc.
- Origin: Indian
- Year/Date of inception of publishing house: Exact date unavailable (25+ years as per their website)
- Accepted Categories: Fiction & Nonfiction
- Genres: Romance, Romcom, Drama Astrology, Biography, Children’s Literature, Culture, Health, Fiction, Management, Philosophy, Plays, Self-Help, Translations, Fantasy fiction, mythological fiction, satirical, political and espionage thrillers.
- Submission guidelines: HERE
- Best Selling Author(s):Preeti Shenoy, Durjoy Dutta, Ravinder Singh, Novoneel, Sudeep Nagarkar, to name a few. The next generation of bestselling authors from our banner includes Anuj Tiwari, Amisha Sethi, S.V. Divvaakar, Disha, Ajay Pandey, P.C. Balasubramanian, Nishant Kaushik, Vibhor Tikiya, etc.
Tier 2 – Small but well-established traditional publishers in India
Amaryllis (Manjul Publishing House)
Manjul Publishing House is considered to be a leading publishing house for Self- Help, Management, Inspirational, Health & well-being books in Hindi, English and other regional languages. Amaryllis is their English imprint.
- Origin: Indian
- Year/Date of inception of the publishing house: 2010
- Accepted Categories: Academic, Fiction & Nonfiction
- Genres: Drama, Romance, Women’s Writing, Contemporary Fiction, Literary Fiction, Drama, Translated works, etc.
- Submission guidelines: http://manjulindia.com/publishwithus
- Bestselling Authors: Akash Banerjee, Deepa Naval, Kingshuk Nag, Lalitha Iyer etc.
Roli Books
- Origin: Indian
- Year/Date of inception of publishing house: 1978
- Accepted Categories: Fiction, Academic (Art and Literature promoting Indian heritage) & Nonfiction
- Genres: Romance, Romcom, Thriller, Fantasy, Horror, Drama, Women Writing, Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Self-help, Religion and Philosophy, Business Management, Travel, Current Affairs, Health, Diet, Literary Essays, Memoirs, History, Culture, Sports, Lifestyle, Social Sciences, Politics and Government, Biographies, Epidemiology, Religion, Astrology etc.
- Submission guidelines: http://rolibooks.com/submissions/
- Best Selling Author(s): Pramod Kapoor
Pan Macmillan India
- Origin: MNC
- Year/Date of inception of the publishing house: 2010
- Accepted Categories: Fiction, Poetry & Nonfiction
- Genres: Romance, Romcom, Thriller, Fantasy, Horror, Drama, Women Writing, Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Self-help, Religion and Philosophy, Business Management, Travel, Current Affairs, Health, Diet, Literary Essays, Memoirs, History, Culture, Sports, Lifestyle, Social Sciences, Politics and Government, Biographies, Epidemiology, Religion, and Philosophy, etc.
- Submission guidelines: http://panmacmillan.co.in/Submission
- Best Selling Author(s): Jeffery Archer, Ken Follett, David Baldacci, Omar Shahid Hamid, Meg Cabot, Peter James, Madhumita Bhattacharya, John R. Schmidt, Brian Tracy, Surendran J, Himanjali Sankar, Ashok Banker, Kishalay Bhattacharjee, Santosh Nair, Zac O’Yeah, Maha Khan Phillips, Aditya Sinha, Amitabh Pandey, Neel Sinha, N.S. Inamdar.
Juggernaut
Started by the well-known Chiki Sarkar along with Durga Raghunath, Juggernaut’s original plan was to publish digital only. However, Juggernaut now publishes book in print as well as on their digital platform.
- Origin: Indian
- Year/Date of inception of the publishing house: 2015 (One year older than the Himalayan Writing Retreat)
- Accepted Categories: Poetry, Fiction & Nonfiction
- Genres: Romance, Romcom, Erotica, Suspense, Thriller, Mystery, Health, Drama, Self-help, Literary Essays, Memoirs, History, Culture, etc.
- Submission guidelines: https://www.juggernaut.in/published
- Best Selling Author(s): Vibha Batra, Sourav Ganguly, Sahana Ahmed, Andaleeb Wajid, Kiran Manral, Mayuresh Didolkar, Twinkle Khanna, Tahira Kashyap, Abhijit Banerjee, etc.
Speaking Tiger
Started by the hugely respected Ravi Singh and Manas Saikia, the Speaking Tiger book publishing company has carved a strong name for itself in the publishing industry.
