KAYA Press

What KAYA Press does

KAYA Press is an independent, nonprofit literary publisher founded in 1994 and institutionally housed at the University of Southern California. It publishes fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and translation from authors of Asian and Pacific Islander diaspora, with a stated mission of recovering and amplifying voices historically excluded from mainstream English-language publishing. The catalog functions as both a commercial backlist and a reference corpus frequently adopted in university Asian American studies curricula.

The press operates through multiple specialized imprints and partnerships that segment its catalog by sub-community: Kulhar Books targets South Asian diasporic literature, Milkteeth Books supports next-generation BIPOC editors, and the Ink & Blood imprint is a joint venture with the Diasporic Vietnamese Artists Network (DVAN). A distribution arrangement with Penguin Classics places selected titles in mainstream trade retail, and the press has begun expanding beyond physical book sales into online programming via the Creative Contagion workshop series.

The business model blends three revenue streams: book sales at retail prices roughly between $11.95 and $22.95, philanthropic donations, and competitive grants from federal and state arts agencies. In 2025, cuts to federal arts funding triggered an existential funding crisis, prompting public emergency fundraising campaigns with targets in the $70,000–$200,000 range. Headcount is minimal — the organization reportedly contracted to a single full-time employee at its most constrained point — underscoring that operations are operating on a low-six-figure annual budget.

Name

KAYA Press

Legal name

Kaya Press

Website

https://kaya.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Independent nonprofit publisher founded in 1994 and based at USC, producing fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and translation from Asian and Pacific Islander diaspora authors, serving academic and general readers through specialty imprints and grant-supported operations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent Literary Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Genre & Category Publishing (Romance, Mystery/Thriller, Sci‑Fi/Fantasy, etc.) (MPAJAAAB)

Keywords

• Independent literary publishing
• Asian diasporic literature
• Nonprofit book publisher
• Literary imprint program
• Online writing workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Book Sales: Sales of published books across multiple genres including fiction, poetry, non-fiction, and performance. Books are sold directly through PayPal on the website and through distribution partners including Penguin-Random House for select titles.
2. Donations and Fundraising: As a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Kaya Press relies on tax-deductible donations from supporters. The press has launched emergency fundraising campaigns ($70,000 target to maintain operations through March, $140,000 to hire Associate Editors full-time, $200,000 for full 2026 runway).
3. Subscriptions: Sustaining subscriber packages offered, including a 25th anniversary sustaining subscriber package for ongoing support.
4. Workshop Fees: Revenue from Creative Contagion online writing workshops, offered at a sliding fee scale.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Kaya Press is an independent nonprofit publisher that produces and distributes books of Asian and Pacific Islander diasporic literature—including experimental poetry, noir fiction, film memoir, avant-garde art, performance pieces, and reprints of overlooked novels—across five specialized imprints. It also runs the Creative Contagion online writing workshop series on Zoom. Operations are housed at USC's Department of American Studies and Ethnicity in Los Angeles.

Product overview

KAYA Press is an independent publisher of Asian Pacific Diasporic literature, founded in 1994 and housed at USC. The company operates a portfolio of publishing imprints (Short Peace for Japanese literature, Ink & Blood for Southeast Asian literature in partnership with DVAN, Kulhar Books for South Asian literature, and Magpie for Korean literature) alongside its general publication program. Additional initiatives include Milkteeth Books for experimental BIPOC editor training and Creative Contagion, an online writing workshop series. The publisher's list encompasses experimental poetry, noir fiction, film memoir, avant-garde art, performance pieces, and 'lost' novels.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Short Peace: An imprint of Japanese literature
• Ink & Blood
• Kulhar Books
• Magpie Imprint
• Milkteeth Books

Products and services

• Short Peace An imprint of Kaya Press dedicated to Japanese literature, focusing on specific locations and genres within Japanese literary production.
• Ink & Blood A joint imprint with the Diasporic Vietnamese Artists Network (DVAN) dedicated to Southeast Asian literature, bringing Vietnamese literary voices from across the globe to English readers.
• Kulhar Books An imprint of Kaya Press dedicated to South Asian literature, the first South Asian-focused imprint in the press's portfolio.
• Magpie Imprint An imprint of Kaya Press dedicated to modern and contemporary Korean literature.
• Milkteeth Books A Next-Gen Editors program supporting experimental manuscripts from BIPOC editors, training an emerging generation of editors at Kaya Press.
• Creative Contagion Kaya Press's first online writing workshop series featuring Kaya writers, translators, and editors. Open to writers of all experience levels and offered on a sliding fee scale via Zoom.
• Kaya Press General Publications General book publications including fiction, poetry, non-fiction, performance pieces, and film memoir from Asian and Pacific Islander diasporic writers; catalog includes experimental poetry, noir fiction, avant-garde art, and 'lost' novels.

Quantifiable outcome

• Books have become cornerstone texts in American Studies and Asian American Studies curricula at major universities throughout the country

Named customers3 records

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

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and SciencescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKaya Press is under the academic auspices of USC's Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, housed in the Department of American Studies and Ethnicity. This provides institutional support and academic connections.
• Diasporic Vietnamese Artists Network (DVAN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint imprint Ink & Blood with DVAN aims to bring Vietnamese literary voices from across the globe to English readers. First publication was The Girl Before Her by Line Papin.
• Penguin ClassicsmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKaya's classic publications of East Goes West by Younghill Kang and The Hanging on Union Square by H.T. Tsiang have been republished as Penguin Classics.
• KundimanminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaborative literary organization partnership for readings, events, and joint programming including #LitinColor readings.
• Asian American Writers Workshop (AAWW)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for literary events and collaborative programming including AWP events and book festivals.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Tin House Books: Independent literary press publishing fiction, poetry, and nonfiction with editorial innovation. Shares Kaya's small-press literary focus on thoughtful, experimental, and underrepresented voices.
• Coffee House Press: Independent nonprofit publisher of fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction from innovative voices. Comparable nonprofit literary press with a similar award-winning catalog and small-team operational model.
• Graywolf Press: Independent nonprofit literary publisher of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction from diverse, often experimental voices. Highly comparable to Kaya as a small, award-winning literary nonprofit press focused on underrepresented literary traditions.
• Akashic Books: Independent publisher known for noir fiction and global Black and diasporic literature. Overlaps with Kaya on diasporic/niche literary fiction and a small-press, mission-driven model.
• Copper Canyon Press: Leading independent poetry publisher with a large backlist of diverse international poets. Closely comparable to Kaya's poetry-heavy catalog and small-press identity.
• Archipelago Books: Nonprofit literary press focused on translated world literature and experimental prose. Comparable to Kaya on curating diasporic/transnational literature in English translation with a small-team nonprofit structure.

Broad incumbents

• Penguin Classics: Major trade publisher that republished Kaya titles (East Goes West, The Hanging on Union Square) as Penguin Classics. Relevant as both a commercial distribution channel and broader-market benchmark for diaspora literature.
• Penguin Random House: Distributor for select Kaya titles. Comparable only in distribution relationship rather than direct publishing competition; relevant as the incumbent trade channel Kaya relies on.
• One World (Random House): Random House imprint focused on writers of color and diverse literary voices. Overlaps with Kaya's mission in Asian and diasporic publishing but at much larger trade scale.

Others

• Small Press Distribution: Nonprofit distributor serving hundreds of independent literary presses; the practical analog of Kaya's Penguin-Random House channel for peer presses and a comparator for distribution scale challenges.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/kayapress
• Instagraminstagram.com/kayapress
• Facebookfacebook.com/kayapress
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kaya-press

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries5 records

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 KAYA Press