book packaging and custom publishing

With a vast experience of publishing nearly 300 titles on the visual arts of India, we have offered our expertise to publishers and other agencies who are interested in developing a book in these subject areas. Our access to a large pool of creative people and the ability to provide complete project management from inception to finished book gives us an edge in the industry. Mapin’s editorial, design and production facilities ensures quality and on-time delivery of projects.

As part of project management, we offer:

We provide custom publishing services to document and publish a personal, corporate or museum collection of Indian art and cultural objects. Our team comes on board in the early stages of the project and navigates it to fruition. Mapin also offers worldwide marketing services for custom published books. Contact us for details.

publishing: manuscript submission

Mapin Publishing is one of India’s finest publishers of quality illustrated books on Indian art, culture and literature. Established in 1984, Mapin publishes books across a broad range of subjects including architecture, photography, history, crafts, design and catalogues for exhibitions and museum collections, as well as research studies and monographs for the academic market. We have also ventured into publishing children’s books recently. Under our imprint, MapinLit, we publish English-language fiction (novels, novellas and short stories), poetry, biographies, reference books, memoirs, general and narrative non-fiction.

If you are a prospective author, please send us a proposal to initiate a discussion with us.

A book proposal sent to us should contain:

• Curriculum vitae of the author
• The rationale behind the book, its themes, objectives and a detailed synopsis
• The proposed contents of the book with a paragraph of explanation on what you intend to cover in each chapter and the estimated length of the entire manuscript (word count)
• One or two sample chapters.
• An estimated number of the images you intend to use [if your proposal is for our art list]
• Any supplementary multimedia products that would enhance the book’s marketability
• A description of the target market
• A list of similar or major competing books in the field

Please note:
Mapin’s publishing programme is based on Indian art and culture, and themes that are grounded in our cultural experience, including the shared cultural heritage of all of South Asia. Please submit only those proposals that are clearly aligned with the focus of our programme. Our current list of titles serve as a good indicator for the subjects that interest us. You could also look at the list of categories that appear on our home page for a better understanding. We are happy to discuss any new ideas and concepts to create visually stunning books.

We discourage prospective authors from sending us unsolicited manuscripts, images or similar materials. Mapin is not responsible for safe-keeping or returning any such items. It would be best to consult the editorial team before sending anything other than the proposal at the first instance.

co-publishing services

Mapin works with internationally known art book publishers and museums to collaborate and produce illustrated books on India. As collaborators with international publishers, Mapin ensures that some of the best books published on Indian subjects, authored by renowned scholars, are made available in India and South Asia.

 Books and Exhibition catalogues produced by Mapin for Galleries and Museums:

• Silver and Gold: The Amrapali Collection of Indian Jewellery, 2023 (Forthcoming)
• Crafting Culture: The Amrapali Collection of Indian Decorative Arts, 2023 (Forthcoming)
• Paper Trails: Modern Indian Works on Paper from the Gaur Collection, Oct. 2022 (Forthcoming)
• The Planetary King, Nov. 2022 (Forthcoming)

rights information license

Rights Information

Publishers seeking to license our books for other markets can browse through the titles for which rights are available currently. This website also maintains a separate list of titles for which only limited rights are available with Mapin. Please contact us for further information