New Delhi, 2 September 2025: Penguin Random House India today announced a strategic investment in Maple Press, one of India’s fastest-growing children’s publishing companies. This partnership underscores Penguin’s commitment to nurturing entrepreneurial talent in the publishing sector and expanding its footprint in the fast-evolving children’s books market.
Founded with a vision to make high-quality, affordable books accessible to young readers across India, Maple Press has built an impressive catalogue that blends engaging storytelling with educational value. With this investment, Penguin Random House India aims to support Maple Press in scaling its reach, accelerating innovation in formats and distribution, and deepening its impact on the reading journeys of millions of children.
“Children’s publishing in India is at an exciting inflection point,” said Gaurav Shrinagesh, CEO, Penguin Random House India, SEA & MENA. “Our investment in Maple Press is a vote of confidence in entrepreneurs who are passionate about stories, learning, and nurturing the next generation of readers. We’re proud to support Maple’s entrepreneurial vision and bring together our creative strengths to offer more books, better access, and richer experiences for India’s youngest readers.”
This collaboration will also create opportunities for shared expertise in editorial development, marketing, and distribution, while preserving Maple Press’s independent spirit and creative vision.
Saurabh Mittal, Director of Maple Press, says, ‘We are delighted to welcome Penguin Random House India on board as a strategic partner in our journey. Together, we look forward to creating meaningful new avenues of engaging with young readers across India and beyond. This pivotal partnership marks a significant milestone, strengthening our shared commitment to advancing literacy and purposeful publishing.’
This strategic move reflects a growing recognition of children’s publishing as one of the most dynamic segments of the Indian book industry—driven by rising literacy rates, increasing parental investment in early learning, and a burgeoning appetite for diverse, quality content.
Independent financing advisories, IMAP India and Aarayaa CFI-India, were instrumental in coordinating this strategic investment.
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About Penguin Random House India
Penguin Random House India is the country’s leading trade publisher, publishing over 450 new titles every year and managing a diverse backlist of more than 3,500 books. Our publishing spans literary and commercial fiction, non-fiction, and children’s books — from politics, history, memoir, and business to health, self-help, cookery, and culture.
We are home to some of India’s and the world’s most celebrated voices — including winners of the Nobel Prize, Booker Prize, Jnanpith Award, and Sahitya Akademi Award. Several of our authors have also been honoured with the Bharat Ratna and Padma Vibhushan, reflecting the influence of their work in literature and public life.
Penguin Random House India also serves as the exclusive distribution partner for several major international and local publishers, bringing books to readers across India and the subcontinent.
About Maple Press
Maple Press is India’s leading children’s book publisher with over 2000 titles in the catalogue that include timeless classics, storybooks, biographies, and early learning books in English and Hindi languages.
The company, led by Pragya Mittal, Poonam Mittal and Saurabh Mittal, works with 300+ distributors and retailers across India and overseas, selling over 10 million books annually. In recent months, Maple Press has also introduced children’s books in regional Indian languages like Marathi, Tamil, Gujarati, Kannada, Bengali and Malayalam.
Maple Press also partners with various NGOs and supplies books to organisations like Samagra Shiksha, Special Olympics Bharat, Reliance Foundation and HCL Foundation to help support literacy initiatives and promote reading in India.
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