Publishing Poetry is hard. That is a universal truth is most parts of the world, not just India. However, we are offering some hope and light to clear this general pall of despondency around publishing poetry. 

There are a few select publishing houses which specialise in Poetry in India. Then there are other mainstream ones which also accept poetry, if more selectively. The below list is a mix of both these types of publishers. 

This list is in alphabetical order. While it is not exhaustive, it’s a great way to start your search!

Note: we have tried to include traditional publishing houses. However, on occasion these publishers may look at a hybrid model / a buyback model.

Also, some of these folks dont publish entire collections from a single poet, but publish anthologies or magazines in which you can be featured.

For a list of literary magazines where you can publish your poetry (mostly) online, click here. 

Aleph Book Company 

Based in New Delhi, Aleph Book Company was started by author David Davidar and others. They focus on publishing literary fiction and nonfiction from and about South Asia. 

Submission: Aleph Book Company does not accept unsolicited manuscripts, and must only be contacted through a literary agent. 

Link: https://www.alephbookcompany.com/about/

Cyberwit (The Taj Mahal Review)

Cyberwit publishes all sorts of poetry, and take a special interest in work that is unlikely to find a home in mainstream publishing houses. They publish anthologies and a journal- The Taj Mahal Review. 

Submissions: The Taj Mahal Review comes out biannually- in June and December. Poems must be a maximum of 35 lines, and Haikus must be a maximum of 10 lines. Poems translated into English are also accepted. Plagiarised work will be penalised. The submission must be emailed to info@tajmahalreview.com. 

Link: https://www.cyberwit.net/pages/submissions

Eklavya 

Eklavya is an NGO that works in the fields of education, literacy and promoting literature. They publish several titles per year, and also run popular magazines for children and young adults like Chakmak and Srote. While the majority of the work is educational in nature and for children, several of these magazines do carry poetry. 

Submissions: Submission guidelines are not uniform across their magazines and independently published books. For more information, email info@eklavya.in. 

Link: https://www.eklavya.in/ 

HarperCollins 

HarperCollins India is one of the biggest and best known publishing houses operating in the country. They are currently accepting unsolicited manuscripts. 

Submissions: Your submission should include a detailed proposal and project synopsis. Your contact details should be included and clearly visible. Submissions should be typed in a legible font and emailed to submissions@harpercollins.co.in. 

Link: https://harpercollins.co.in/publish-with-us/ 

Hawakal

Hawakal Publishers is a publishing house that publishes books across genres and types. Founded in 2009, they are now one of the leading independent publishers in India. 

Submission: A form is available on their website, which must be filled by all poets and writers approaching the press for publication. The form includes publishing history as well as the synopsis of the proposed project. It also requires the poet’s basic information like name and contact details. The form will be reviewed and if found promising, Hawakal Publishers will get back to you. 

Link: https://www.hawakal.com/get-published/ 

Leadstart 

Leadstart is an independent publishing company in India.  They have sister companies which are also quasi-publishing companies to which they sometimes push submissions. They often pass authors along to “Becoming Shapespeare” (a self publishing company) in case they do not want to publish something as leadstart. They also run the Pencil app. 

Submissions: Unsolicited submissions are accepted and must be emailed to submissions@leadstartcorp.com. They must contain a concept note, two sample chapters/poems, index table, author’s bio, and a project synopsis. 

Link: https://www.leadstartcorp.com/get-published/submission/ 

Orient Paperbacks 

Orient is a medium sized publishing company headquartered in Delhi. Founded in 1975, it has since then published some of the finest Indian authors of the past few decades. They publish books in both English and Hindi.

Submissions: Submissions must not be emailed. You can either send a hard copy of the manuscript to the address provided on their website, or fill an online form also provided there. Physical submissions must be printed on white paper, in a clear and large font. It should be double spaced. Author’s contact information as well as a short bio is mandatory. As the manuscript will not be returned, please keep a copy with yourself. 

Link: https://www.orientpaperbacks.com/pages/get-published 

Penguin India

Penguin is one of the largest and most widely recognized publishing houses not just in India, but around the world. Penguin India has six distinct imprints that publish different types of work. These are- Ebury Publishing, Hind Pocket Books, Penguin Random House Audio, Penguin Random House Children’s, Penguin General, Penguin Press and General. Out of these, several accept poetry submissions. 