- Origin: Indian
- Year/Date of inception of publishing house: 2014
- Accepted Categories: Fiction, Poetry & Nonfiction
- Genres: Romance,Romcom, Thriller, Fantasy, Horror, Drama, Women Writing, Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Self-help, Religion and Philosophy, Business Management, Travel, Current Affairs, Health, Diet, Literary Essays, Memoirs, History, Culture, Sports, Lifestyle, Social Sciences, Politics and Government, Biographies, Epidemiology, Religion, Astrology etc.
- Submission guidelines: https://www.speakingtigerbooks.com/submissions/
- Best Selling Author(s): Andaleeb Wajid, Ananya Mukherjee, Alka Pande,Bina Shah, Bijoya Swain, Bijal Vaccharajani, Bulbul Sharma, Jerry Pinto, Rakshanda Jalil (https://www.speakingtigerbooks.com/authors/)
Fingerprint! Books
- Origin: Indian
- Year/Date of inception of publishing house: January 2012
- Accepted Categories: Fiction & Nonfiction
- Genres: Drama, Women Writing, Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Self-help, Literary Essays, Memoirs, History, Culture, etc.
- Submission guidelines: https://www.facebook.com/fingerprintpublishing
- Best Selling Author(s): Sonia Bahl, Shubha Vilas, Salil Desai
Bee books
- Origin: Indian
- Year/Date of inception of publishing house: 1975
- Accepted Categories: Fiction & Nonfiction
- Genre:– Women Writing, Literary Fiction, Short Stories, Young Adult, Translations, Coffee Table Books, World Classics, Graphic Novels, Essays, Contemporary Fiction
- Submission guidelines: https://www.beebooks.in/get-published/
- Best Selling Author(s): Ranjan Bandopadhyay, Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay
Leadstart India
Leadstart is run by the same group that runs the self-publishing company Become Shakespeare, so writers rejected by Leadstart are often pointed to Become shakespeare. The same group also runs the digital publishing app “Pencil”. They also run the Leadstart Creator Program which does Podcasting, amongst other things.
- Origin: Indian
- Accepted categories: Fiction & Nonfiction
- Genres: Drama, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Historical Fiction, Comedy, Short Stories, Anthologies, Travelogue, etc.
- Submission guidelines:https://www.leadstartcorp.com/get-published/
- Best Selling Author(s): Kiran Manral, Indrani Sinha, Nitya Dalmia, Diwakar Bansal etc. Leadstart was also the company to first publish Anand Neelakantan when he was not a name.
Lifi Publications
- Origin: Indian
- Year/Date of inception of publishing house: 1958
- Accepted Categories: Fiction
- Genre:-short stories, adventure stories, detective and mystery stories, fantasy stories, ghost stories, horror stories, humorous stories, love stories, paranormal romance stories, spy stories, crime stories, war stories, historical, political, social, religious, feminist, fantasy and suspense.
- Submission guidelines: http://lifipublications.com/Contact_Us.html
- Best Selling Author(s): Lopa Mukherjee, Adwitya Borah, Madhu Vajpayee,Harsh Agarwal, Vibha Batra, etc.
Purushottam Publishers
- Origin: Indian
- Year/Date of inception of the publishing house: 7 Sept 2009
- Accepted Categories: K-12 school textbooks, Academic, Research, Fiction & Nonfiction
- Genres: Academic (K-12), Research, Fiction & Nonfiction etc.
- Submission guidelines: https://purushottam-bookstore.com/contact-us/
- Bestselling Authors: Chitra Raghavan, Dr. Surjendu Dey, Dibyendu Biswas, Dr. Mahua Das, Reetwika Banerjee, B
APK Publishers
- Origin: Indian
- Year/Date of inception of the publishing house: 2008
- Accepted categories: Fiction, Poetry, and Nonfiction
- Genre: Currently they are looking to publish books for young adults (fiction as well as non-fiction) and collections/anthologies of short stories.
- Submission guidelines: https://apkpublishers.com/get-published/
- Best Selling Author(s): Anuja Patil, Pooja Bhide, Virendra Rajput, Vivek Gadre
Harlequin India
Harlequin owns the Mills & Boons series of books, primarily romance novels.
- Origin: MNC
- Year/Date of inception of the publishing house: 2010
- Accepted categories: Fiction and Nonfiction
- Genre: Romance in various categories
- Submission guidelines: http://www.hqnindia.com/aspiring_author.php
- Best Selling Author(s): Kanchana Banerjee, Aarti V Raman, Ruchita Misra, Tuhin Sinha
Hay House India
Hay House is an international leader in self-help and transformational publishing.
