Is Pratilipi’s Future In Physical Books?

19 Jun 2026, 03:14 by Lokesh Choudhary · Inc42

SUMMARY

After acquiring Westland Books from Amazon in 2022, the publishing business grew from less than ₹1 Cr monthly revenue to over ₹13 Cr, making it Pratilipi’s second-largest revenue stream today
Revenue grew from ₹35 Cr in FY23 to an expected ₹188 Cr in FY26, while losses have stablised
Instead of competing with Amazon, JioHotstar and other well-funded players, it creates and licenses content based on its story catalogue

Added to Saved Stories in Login

How often does a digital media startup buy a publishing house? And even if it does, does this tech startup, with its engineers and product managers, ever truly think that its future will lie in physical books?

Even as the whole world seems to want to pay for microdramas, Pratilipi’s biggest moat might well be its acquisition of Westland Books from Amazon in 2022.

Since then Westland has become the second largest revenue contributor for the startup, which began life as a platform where Indians could post online stories in their regional languages.