Roots & Shoots

What Roots & Shoots does

Roots & Shoots is a New Delhi-based custom publishing house specializing in bespoke, limited edition coffee table books for high-net-worth individuals, royal families, corporations, apex institutions, and government bodies. Founded in 2014 by Sanjay Sethi, the company operates as a wholly-owned Strategic Business Unit of Matrix Publishers, an Indian custom publishing group Sethi established in 2010. Its core offering is end-to-end custom publishing services spanning concept ideation, content research and writing, photography, editorial work, layout and design, offset and digital printing, binding, packaging, and worldwide doorstep delivery. Each project is quote-based and tailored to client specifications, with the company positioning limited edition books as strategic instruments for brand building, image management, and corporate communications rather than as reading material.

The company's commercial offering spans Limited Edition Coffee Table Books (the premium, high-touch core product), a secondary digital 'Pigital Books' line sold through its Shopify-powered e-commerce storefront, a dedicated Corporate Gifting service for VIP client gifting, and end-to-end custom publishing services including multilingual content creation and Digital Asset Management. Go-to-market combines direct enterprise sales (consultative, relationship-driven outreach to HNW and institutional buyers) with a DTC e-commerce channel for digital titles. Distribution is global, with the company claiming clients across the Subcontinent, Europe, and America. Marketing is driven primarily by earned media (THE WEEK, PITCH Magazine, The Tribune) and high-prestige book launches attended by the Prime Minister, the Chief Justice of India, and senior government and business figures.

Roots & Shoots is founder-led, with Sanjay Sethi serving as the central driving force after 28 years in senior executive roles at global brands including Wolters Kluwer, Macmillan, Sony Pictures, Times Group, Addison Wesley, and McGraw-Hill. The company has no disclosed external funding, operates with 11-50 employees, and has no proprietary technology platform beyond standard e-commerce and design tooling. Its competitive position rests on reputational capital, founder network access to elite institutional clients, and demonstrated category-creating positioning in the Indian limited edition coffee table book market.

Name

Roots & Shoots

Legal name

Roots & Shoots

Website

https://rootsandshoots.co.in

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Roots & Shoots is a New Delhi-based custom publisher of bespoke limited edition coffee table books for high-net-worth individuals, families, corporations, apex institutions, and government bodies, operating as a wholly-owned SBU of Matrix Publishers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Custom Book Publishing Services

NAICS

Book Publishers (51313), Book Publishers (513130)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Self-Publishing & Author Platforms (BPAMAJAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cover Design, Illustration & Book Interior Design Services (MPAJAJAH), Editorial & Production Services (Copyediting, Proofreading, Formatting, Typesetting) (MPAJAJAG), Author Website, Storefront & Direct-to-Reader Commerce (D2C Sales) (MPAJAJAE), Author Marketing, PR & Launch Services (Ads, Book Tours, Influencers) (MPAJAJAL), Manuscript Development Services (Coaching, Developmental Editing) (MPAJAJAF)

Keywords

• Custom book publishing
• Limited edition books
• Coffee table books
• Bespoke publishing services
• Digital book publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

New Delhi

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Limited Edition Coffee Table Books: Roots & Shoots specializes in creating bespoke, limited edition coffee table books for discerning individuals, families, businesses, and institutions. These are custom publications priced as premium one-time purchases, serving as tools for brand building, image management, and strategic communication. The company also publishes regular digital books (Pigital Books) available for purchase through the website.
2. Publishing Services: Comprehensive suite of publishing services including concept ideation, content research, writing, photography, editorial services, layout design, offset/digital printing, binding, innovative packaging, and worldwide doorstep delivery. These services are bundled into custom publishing packages for clients.
3. Corporate Gifting: Premium corporate gifting services where Roots & Shoots books are gifted to VIP clients and for important events. This B2B revenue stream targets corporate clients seeking luxury gifts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Roots & Shoots is a custom book publisher that conceives, curates, designs, prints and publishes limited edition coffee table books and Pigital Books (digital books in ebook and paperback formats) for discerning individuals, families, corporations, institutions, and government bodies. Offerings span pictorial biographies, genealogy and family histories, brand biographies, institutional showcases, and commemorative publications. The company provides bundled end-to-end publishing services from ideation, research, writing, photography, editorial, layout and design through offset/digital printing, binding, packaging, and worldwide delivery.

