World Literature Today

What World Literature Today does

World Literature Today is a non-profit, bimonthly literary magazine founded in 1927 and operated by the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma. The publication aggregates international fiction, poetry, essays, creative nonfiction, interviews, and book reviews from writers spanning approximately 50 countries, serving as a curated discovery platform for world literature in translation. Beyond the core magazine, it administers a portfolio of literary programs including the Neustadt Prize, NSK Neustadt Prize for Children's Literature, Atluri Prize, Puterbaugh Festival, WLT Student Translation Prize, the WLT Podcast, and the WLT Weekly newsletter.

Name

World Literature Today

Legal name

World Literature Today

Website

https://worldliteraturetoday.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1927

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

World Literature Today is a 1927-founded non-profit literary magazine published by the University of Oklahoma, featuring international fiction, poetry, essays, and book reviews for global readers, translators, and literary scholars.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Literary Magazine Publishing

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (51312), Book Publishers (51313)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAJAEAN

Arts, Culture & Literary Magazines

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Publishing (Books, News, Magazines)/Magazine Publishing (Consumer & B2B/Trade Magazines)

SECONDARYEDAGAFAE

Humanities & Arts Scholarly Publishing

Education/Educational Publishing & Learning Content/Academic & Scholarly Publishing (Journals, Monographs)

SECONDARYEDAGAFAK

Scholarly Society & Association Publishing

Education/Educational Publishing & Learning Content/Academic & Scholarly Publishing (Journals, Monographs)

Keywords

• Literary magazine publishing
• World literature reviews
• International fiction criticism
• Literary translation awards
• Book reviews subscription

Headquarters

HQ city

Norman

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Magazine Subscriptions: Print and digital magazine subscriptions generating recurring revenue. Offers free 30-day trial and annual subscription discounts (33% savings vs monthly).
2. Book Sales (Affiliate): Book reviews feature affiliate links to Bookshop.org. WLT receives a commission on book purchases made through these affiliate links.
3. Donations: The publication accepts donations from readers and supporters, indicating a charitable/donation revenue stream.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

World Literature Today publishes a bimonthly literary magazine (print and digital) featuring international fiction, poetry, essays, interviews, creative nonfiction, and book reviews from writers worldwide, with coverage spanning approximately 50+ countries. The publication also administers literary prizes (Neustadt Prize, NSK Neustadt Prize, Atluri Prize, WLT Student Translation Prize), hosts the Puterbaugh Festival, and produces the WLT Podcast and WLT Weekly newsletter. Content is delivered via paid subscriptions, individual issue sales, free editorial content online, and the Best Literary Translations annual anthology published in partnership with Deep Vellum.

Product overview

World Literature Today is a bimonthly literary magazine published by the University of Oklahoma that serves as a passport to world literature, featuring fiction, poetry, essays, interviews, creative nonfiction, and book reviews from international writers. The publication operates as a unified platform offering the print/digital magazine alongside multiple programs including the Neustadt Prize, NSK Neustadt Prize, Atluri Prize, Puterbaugh Festival, WLT Podcast, and Student Translation Prize. Content is organized by genre sections (Book Reviews, Interviews, Essays, Recommendations, Poetry, Creative Nonfiction, Culture, Fiction, Outposts, Postcards) and distributed via subscriptions, weekly newsletters, and an online archive.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Neustadt Prize: International literary prize administered by World Literature Today
• NSK Neustadt Prize
• Atluri Prize
• Puterbaugh Festival
• WLT Student Translation Prize

Products and services

• World Literature Today Magazine A bimonthly literary magazine featuring international fiction, poetry, essays, interviews, creative nonfiction, and book reviews from writers worldwide, serving literary enthusiasts and scholars seeking access to world literature in translation.
• Neustadt Prize An international literary prize co-administered with the University of Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Centre for Books, recognizing outstanding contributions to world literature, serving authors, translators, and the global literary community.
• NSK Neustadt Prize for Children's and Young Adult Literature A prize for children's and young adult literature, part of the Neustadt family of prizes, recognizing excellence in children's and YA writing worldwide.
• Atluri Prize Literary prize program administered by World Literature Today, recognizing excellence in literary work.
• Puterbaugh Festival Annual literary festival featuring international writers, programming, readings, and events hosted by World Literature Today at the University of Oklahoma.
• WLT Podcast Audio program featuring interviews with writers, discussions of literature, and literary news, hosted by Sonja Srinivasan, for literary enthusiasts and podcast listeners.
• WLT Student Translation Prize Prize recognizing outstanding student translations of literary works, for student translators and those studying literary translation at the university level.
• WLT Weekly Newsletter Weekly newsletter and blog featuring book reviews, interviews, news, and literary content updates, sent to subscribers via email.
• Subscription Services Paid subscription services providing print and digital access to the magazine, including a free 30-day trial and annual online subscriptions offering 33% savings compared to monthly billing.
• Shop World Literature Today (E-commerce Storefront) Own e-commerce storefront for direct purchase of current and past issues of the magazine and related merchandise.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Deep Vellum PublishingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeep Vellum, based in Dallas, is the publishing partner for the 'Best Literary Translations' anthology series. Deep Vellum has published close to 200 foreign titles since 2013. The 2026 edition is the third volume of the series, edited by US Poet Laureate Arthur Sze and co-edited by Noh Anothai, Wendy Call, Öykü Tekten, and Kola Tubosun.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Granta: London-based literary magazine publishing fiction, poetry, memoir, and reportage from international writers. Closely comparable on world-literature scope and global author curation.
• Tin House: Independent American literary magazine and book publisher focused on contemporary fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Comparable editorial scope and book-adjacent publishing activities.
• The Paris Review: Long-established American literary quarterly featuring fiction, poetry, essays, and interviews. Direct competitor for literary readers, contributors, and prestige awards.
• Words Without Borders: Online magazine dedicated to publishing translated world literature. Most direct functional peer to WLT's translation and world-literature mission, sharing contributor network and translation-prize programs.
• The Kenyon Review: American literary journal affiliated with Kenyon College publishing poetry, fiction, essays, and reviews. Comparable as a university-affiliated, prestigious literary magazine with awards programs.
• McSweeney's: Independent literary publisher producing a quarterly literary magazine and book titles. Comparable in combining literary magazine publishing with broader book publishing activities.
• The Believer: American literary and cultural magazine featuring criticism, essays, interviews, and fiction. Comparable position in the literary-magazine category and competition for prestige and readers.
• Virginia Quarterly Review: University-affiliated literary journal publishing fiction, poetry, essays, and reportage. Comparable audience, university-backed model, and global literary scope.

Broad incumbents

• Harper's Magazine: Established American general-interest literary and cultural magazine with international reporting, essays, fiction, and reviews. Larger incumbent serving overlapping literary reader personas.

Emerging players

• Translation Review: Scholarly journal of the American Translators Association publishing peer-reviewed work on literary translation. Comparable on translation scholarship but with a more academic focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/worldlittoday
• Facebookfacebook.com/WorldLiteratureToday
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/world-literature-today

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about World Literature Today