Instituted by Publishing Next – which promotes discussion and networking within the book publishing sector – the annual Publishing Next Industry Awards celebrate innovation and leadership in the pan-Indian book trade. It recognises publishers of all sizes and in all Indian languages.

Kalachuvadu Publications won Publisher of the Year – for the first time being 2018. The Bookstore of the Year – the only prize in the country for independent bookshops – was not announced this year owing to an insufficient number of entries.

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Leonard Fernandes, co-founder of Publishing Next, said that “the fact that these Awards have been presented consecutively for 10 years now, and in a wide array of categories, speaks to both, the respect the awards have garnered from the publishing community as well as its commitment towards continuously encouraging publishing excellence.”

Here is the list of the winners and the runners-up:

Editor of the Year

  • Winner: Sayantan Ghosh, Simon and Schuster India

  • Runner-up: Ishita Gupta, Yoda Press

Illustrator of the Year

  • Winner: Shubham Lakhera

  • Runner-up: Suha Riyaz Khopatkar

Book Cover of the Year (children’s books)

  • Winner: The Vanguards of Azad Hind, designed by Mohith O

  • Runner-up: Abanindranath’s House of Stories, designed by Rohina Thapar

Book Cover of the Year (Indian languages)

  • Winner: Kere Dada, designed by Sudhakar Darbe

  • Runner-up: Krantikari: Bharat ke Swatantrata Sangram ki Ek Alag Kahani, designed by Wasim Helal and Nikheel Aphale

Book Cover of the Year (English)

  • Winner: The Keepers of Knowledge: Writings from Mizoram, designed by Nori Norbhu

  • Runner up: Dust on the Throne: The Search for Buddhism in Modern India, designed by Akila Seshasayee

Children’s Book of the Year (for ages 0-8)

  • Winner: Who’s Afraid of Z? Not Me!, Lubaina Bandukwala

  • Runner-up: The Girl Who Loved Words: Mahesweta Devi, Lavanya Karthik

Children’s Book of the year (8+ years)

  • Winner: Our Beautiful World, Bibek Bhattacharya

  • Runner-up: Lost in Translation, Jyoti Sinholi

Printed Book of the Year (Indian languages)

  • Winner: Mera Business Meri Kahani, Vishwajoyoti Ghosh, Shrutika Mathur, and Nishtha Vadehra

  • Runner-up: Zindagi Kaise Jiyein, Ruskin Bond, translated by DK Gupta

Printed Book of the Year (Art, Illustration and Photography)

  • Winner: Paachakam: Heritage Cuisine of Kerala, Sabita Radhakrishna

  • Runner-up: Meera Mukherjee: Breaking Moulds, Vaishali Shroff

Printed Book of the Year (English)

  • Winner: Marginlands, Arati Kumar-Rao

  • Runner-up: Independence, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Publisher of the Year

  • Winner: Kalachuvadu Publications

  • Runner-up: Yoda Press