Storytelling is a running stitch in the fabric of Indian culture. Our literary history runs deep, extending back to 1500 BCE with the production of sacred texts, philosophical teaching, poetry, plays, folktales, and more. These stories shaped our languages and many dialects as we know them, leaving an indelible mark on both Indian and global history. And yet, today, India is often overlooked in the literary world. While we have several major publishers, many are subsets of Western publications. This can be a great benefit, as it offers Indian writers exposure on a global scale, but to focus all our attention on just these publications limits the scope of Indian storytelling to a more mainstream Western industry lens.

However, publishing and storytelling do not have to be limited to the world’s Big 5. Indie publishing is an avenue for storytelling that circumvents the traditional and is often more accessible to writers early in their careers. Here are 5 Indian independent presses amplifying stories that go against the grain.

Based in Chennai, Blaft Publications is a South Indian independent publisher known for its self-described weird fiction. Its first publication, The Blaft Anthology of Tamil Pulp Fiction, was a collection of Tamil sci-fi, mystery, romance, and crime stories translated into English. After the collection’s immense success within India and globally, Blaft Publications extended into graphic novels, zines, and retold folklore, solidifying themselves as a publisher unafraid to tackle unorthodox forms and subject matters. 

Blaft Publication’s print works can be found here.

This independent publishing house started as a subsidiary for the now-defunct feminist publisher Kali for Women. Today, Zubaan Books remains committed to promoting South Indian women writers through publishing and non-profit activities supporting feminist research. Its published works include feminist children’s literature, memoirs, multi-language novels, and short stories in both traditional and experimental forms. It also has several academic texts spanning subjects like history, anthropology, sociology, and conflict studies. 

You can find print and electronic versions of its published works here. If you want to learn more about its research initiatives and philanthropic efforts, click here.

Navayana Publishing is a New Delhi-based indie publisher named after a sect of Buddhism founded by B.R. Ambedkar. Like its namesake spiritual movement, it is committed to an anti-caste ideology, equality, and justice for all. Navayana Publishing works towards this mission by publishing academic titles, poetry, graphic novels, and reissues of Ambedkar’s work. Notably, its elevation of Dalit voices must be noted, particularly within the sphere of media and literature which so frequently overlooks this entire group of people. 

You can find Navayana Publishing’s catalogue and purchase its works here.

Yoda Press is an independent publishing house dedicated to shedding light on sexuality, urbanism, dissent, and more subjects typically skirted around by typical Indian publishers. Yoda Press’ recent published works include ‘Riots and After in Mumbai', an investigation of the occurrence and aftermath of the 1992 Bombay Riots, ‘Governing Forests’, an exploration of how Indian forest-dwelling communities are impacted by the Global North’s environmental exploitation, and ‘Intimacy in Alienation’, a study of Hindu-Muslim dynamics through the lens of a couple. 

You can find a full list of its available titles here. 

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