- Origin: MNC
- Year/Date of inception of publishing house:
- Accepted categories: Nonfiction
- Genre: Self-help, Alternative Health, Psychology, Food and Nutrition, Philosophy, Business, Astrology, Biographies and books on current affairs and cinema.
- Submission guidelines: http://www.hayhouse.co.in/publish-with-us/
- Best Selling Author(s): Aditi Mehrotra, Kiran Manral, Atul V. Pednekar etc.
Garuda Prakashan
Garuda has a simple mission. To create a platform where stories that bring forth the perspective and narrative of the Indian civilization can be told.
- Origin: Indian
- Year/Date of inception of publishing house:
- Accepted Categories: Fiction & Nonfiction
- Genres: Self help, Religion, Health, Politics, History etc.
- Submission guidelines: contact@garudabooks.com, Home | Garuda Prakashan (garudabooks.com)
- Best Selling Author(s): Vivek Agnihotri, Sankrant Sanu, Ankur Pathak, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Traditional Publishers in India- Specialist Publishing Houses
SAGE India
- Origin: MNC
- Year/Date of inception of publishing house: 1965
- Accepted Categories: Academic, Professional, Reference & Nonfiction
- Genres: History, Science, Medicine, Philosophy, Politics, General Knowledge, Health, Food, Arts and Humanities etc.
- Submission guidelines: https://in.sagepub.com/en-in/sas/contact-us
- Best Selling Author(s):
Seagull Books
- Origin: Indian
- Year/Date of inception of publishing house: 1982
- Accepted Categories: Poetry, Fiction & Nonfiction
- Genres: Women’s Writing, Contemporary fiction, Literary Fiction, Drama, Translated works, Essay collections, History, Politics etc.
- Submission guidelines: No unsolicited submissions.
- Best Selling Author(s):Romila Thapar, Priya Sebastian, Pawan Dhall, Neha Singh, K. G. SUBRAMANYAN
Zubaan
Zubaan publishes books on, for, by, and about women in South Asia.
- Origin: Indian
- Year/Date of inception of publishing house: 2003
- Accepted Categories: Academic, Fiction & Nonfiction
- Genres: Drama, Women Writing, Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Self-help, Religion and Philosophy, Travel, Literary Essays, Memoirs, History, Culture, etc.
- Submission guidelines:
- https://zubaanbooks.com/authors-corner/submitting-manuscripts-to-zubaan/
- Best Selling Author(s):
Niyogi Books
- Origin: Indian
- Year/Date of inception of publishing house: 2004
- Submission guidelines: http://niyogibooksindia.com/submissions
- Accepted Categories: Fiction & Nonfiction
- Genres: Drama, Women Writing, Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Self-help, Literary Essays, Memoirs, History, Culture, etc.
- Best Selling Author(s): http://niyogibooksindia.com/authors
Women Unlimited
- Origin: Indian
- Year/Date of inception of publishing house: 1984
- Accepted Categories: Academic, Fiction & Nonfiction
- Genres: Women’s Writing, Contemporary fiction, Literary Fiction, Drama, Translated works etc.
- Submission guidelines: http://www.womenunlimited.net/contactus.htm
- Best Selling Author(s):Mahadevi Verma, Ismat Chugtai, Ammu Joseph, Gauri Deshpande
Writers Workshop, Kolkata
- Origin: Indian
- Year/Date of inception of publishing house: 1958
- Accepted Categories: Poetry and Fiction
- Genres: Short Stories, Romance, Drama, Women’s Writing, Contemporary fiction, Literary Fiction, Drama, Translated works etc.
- Submission guidelines: https://www.writersworkshopindia.com/contact-us/
- Best Selling Author(s):Nita George, Srinjoy Ghosh, Indrajit Bose, Athira Unni, Vibha Batra, etc.
Yoda Press
Founded in 2004 with an alternative publishing vision, Yoda Press aims to create lists around subjects which are not usually a priority for other publishers in India, even though they have a critical presence in contemporary discourse, authorship and an audience. Yoda Press is known for publishing on subjects such as sexuality, popular culture, cities and urbanism, architecture as a lived experience, and new perspectives in Indian history and sociology.
- Origin: Indian
- Accepted categories: Academic, Fiction, Poetry, Graphic & Nonfiction
- Genres: Drama, Women Writing, Contemporary Fiction, History, Gender studies, Sexuality etc.
- Submission guidelines: info@yodapress.co.in, yodapressbooks@gmail.com
- Best Selling Author(s): Amit Dasgupta, Arunava Sinha
Yali Books
Yali Books is an independent publisher of books based in Clifton Park, New York. Through our stories, we are opening a window to South Asia –India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and the Maldives —and inviting the rest of the world to learn more about the incredible diversity of this region.