Product overview

Roots & Shoots is India\'s market-leading curator and publisher of customized and limited-edition coffee table books, operating as a wholly-owned SBU of Matrix Publishers. The company\'s core offerings include Limited Edition Coffee Table Books (luxury customized publications for individuals, families, businesses, and institutions) and Pigital Books (digital books in ebook and paperback formats). The product portfolio spans diverse subjects including pictorial autobiographies (I Did It My Way, Lalit Bhasin), travel chronicles (The Tireless Traveler, Wandering Hermit), institutional showcases (Society of Indian Law Firms, Blood Bank Society Chandigarh), cultural heritage (Indian Calligraphy, Vedas), sports history (The Illustrated History of Indian Hockey), corporate publications (Sustainable Innovations in Corporate India, Millennium Alliance for FICCI), and self-help/general interest titles (The Mind of a Leader, Mind Illusions). Supporting services include custom publishing consulting, corporate gifting, and end-to-end book production from concept ideation to worldwide delivery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Limited Edition Coffee Table Books Bespoke, customized limited edition coffee table books serving as exclusive platforms to showcase personal and professional aspirations, achievements, and legacies for discerning individuals, families, businesses, institutions, and organizations. Each book is fully custom-built with multilingual content, premium materials, and innovative packaging.
• Pigital Books

Named customers11 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 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.

• Matrix PublisherscoreOthersRoots & Shoots is a wholly owned Strategic Business Unit (SBU) of Matrix Publishers, India's Most-Trusted Custom Publisher across Academic, Professional, Institutional, Corporate, Luxury & Lifestyle Markets. Matrix Publishers launched by Founder Sanjay Sethi in 2010, with all imprints including Roots & Shoots, Matrix Publishers (Academic & Professional Books), and green chillies and lime (Fiction & Non-Fiction Books) enjoying an enviable global clientele.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Blurb: Global self-publishing and custom book platform enabling individuals and professionals to create premium photo and coffee table books. Comparable in the custom premium book creation category.
• Wisdom Tree: India-based lifestyle, self-help, and premium trade publisher working with high-profile Indian authors. Comparable in author-services-led publishing and brand-driven titles.
• Artifact Uprising: US-based premium custom photo-book and print brand serving design-conscious consumers and gifting occasions. Comparable as a premium, brand-led custom book business in the global market.
• Hay House India: Indian arm of lifestyle/self-help publisher producing premium author-led books and brand-driven publications. Comparable in author-services and high-profile author publishing.
• Blaft Publications: India-based independent publisher producing unusual, design-led, limited-run print editions in India. Comparable niche positioning and small-batch bespoke production model.
• Tara Books: India-based independent book publisher known for high-quality, design-forward, often hand-bound limited-edition art books. Comparable to Roots & Shoots as a premium India-focused publisher targeting collectors and design-conscious buyers.
• Niyogi Books: India-based publisher producing premium illustrated, coffee table, and lifestyle titles for the Indian and international market. Comparable target customer and product aesthetic to Roots & Shoots.
• Roli Books: India-based publisher specializing in illustrated, premium coffee table and lifestyle books across architecture, design, culture, and history. Closely comparable to Roots & Shoots in the India premium illustrated book segment.

Broad incumbents

• Penguin Random House India: Largest trade publisher in India, operating across fiction, non-fiction, and illustrated titles. A broad incumbent in Indian publishing but does not offer bespoke custom publishing services like Roots & Shoots.
• Rupa Publications: Major Indian trade publisher with broad catalog across genres. A broad incumbent operating in Indian book publishing but without the bespoke luxury custom offering.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Roots & Shoots