Tara Books
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1994
- HeadquartersChennai, India
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
Tara Books firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Tara Books
- Legal name
- Tara Books Pvt Ltd
- Website
- https://tarabooks.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1994
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Tara Books industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Independent Book Publishing
- NAICS
- Book Publishers (513130), Books Printing (323117), Book Publishers (51313)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Book Printing (2732), Blankbooks, Looseleaf Binders & Bookbindg & Relatd Work (2780)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Literary & Classics Publishing (MPAJAAAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Children’s Book Print-on-Demand (Picture Books, Early Readers, YA) (MPAJANAC), Trade Book Print-on-Demand (Fiction & Nonfiction) (MPAJANAA), Children’s Activity & Practice Books (Workbooks, Puzzles, Handwriting) (EDAGAIAE), Cover Design, Illustration & Book Interior Design Services (MPAJAJAH), Book & Magazine Binding Services (Perfect, Case, Saddle Stitch) (MPAJALAE)
Keywords
Where Tara Books is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chennai
- HQ country
- India
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices1 record
Markets served
Tara Books business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Book Sales: Direct sales of published books through their e-commerce website. Books range from ₹500 to over ₹10,000 with prices in USD 11 to 150.
- Art Prints and Stationery: Sales of art prints (letterpress, risography, screenprints), cards, notebooks, and tote bags featuring artwork from published books.
- Foreign Rights Licensing: Sold foreign language rights to nearly 60% of titles to around 120 publishing houses worldwide. Attended Bologna and Frankfurt Book Fairs every year for over 20 years.
- Art Activity Kits: Sale of collage kits and creative activity materials for children and adults.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Children's and Adult Books |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Art Prints |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Cards |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Notebooks |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Tote Bags |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Tara Coins Loyalty Program |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Tara Books product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Tara Books is an independent publishing house that designs, produces, and sells handmade screenprinted books featuring Indian folk and tribal art, along with a complementary stationery line of art prints, cards, notebooks, tote bags, and art activity kits. The company operates an in-house bookmaking workshop with 25 artisans that produces books from paper to binding, and distributes titles through its own e-commerce site, domestic and international bookstores, and foreign rights licensing to publishers worldwide.
Product overview
Tara Books is an independent publishing house founded in 1994 by Gita Wolf. The company specializes in visually striking books that feature folk and tribal art traditions combined with innovative book design. Their core products include children's picture books, graphic novels, photography books, and artist books across categories such as handmade, activity books, art & design, traditional art, and illustrated titles for all ages. Beyond publishing, Tara Books operates a handmade bookmaking workshop with 25 artisans specializing in screenprinted books made entirely by hand. The company also produces an extensive stationery line including art prints (letterpress, risography, screenprints), cards, notebooks (Flukebooks, Zig-Zag accordion books), tote bags, and art activity kits. Their headquarters at Book Building in Chennai houses their office, a physical bookstore, gallery, and residency space. The shop offers over 400 products available globally with free shipping above threshold values.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Books Handmade and traditionally printed books including children's picture books, screenprinted bestiaries, art books, graphic novels, activity books, and innovative book forms (die-cuts, pop-ups, accordion folds) featuring Indian folk and tribal art. Priced from $14.95 to $150.
- Art Prints Art prints produced in multiple techniques including letterpress, risography, and screenprints, featuring artwork from Tara Books publications and collaborations with Indian artists. 136 art print titles available. Priced $11 to $63.
- Cards Handmade cards in tribal and folk art styles, silkscreen-printed on handmade paper, including card boxes, letterpress, offset, risography, and screenprint variants. 123 card designs available, all priced at $6 each.
- Notebooks Notebooks including Flukebooks made from recycled misprints, Zig-Zag accordion notebooks, and Six-Pack punctuation-themed notebooks. Priced from $7.95 to $20.
- Tote Bags Canvas tote bags featuring inspirational text and images from Tara Books publications, silkscreen-printed. Priced at $39 each.
- Art Activity Kits Creative kits such as the Collage & Journal containing paper, textile, and printed matter with notes on collage-making, targeted at children and adults.
- Foreign Rights Licensing Licensing of foreign language rights to international publishing houses. Nearly 60% of titles have had foreign rights sold to around 120 publishing houses worldwide, with titles available in over 20 languages.
Quantifiable outcome
- Nearly 60% of titles have foreign rights sold to 120+ publishers worldwide
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Tara Books
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Tara Books technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature3 records
Tara Books partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Museums and Cultural InstitutionscoreUnusual collaborations with museums and cultural institutions through events, exhibitions and workshops. Regular curation of exhibitions relating to and extending the themes explored in their books.