- Origin: MNC
- Accepted categories: Fiction
- Genres: picture books, early readers, middle grade, YA, and graphic novels.
- Submission guidelines: https://yalibooks.com/submissions/
- Best Selling Author(s): Debasmita Dasgupta, Arati Menon
Scholastic India
- Origin: MNC
- Accepted categories: Any work for children and Young Adults
- Genres: fiction, non-fiction, biographies, activity, quiz and puzzle books, and self-help books.
- Submission guidelines: https://scholastic.co.in/en/manuscript-guidelines
- Best Selling Author(s): Ruskin Bond, Gulzar, Paro Anand, Sampurna Chattarji, Anushka Ravishankar etc.
Purushottam Publishers
Purushottam Publishers is a publishing house and media company headquartered in West Bengal, India, publishing K-12 school textbooks, academic research and career guidebooks for University and College level and General books of various genre. It is a venture of the JIPL Group.
- Origin: Indian
- Accepted Categories: K-12 school textbooks, Fiction & Nonfiction
- Genres: Academic, Research, Fiction & Nonfiction
- Submission Guidelines: https://purushottam-bookstore.com/contact-us/
- Bestselling Author (s): Chitra Raghavan, Dr. Surjendu Dey, Dibyendu Biswas, Dr. Mahua Das, Reetwika Banerjee, Biplab Singha, Dr. Saraswati Raju Iyer , Dr. Chirashree Mukherjee etc.
Traditional Publishers in India- Experimental & New entrants
Pirates
They are a hybrid publishing house which means they offer both – traditional and self publishing options for authors.
- Origin: Indian
- Accepted Categories: Fiction & Nonfiction
- Genre: Drama, Chick-lit, Mystery, Travel, Fiction, Short Stories, History, Sci-fi
- Submission guidelines: http://www.pirates.ind.in/become-an-author/
- Best Selling Author(s): Aditi Mathur Kumar, Rohan Govenkar, Sumit Pramanik, Tushar Raheja, Sahana Ahmed, Vibha Batra, etc
Locksley Hall Publishing
- Origin: Indian
- Year/Date of inception of publishing house: 2016
- Accepted Categories: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry and Short Stories.
- Genre:
- Submission guidelines: http://locksleyhallpublishing.com/submission.html
- Best Selling Author(s): Rajat Pant, Akshay Tyagi, Pooja Rani etc.
Readify
Readify is an app only publishing house which means they have an exclusive app through which readers can read the stories. The books and/or stories published by them are not available anywhere else.
- Origin: Indian
- Accepted Categories: Fiction
- Genre:Short stories to novellas to full-length books, across genres like romance, crime, horror
- Submission guidelines: http://readify.in/authorhunt/
- Best Selling Author(s): Neil Dsilva, Kiran Manral, Madhuri Banerjee, Vibha Batra, etc.
Om Books International
- Origin: Indian
- Year/Date of inception of publishing house: 1950
- Accepted Categories: Fiction and Nonfiction
- Genre:– Art, design, photography, architecture, fiction, non fiction, children’s subjects, cuisine etc.
- Submission guidelines: https://www.ombooksinternational.com/content.php?content_id=3
- Best Selling Author(s): Khalid Mohammed, Kamala Das, Nasreen Munni Kabir, Mushtaq Shiekh etc.
Petals Publishers
They are a hybrid publishing house which means they offer both – traditional and self publishing options for authors.
- Origin: Indian
- Year/Date of inception of publishing house: 2013
- Accepted Categories: Fiction and Nonfiction
- Genre: Self help, Romance, Drama, Astrology, Science, Health etc
- Submission guidelines: https://www.petalspublishers.com/traditional-publishing.html
- Best Selling Author(s): Vinit K Bansal, Deepak Kumar
Grapevine Publishing
- Origin: Indian
- Year/Date of inception of publishing house: 2011
- Accepted Categories: Fiction
- Genre:– Drama, Romcom, Romance,
- Submission guidelines: http://grapevineindia.com/get-published/
- Best Selling Author(s): Durjoy Dutta, Nikita Singh, Sachin Garg, Anurag Batra
Grey Oak Publishers
- Origin: Indian
- Year/Date of inception of the publishing house: 2010
- Accepted Categories: Fiction and Nonfiction
- Genre:– Novels, novellas and short stories, Narrative non – fiction (travel writing, memoirs and biographies, photography and illustrated books).