Submission: Each imprint has its own process for dealing with manuscripts. Penguin Press is current;y accepting manuscripts, which must be emailed to submissions_penguinpress@penguinrandomhouse.in . A detailed proposal as well as a synopsis must be sent. They should be attached as a Word Document or PDF, and written in Times New Roman, font size 12. Hind Pocket Books, which publishes in Hindi, also has a similar process. A synopsis, sample and brief author’s bio must be sent to  submission@hindpocketbooks.in 

Link: https://penguin.co.in/community/publish-with-us/ 

Poetry Primero 

Poetry Primero is an imprint of Paperwall Publishing. It is reserved for poets who are trying to publish their first book length poetry anthology. 

Submission: While they are currently not accepting new manuscripts, you can keep checking their websites for updates. For any information, email info@paperwall.in.

Link: https://paperwall.in/manuscript-submission/ 

Poetrywala

Poetrywala is also an imprint of Paperwall Publishing, dedicated entirely to poetry. They publish everything from classical poetry to the work of young contemporary poets. 

Submission: While they are currently not accepting new manuscripts, you can keep checking their websites for updates. For any information, email info@paperwall.in.

Link: https://paperwall.in/manuscript-submission/ 

Prabhat Prakashan 

Prabhat Prakashan is a big publishing house that publishes books across genres in both Hindi and English. 

Submissions: Submission guidelines vary across language and genres. For detailed information on poetry submissions, email info@prabhatbooks.com. 

Link: https://www.prabhatbooks.com/ 

Red River

Red River is an independent publishing venture that focuses exclusively on poetry. They are especially interested in the work of upcoming and new poets. They are associated with Champaca Bookstore, Library and Cafe in Bengaluru. 

Submission: For details on the process to be followed for submission, please send a message on their official Instagram handle, link here : https://instagram.com/redriverpress 

Seagull Books 

Seagull Books is a publishing house known for high quality books that are also exquisitely designed. They specialise in literary fiction and nonfiction, and try to give space to alternative work that may otherwise be ignored. 

Submissions: Seagull Books is not accepting unsolicited manuscripts for the next three years. However, they can be contacted through a literary agent. 

Link: https://www.seagullbooks.org/about-us/ 

Speaking Tiger 

Speaking Tiger is an established independent book publisher. Over the last eight years, it has made a name for itself for publishing high quality content across form and genre. 

Submissions: Unsolicited manuscripts are accepted in the categories of general fiction and non fiction. When it comes to poetry, it is a good idea to get in touch about the differences in protocol. Email them at info@speakingtiger.com. Your name and contact information should be clearly mentioned, and the submission must be double spaced and sent as a Word Document.

Link: https://speakingtigerbooks.com/submissions/

Writer’s Workshop

Writers Workshop is amongst the oldest and most respected indie publishers in the country. They produce books mostly in small batches. They often give their books fabric covers and calligraphed covers – works of art. Writers workshop has two poetry imprints : red bird and saffron bird. Red bird seems to be poetry written in English and Saffron bird seems to be poetry translated from other languages to English. 

Submissions: There is little information on their website about their submission process, but this is not a house you should ignore. 

Link: https://www.writersworkshopindia.com 

Yavanika Press

Yavanika is a niche publishing house which only accepts submissions for two month in a year. It is closely associated with the bi-annual literary & arts journal Sonic Boom. They aim to cast the spotlight on bold and new emerging voices, as well as veterans of the craft.

Submissions: Their reading period (when they accept submissions) is only between 1st May and 30th June in each year. They seek writing in the following genres:

– Poetry 

– Japanese short-forms 

– Short prose 

– Mixed-genre 

– Mini-chapbooks (poems under 10 lines)

Link: https://yavanikapress.wixsite.com/home 


These are all great publishing houses and provide great platforms for poets. if you know of other traditional publishing houses which accept poetry, please email us with the details at info@himalayanwritingretreat.com. We hope this list has been helpful, and look forward to reading your published work soon!