- Goethe Institut ChennaicoreCollaborated on the Travelling Patterns project exploring traditional patterns with contemporary artists and designers from India and Germany.
- Dakshinachitra Heritage MuseumminorPartnered as exhibition host for the Travelling Patterns project alongside Goethe Institut.
- International DistributorscoreDistribution partners in US, UK, Europe, South East Asia and Australia for their books and stationery products.
- 120 International Publishing HousescoreForeign language rights sold to around 120 publishing houses worldwide, translating and distributing Tara Books titles internationally.
- TERS (Trust for Education and Research)coreA trust created to support research and activities beyond the scope of book projects, including arts, child rights, gender, environment, and language learning.
- Khamir Crafts Resource CentreminorCrafts organization near Bhuj, Gujarat that served as base for photography trips for the Weaving with Compassion book project.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Tara Books competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Enchanted Lion Books: Independent US children's book publisher focused on visually distinctive, culturally diverse, art-driven picture books. Closely matches Tara's positioning as a small, design-forward indie publisher selling illustrated books internationally via rights and specialty distribution.
- Flying Eye Books: Imprint of Nobrow Press publishing high-design, illustrated children's and art books globally. Comparable to Tara in target audience (design-conscious children and art-book buyers), international co-publishing model, and emphasis on distinctive visual storytelling.
- Corraini Edizioni: Independent Italian publisher of illustrated children's books and artist editions with strong international museum and art-world distribution. Mirrors Tara's combination of art publishing, international rights, and museum/cultural collaborations.
- Groundwood Books: Independent children's publisher (House of Anansi) producing diverse, illustrated picture and middle-grade titles. Comparable as a like-sized independent with international rights activity and a catalog of culturally rooted illustrated children's books.
- Tulika Books: Indian independent children's publisher producing multilingual, illustrated picture books. Directly comparable to Tara as an India-based indie with a similar multilingual, multicultural children's catalog and focus on Indian artists and stories.
Broad incumbents
- Phaidon Press: Global publisher of high-quality art, design, photography, and architecture books. Overlaps with Tara's adult art-book segment (Seed, photography and graphic novel titles) at much larger scale and broader retail footprint.
- Chronicle Books: Major US independent publisher of illustrated, design, art, and children's books plus stationery/gifts. Overlaps with Tara's stationery (cards, notebooks, totes) and gift/art-print lines and competes in similar retail channels.
- Tate Publishing: Publishing arm of Tate museums producing art books and exhibition catalogues globally. Comparable to Tara's adult art/photography segment and museum-distribution strategy at much larger institutional scale.
- Eerdmans Books for Young Readers: Children's imprint of Eerdmans Publishing producing illustrated picture and middle-grade books. Comparable to Tara as a publisher with international co-edition activity in the children's illustrated-book market, though at greater scale.
- MOMA Publications: Publishing program of The Museum of Modern Art producing high-quality art, design, and children's books. Overlaps with Tara's adult illustrated art-book segment and museum-based distribution approach.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Tara Books social profiles
Digital presenceTara Books financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Tara Books leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Tara Books funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Tara Books M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Tara Books
What does Tara Books do?
Tara Books is an independent publishing house that designs, produces, and sells handmade screenprinted books featuring Indian folk and tribal art, along with a complementary stationery line of art prints, cards, notebooks, tote bags, and art activity kits. The company operates an in-house bookmaking workshop with 25 artisans that produces books from paper to binding, and distributes titles through its own e-commerce site, domestic and international bookstores, and foreign rights licensing to publishers worldwide.
Is Tara Books a public or private company?
Tara Books is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Tara Books founded?
Tara Books was founded in 1994. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Tara Books based?
Tara Books is headquartered in Chennai, India, in the Asia region.
How does Tara Books make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Book Sales are the primary driver. The others are art Prints and Stationery, foreign Rights Licensing and art Activity Kits.
Who are Tara Books's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Enchanted Lion Books, Flying Eye Books, Corraini Edizioni, Groundwood Books and Tulika Books. Broad incumbents are Phaidon Press, Chronicle Books, Tate Publishing, Eerdmans Books for Young Readers and MOMA Publications.
Does Tara Books have an API?
No public API is recorded for Tara Books.
What industry is Tara Books in?
Tara Books's product category is Independent Book Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAAAC, Literary & Classics Publishing, with a secondary code of MPAJANAC, Children’s Book Print-on-Demand (Picture Books, Early Readers, YA). Its NAICS code is 513130 and its SIC code is 2731.