- Submission guidelines: http://www.greyoak.in/publish_with_us.htm (No unsolicited submissions)
- Best Selling Author(s): Vibha Batra, Aashish Mehrotra, Sneh Thakur, Ira Trivedi, Ahmed Faiyaz
Clever Fox Publishing
They are hybrid publishers and offer both traditional and self-publishing.
- Origin: Chennai
- Year/Date of inception of the publishing house: 2019
- Accepted Categories: Academic (School, college, and university books)
- Genres: They accept Academic books directly from the authors. (Send in your submission to ranjan@cleverfoxpublishing.com and if the book is suitable for traditional publishing, you can expect a response from them in25 working days) But if it is a fiction or non-fiction book, a writer has to approach them through Literary agents only. One of their literary agency partners is First Forays.
- Submission guidelines: Clever Fox Publishing – Books, Journals, and Magazines
- Best Selling Author(s) : N.A.
Permanent Black Publishing
This Independent book publishing company is run by the well-known Novelist Anuradha Roy and Rukun Advani, her spouse. It operates out of Ranikhet, a 2 hour drive from the Himalayan Writing Retreat.
- Origin: Indian
- Year/Date of inception of the publishing house: 2000
- Accepted Categories: Academic and Non-Fiction
- Genre:-History, Travel, Culture, Arts etc.
- Submission guidelines: https://permanent-black.blogspot.com/p/book-proposals.html
- Best Selling Author(s): N.A
Readomania
- Origin: Indian
- Accepted categories: Fiction
- Genres: Drama, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Historical Fiction, Comedy, Short Stories, Anthologies etc.
- Submission guidelines: https://www.readomania.com/aboutus
- Best Selling Author(s): Sutapa Basu, Piyusha Vir, Archana Sarat, Anupama Jain, Moinak Dutta, Lopa Banerjee. Shalini Mullick, a writer from the Himalayan First Draft Club, was also published by Readomania.
Rumour books India
- Origin: Indian
- Year/Date of inception of publishing house: 2013
- Accepted Categories: Fiction and Nonfiction
- Genres: Romance, crime and thriller, short stories, childrens’ and young adult, humour, fantasy and sci-fi, historical, literary, poetry ,autobiographies, biographies, narrative nonfiction, sports, politics and current affairs, cookery, business and economics, travel.
- Submission guidelines: https://www.rumourbooks.com/submit-manuscript/
- Best Selling Author(s): Vish Dhamija, Harsh Snehanshu, Ketan Bhagat, Manasi Sapre, Saad Bin Jung
BlueJay Books
- Origin: Indian
- Accepted Categories: Fiction & Nonfiction
- Genres: Drama, Self help, astrology, Children’s fiction, religion, philosophy, culture, plays, translations etc.
- Submission guidelines: http://bluejaybooksindia.com/Contact_Us.html
- Best Selling Author(s): Rajendra Tandon, Purba Chakraborthy, Mridula Agarwal, Shikha Biswas Bohra
Black Ink
- Origin: Indian
- Year/Date of inception of publishing house: 2017
- Accepted Categories: Fiction
- Submission guidelines: http://www.blackinkbooks.in/guidelines.html
- Best Selling Author(s): Mitali Meelan, Chandana Roy, Shravya Bhinder, Rishabh Puri, Ajeet Sharma, Richa S Mukherjee
Write Place
This is actually a self (vanity) book publishing company but is important as an offshoot of Crossword. Write Place offers publishing opportunities to authors in India backed by the distribution network of Crossword book stores across the country.
- Origin: Indian
- Year/Date of inception of publishing house: 2014
- Accepted categories: Academic, Poetry, Fiction & Nonfiction
- Genres: Educational, Self-help, drama, short stories, health, cookery, comedy, romance etc.
- Submission guidelines: http://thewriteplace.in/get_published
- Best Selling Author(s): http://thewriteplace.in/authors
Half Baked Beans
They are a hybrid publishing house which means they offer both – traditional and self-publishing options for authors.
- Origin: Indian
- Year/Date of inception of the publishing house: 2013
- Accepted Categories: Fiction
- Genres: Romance, Drama, Mystery, Historical Fiction, Romcom, Mystery, Thriller, Comedy, Contemporary fiction, short stories, etc.
- Submission guidelines: https://www.facebook.com/Half8akedBeans
- Best Selling Author(s): Puneeth J H, Asfiya Rehman
Author’s Channel
- Origin: India
- Year/Date of inception of the publishing house: N.A
Goa 1556
A publishing house with a unique focus on Goa.
