What Simon & Schuster India does

Simon & Schuster India is the regional Indian arm of Simon & Schuster, a US publishing house founded in 1924 and acquired by private equity firm KKR in 2024. The entity operates simonandschuster.co.in, an online bookstore and catalog platform serving Indian consumers, alongside a localized S&S India imprint that commissions Indian-authored titles such as 'All That's Left Behind' by Aditya Tiwari and 'India's Paralympic Revolution' by Boria Majumdar.

The catalog spans fiction, non-fiction, children's/YA, manga, business, health, and social sciences categories, drawing on the parent's global author portfolio (Fredrik Backman, Bob Mortimer, David Pogue, Stacey McEwan) as well as locally produced content. Titles are distributed in hardcover, paperback, trade paperback, and eBook formats through Amazon India, Flipkart, and Crosswords physical bookstores, with pricing in Indian Rupees ranging from ₹150 to ₹4,999. The operation is supported by a lean team of 9 employees based in Noida.

Revenue is generated through one-time unit sales of physical and digital books under a sales-led, B2C go-to-market model. The entity functions primarily as a regional marketing, catalog curation, and imprint coordination node within the broader Simon & Schuster global network (which also operates sister sites in Australia, Canada, the UK, and the US), rather than as a full-stack local publisher with proprietary technology or AI capabilities.

Name

Simon & Schuster India

Legal name

Simon & Schuster, LLC

Website

https://simonandschuster.co.in

Company type

Private

Founded year

1924

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Simon & Schuster India is the regional Indian publishing and online retail arm of US-based Simon & Schuster (now KKR-owned), distributing thousands of English-language titles across fiction, non-fiction, children's, and manga to Indian consumers via Amazon India, Flipkart, Crosswords, and its own storefront.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Book Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

General Trade Publishing (Adult Fiction & Nonfiction) (MPAJAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Children’s Subscription & Book Club Publishing (MPAJAFAO), E-book Retail & Reading Platforms (Stores, Apps, Devices) (MPAJAMAA), Genre & Category Publishing (Romance, Mystery/Thriller, Sci‑Fi/Fantasy, etc.) (MPAJAAAB)

Keywords

• Book publishing
• Trade book distribution
• Children's literature
• Manga publishing
• Ebook sales

Headquarters

HQ city

Not specified

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Book Sales: Revenue generated from selling published books through retail channels including online marketplaces (Amazon India, Flipkart), physical retail stores, and direct website sales. Books are sold in multiple formats including hardcover, paperback, eBook, and trade paperback.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Simon & Schuster India publishes and sells books for the Indian market across fiction, non-fiction, children's/YA, manga, biography, health, business, and social sciences categories. Books are made available in hardcover, paperback, trade paperback, and eBook formats through a localized Indian website, the S&S India imprint for local authors, and major Indian retail channels (Amazon India, Flipkart, Crosswords).

Product overview

Simon & Schuster India operates as a book publishing and retail company offering a comprehensive online bookstore platform. The core offering is the Simon & Schuster India Bookstore, which distributes physical and digital books across multiple categories (fiction, non-fiction, children's/YA, manga, health, business, lifestyle, and social sciences) through various imprints including the S&S India Imprint for localized Indian content. Additional products include the Author Directory for discovering writers, a Newsletter Service for reader engagement, themed reading initiatives like the Pride Month Reading Challenge, and downloadable India Catalogue. The company also publishes notable titles such as Fredrik Backman's 'My Friends' (Goodreads' most anticipated 2025 novel and NYT bestseller) and manages popular manga and graphic novel series.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Simon & Schuster India Bookstore Online retail platform offering Simon & Schuster books to Indian consumers across fiction, non-fiction, children's, manga, biography, health, business, and social sciences in hardcover, paperback, trade paperback, and eBook formats.

Segments3 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.

• Archway PublishingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerArchway Publishing is referenced as a partner for self-publishing referrals from the Simon & Schuster India website. The relationship involves referrals from the S&S India site to Archway Publishing's self-publishing services (guide.archwaypublishing.com), suggesting a lead-referral arrangement for authors seeking self-publishing options.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Westland Books: Indian trade publisher (formerly part of the Amazon group) known for publishing Indian literary and commercial fiction. A direct domestic competitor to S&S India's English-language trade and children's publishing in India.
• Jaico Publishing House: Long-established Indian publisher with broad trade, self-help, business, and children's lists. A local incumbent competing for the same Indian consumer segments, retailer relationships, and author pool as S&S India.
• HarperCollins India: Major international publisher with a strong Indian subsidiary publishing across trade fiction, non-fiction, and children's categories. Directly comparable to S&S India as a foreign-owned trade publisher with a localized Indian imprint and India-specific catalog.
• Hachette India: Indian arm of the global Hachette Book Group, publishing general trade, business, and children's titles. Closely comparable to S&S India in operating model: international parent's titles distributed in India alongside locally commissioned content.
• Penguin Random House India: One of the largest English-language trade publishers in India and the most direct competitor to Simon & Schuster India, operating a similar multi-genre trade catalog (fiction, non-fiction, children's), local Indian author imprint, and distribution through Amazon India, Flipkart, and physical retail.
• Rupa Publications: One of India's largest and oldest domestic trade publishers, with deep local author relationships and a strong presence in paperback fiction and non-fiction. A key local incumbent that competes with S&S India for Indian authors and retail shelf space.
• Macmillan Publishers India: Indian presence of another 'Big Five' publisher, with both trade and educational publishing in India. Comparable as a foreign-owned trade and educational publisher competing for shelf space, author talent, and digital distribution in the Indian market.

Emerging players

• Juggernaut Books: India-focused digital-first publisher offering eBooks and audiobooks via a proprietary app and subscription product. Comparable to S&S India as a trade publisher but differentiated by a native digital reading platform — highlighting a capability S&S India lacks.

Regional players

• Pratham Books: India-focused children's publisher with a large catalog of affordable, multi-language kids titles. Comparable to S&S India's children's/YA category (1,315+ titles) but differentiated by a non-profit, India-only, multilingual mission and pricing model.

Others

• Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing India: Self-publishing platform operated by Amazon India. While not a direct peer as a publisher, KDP is a structural threat and substitute to S&S India's traditional publishing model, and Amazon India is simultaneously its largest retail channel.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/simon-and-schuster-india

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 Simon & Schuster India