Independent publishers play an important role in diversifying the literary landscape. More often than not, a lot of manuscripts go unnoticed by the big publishing houses and these manuscripts find home with the independent publishers. They provide an all-inclusive platform to the authors, with a greater creative freedom and quicker publishing methods. Authors often find a more supportive environment that focuses on the quality of their work rather than the quantity. Independent publishers also publish works on really niche topics that may not be accepted by the established publishing houses. This culture fosters a range of diverse and unique literary works which enhances the literary horizons of the society. We have handpicked a few indie publishers amongst the many and curated a list for you.
- Niyogi Books
Having published over 800 titles and 5 imprints to cater to a diverse range of published titles, Niyogi Books is internationally renowned for its culturally and traditionally rich titles. Established in 2004, their catalogue includes multitudes of social science, self-help books, fiction, as well as English translations of modern classics from different Indian languages. In 2019, they launched their fourth imprint called Bahuvachan dedicated to Hindi titles. Their collection boasts of works translated from 23 different languages.
- Yoda Press
Founded in 2004 by Arpita Das with an avant-garde publishing vision, Yoda Press aims to present stories on topics that aren’t a priority for many publishers. They cover a variety of topics like pop culture, sexuality, urbanism and a lot more, which are deeply rooted in everyday discourse of the Indian subcontinent, putting forth new perspectives to present the contemporary reality of the society at large. Five of their titles were cited in the Supreme Court’s judgement that decriminalised homosexuality in India in 2018.
- Zubaan
Zubaan, an independent publishing house, was founded by Urvashi Butalia in 2004, after founding and working for Kali for Women, India’s first feminist publishing house, for two decades alongside Ritu Menon. Zubaan focuses a lot on women voices from Asia and empowers counter-culture stories that often go unheard. Urvashi and Ritu were jointly awarded the prestigious Padma Shri for their contribution to Literature and Education.
- Sristhi Publishers
Being around for more than a quarter of a century, Sristhi Publishers are known to embrace debutant authors. Founded by JK Bosea at a time when the publishing industry was in its infant stages in India, his vision to promote Indian authors was brought to life. Having worked with some prominent authors, Sristhi has been the launchpad of authors like Durjoy Dutta, Preeti Shenoy, Ravinder Singh and more.
- Permanent Black
This scholarly publishing press was set up in 2000, by Arunadha Roy and Rukun Advani on April Fool’s Day, operating out of Delhi which later shifted to the Kumaun Hills in the Himalayas. With this year marking it as their 25th anniversary, this press focuses on academic and scholarly publications on topics like history, politics, ecology and more. They have around 400 books in print as of now. They also co-publish Hedgehog & Fox, a series of academic books with Ashoka University. This press houses a rich cultural and textual history with the Asia Publishing House as its predecessor. After Asia Publishing House closed down, Oxford University Press filled in its space, which declined in the late years of 1990s and gave emergence to Permanent Black.
The Bombay Circle Press is an up and coming independent publishing house based in Mumbai, India. Founded by two bibliophiles, TBCP offers traditional publishing services to its authors, along with its vanity press, known as The Bombay Circle Studio. TBCP takes words and turns them into adventures, dreams, and emotions that spark readers’ imaginations.