- Origin: Indian
- Year/Date of inception of the publishing house: 2012
- Accepted Categories: Non-fiction directly related to Goa
- Genres: Food, Essay Collections, Travel, Health, History, Culture, Diaspora, Literature, Memoirs, Art, Biography, Religion, etc.
- Submission guidelines: https://www.goa1556.in/publish-with-us-or/
- Best Selling Author(s): Orlando Da Costa, Ahmed Bunglowala, Peter Nazareth, Melody Vaz, etc.
An independent publishing house with a primary focus on creating engaging and meaningful literature for children and young adults.
Bare Bones
- Origin: Indian
- Year/Date of inception of the publishing house: 2023
- Accepted Categories: Literature for Children & Young Adults
- Genres: Speculative Fiction, Humor, Picture Books, History, Culture, etc.
- Submission Guidelines: https://barebonespublishing.in/submissions/
- Best Selling Authors: https://barebonespublishing.in/books/?orderby=popularity
Pickle Yolk Books
- Origin: Indian
- Year/Date of inception of the publishing house: 2015
- Accepted Categories: Children’s Picture Books
- Genres: Children’s Picture Books
- Submission guidelines: https://pickleyolkbooks.com/submission-guidelines/
- Best Selling Author(s): Richa Jha
Conclusion
One of the most important things to remember while submitting your manuscript to publishers is the Turn-Around-Time (Also known as TAT in the literary lingo). For some, it can be in months, while for some it can be in weeks. It is important to be patient and wait to hear from them. More often than not, if you do not receive a reply it can be construed as a rejection. Also, tagging them on social media platforms and contacting their key personnel ( Read: Editors) online through DMs and other mediums are not advisable. Neither is sending stories as messages on Facebook or WhatsApp. Once you hear from them in a negative, do not write back either with loads of questions or with an empty threat.
If you receive rejections, do not take them personally. Remember the publishing houses work as per the market trends. A rejection does not mean your book is bad. It simply means they are not the right platform for it. Traditionally publishing is a great thing for every writer. However, it is not the deciding factor as to who is a better writer.
Take the case of Amish Tripathi. When he started writing the Shiva trilogy, mythological fiction wasn’t much heard of in India and hence no publisher was interested in taking his manuscript. He self-published his first book and the rest, as they say, is history. The same is the case with Ashwin Sanghi, who wrote under a pseudonym till Krishna Key made him a best-selling author.
Always remember, every book has its audience. You just need to find them.
46 Responses
This is certainly a very comprehensive information.
One question that confounds many writers is if the writer should write a reminder to the publishing house if they dont respond despite declaring in the submission guideline page that they would respond within a certain time frame with a reason in case of a rejection.
Please offer your opinon.
If the publisher has defined the guidelines themselves then the author should certainly follow-up.
I have been looking for authentic publishers who specialize in fiction. Your site has given me a wealth of information, I can rely on. Will follow your links to find the right publisher for my work of fiction.
Thanks Arun! Glad you found value in the article. Wishing you all the best for your work!
Article is helpful without a doubt but some of the timelines on date of inception need to be rechecked, it can be quite misleading if the information is wrong.
Well-established and independent publishing houses that encourage poetry; a genre rejected by most of the big-publication houses are missing from the list!
Hi!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! If you could share the details of the publishing houses missing from the list, we would be more than happy to add them to the list.
Hello,
It is a nice article.
You can review Clever Fox Publishing profile and list them here. They have three type of Publishing
http://www.cleverfoxpublishing.com
Hi,
Thank you so much. I am an artist (www.belovedindia.com) and I am in search of a publisher to print an art book. I have benefitted immensely through your article.
From
Peter Antonio N.K,
Neelankavil House, Chowannur P.O 680 517,
Kunnamkulam, Thrissur, Kerala. Mob: 94 95 24 66 57,
E. mail: peterantonionk@gmail.com
To
The Manager,
Traditional Publishers,
India.
Sir / Madam
Sub: Any typing Job in your Esteemed institution.
I am Peter Antonio N K aged 50 residing in Kerala, Thrissur District, Kunnamkulam. I am writing to en quire whether any sort of typing job in English Language in your Esteemed institution.
Waiting for the reply,
Thanking You,
Kunnamkulam, Yours faithfully,
17th June, 2021. Peter Antonio N K
Good Website and Good Article. Thanks. Awesome article!
The article is biased or uninformed of ground reality. 30% of this list ask for money under the name of ‘Marketing Fee’ or various other heads. Would not like to name and highlight. Saying this after the interaction with 80% of the publishers in this list. This is misguiding for new authors.
Hi, thanks for sharing your thoughts with us! This list has been made on the basis of secondary research and information available in the public domain. We have tried our best to create a list of traditional publishers in India. However, with the way the industry is, such things can change – companies also change their business models constantly. Some of the purely traditional publishers may have turned Hybrid publishers i.e. they now do both traditional and self publishing.
If there is any particular publisher who has asked for money upfront (as self / vanity publishers are wont to do), please share specific details and we will review them.
AKP publishers, which is in your list, asked for upfront money
Thanks for letting us know! We will remove them from this list of traditional publishers and move it to self publishers list.
Can you tell me the basis in which you have chosen these traditional publishers. Most of them are not traditional publishers. And being a publisher myself I would like to know the criteria with which you have chosen these names. I would love to understand your perspective on how much you know about all of these houses
Hi, thanks for sharing your thoughts with us! This list has been made on the basis of secondary research and information available in the public domain. We have tried our best to create a list of traditional publishers in India. However, with the way the industry is, such things can change – companies also change their business models constantly. Some of the purely traditional publishers may have turned Hybrid publishers i.e. they now do both traditional and self publishing.
If there is any particular publisher who has asked for money upfront (as self / vanity publishers are wont to do), please share specific details and we will review them.
Hey, If you are a traditional publisher, will you please see my manuscript for hindi poetry, if you publish books in this genre please let me know
Deepthy, I will agree with what you have written. How are hybrid publishers finding a place in this list when they are offering self-publishing options. I have recently completed the manuscript with academic content for school students. I haven’t received any response from a traditional publisher despite writing to many. I am surprised that they don’t even want to know what I have written. I am reminded of this- the students who win prizes for school are the ones who get the opportunity each time. The rest keep waiting for an opportunity even if they are good too.
Hi, thanks for sharing your thoughts with us! This list has been made on the basis of secondary research and information available in the public domain. We have tried our best to create a list of traditional publishers in India. However, with the way the industry is, such things can change – companies also change their business models constantly. Some of the purely traditional publishers may have turned Hybrid publishers i.e. they now do both traditional and self publishing.
If there is any particular publisher who has asked for money upfront (as self / vanity publishers are wont to do), please share specific details and we will review them.
It’s nota comment but some queries. Do you publish of new novelists paying them? All other works having been done by at your cost and risks?. I’m asking this because I want to avoid self publishers. Then how long will it take to get the information if my manuscript is selected for publications or not. And do you have marketing facilities abroad? my name is Baby Kattackal. I have two manuscripts finished in Pdf. Only after getting the aforementioned details can I move forward. My official name is K.J.John, advocate , Kattackal House, Muvattupuzha. P.O. , pin 686661. Kerala state. But my pen name is BABY KATTACKAL.. mY PEN NAME AND EMAIL ID ARE GIVEN BELOW.
Hi,
We do not publish any books or offer any marketing facilities. We are a writing retreat and offer courses on different topics ranging from Creative Writing, Short Story Writing, Poetry, Non-fiction Writing etc.
A long list of Publisher. Really helpful for every fresh author like me. Thanks for sharing a great valuable content.
Good job….the listing of traditional publishers was long needed…what is the major difference between “traditional “ and “self” publishing ? Could you enlighten us on the salient features of the two. I am told self published works are not eligible to enter international literary contests/prizes (like the Booker prize)
Is this true ?
To understand the difference, please read the blogpost
https://himalayanwritingretreat.com/traditional-or-self-publishing-in-india-which-is-better-for-the-first-time-author/ .
Yes, most awards don’t accept self-published books. For the Booker prize, not only do you need to be traditionally published, but you have to be traditionally published in the UK.
Thanks to give the informative content keep on uploading. Visit also at Independent Book Publisher in Mumbai.
There ought to be various yous,” Grayson expresses, framed by the twilight, a blue ghost. “So you can assist with tackling our concerns as a whole. So you can assist with taking care of the world’s concerns.
We are a team of professional and experienced professionals who have worked on publishing for years. We know every step of the publication process and we take care of everything you need to get your manuscript into print.
Can you help me in bringing out my intellectual and timely non fictional work which will be by 3rd non- fictional work.
–Kumar Rohit
Rohit, we dont help individuals publish. Literardy agents do. You may find this blogpost helpful https://himalayanwritingretreat.com/top-literary-agents-in-india/
Dear Himalayan Writers,
OM Books is vanity publishing. Back in 2021 October, they asked for money (INR 200,000 + INR 150,000) to publish my book. This was my first attempt to publish; I did not know well about traditional and vanity publishing; so I paid INR 200,000 in advance and signed the contract with OM Books. For the next 13 months, communications from their side were few and feeble. While I tried to stay in touch with Om through emails and phone calls, they gave many excuses and won’t even start the editing work. In 2022 (almost a year after I had signed the contract with OM), another traditional publisher approached me. They took my manuscript and offered me a lump sum. By then, I had realized that OM was actually a vanity press. I got my book published (it has just hit the bookstores across India) through this legitimate traditional publisher, but could never recover the money (INR 200,000) from Om Books. I ask for the money repeatedly but their editors don’t even reply to my emails. Every new author should be very wary of Om books. I have all the transaction details, contracts, and emails with Om as evidence. Please remove them from your list of traditional publishers.
Hi, with which publisher you published your book now?
I think publishers should NOT call themselves traditional if they ask money from the author in any form (in the name of marketing, buy back copies, etc.) A traditional publisher does everything from acquiring the book to marketing. Any form of monetary input by the author should be termed as partnered publishing.
That said, I have written to quite a few from the above list. Most don’t respond. A few did, but because they ask for money upfront, I didn’t take up the offer. Om Books actually asked for 6 lakh INR. And Leadstart said in clear words, they’d be ready to publish immediately if I go for their partnered publishing option.
India doesn’t have any shortage of talented writers, but it is these so called publishers and gatekeepers who are a major hurdle to seeing literary talent emerge from our country.
It is really disheartening to watch this happening and sadly nothing much can be done, too. Unless all writers take a stand together.
Navigating the diverse landscape of book publishing houses in India is a thrilling yet intricate journey for aspiring authors. From the esteemed Penguin Random House and HarperCollins to the dynamic Rupa Publications and innovative Juggernaut Books, India’s publishing realm offers a myriad of opportunities for writers at every stage. Each house brings its unique ethos and flair, creating a vibrant ecosystem that caters to a wide range of genres and voices. As a hopeful author, exploring these publishing houses becomes a quest for the perfect literary partnership, where creativity converges with industry expertise to weave compelling stories that resonate with readers across the nation and beyond.
Is Ukiyoto publisher worth looking at,they are ready to publish my manuscript as a traditional publisher
Rgds
George
We have no first-hand knowledge, but if you google “ukiyoto publishing reviews” you’ll get some insight.
Great list! I was looking for reputable publication houses for my manuscript, and this blog was a big help.”
That’s a lovely and informative post, especially for an upcoming author like me
Thanks Smita. & good luck on your writing journey.
Please add Promenade Books to the list. They publish avant-garde books and are based out of HKV.
Thanks Sarthak
A traditional publisher publishing books with good terms and condition good promotion facility and payment of royalties with transparent sale records is requested to publish a book on ‘Quantitative Aptitude and Reasoning’ having comparable standard with top book available in the market with same topic and favourable reply is expected
This sounds like a text / academic book. the list provided is of trade publishers. Please do look up the difference.
Really helped me find some publishers. Thanks for this amazing update
Thanks & good luck Byju
There are a few publishing houses that operate, in practice, like vanity presses while presenting themselves to authors as traditional publishers. Authors should exercise caution and carefully verify a publisher’s business model before signing any agreement or making any financial commitment.
Recently, I came across one such publishing house based in New Delhi that presented itself as a traditional publisher but, after reviewing and shortlisting my manuscript, demanded a substantial upfront payment of ₹1,50,000 for marketing & PR activities. This is totally bullshit.
What makes the situation particularly concerning is that the same organisation appears to promote itself extensively across social media as a traditional publisher and even publishes content advising authors on how to identify vanity and predatory publishers. In my view, such a contradiction raises serious questions about transparency and professional ethics.
I have deliberately chosen not to disclose the publisher’s name, in keeping with my own principles of professional authorship and responsible conduct. Interestingly, the organisation has also posted on this platform.
My broader advice to fellow authors is simple: do your due diligence before accepting a publishing offer. A genuine traditional publishing journey may be difficult and highly competitive, but if you have confidence in the quality of your manuscript, persistence can be worthwhile.
Self-publishing is also a legitimate and increasingly viable alternative. However, its success depends greatly on maintaining strong editorial and production quality, ensuring proper quality control, and having a realistic strategy for marketing and distribution.
Ultimately, authors should remember one fundamental principle: a publishing offer should be evaluated not merely by what a publisher promises, but by how its business model actually works.