Global conglomerate and online shopping giant Amazon is set to close its publishing house Westland Books, the company announced on Tuesday, February 1. Westland was acquired by the Indian arm of Amazon in 2017, and is reportedly one of the country’s biggest English-language trade publishers. Westland is known for its portfolio of books, carrying both popular fiction such as bestselling authors Chetan Bhagat and Amish Tripathi, as well as well-regarded and praised works of narrative nonfiction.
“After a thorough review, we have made the difficult decision to no longer operate Westland. We are working closely with the employees, authors, agents, and distribution partners on this transition and we remain committed to innovating for customers in India,” an Amazon spokesperson said in a statement. The reason for the shutdown was not immediately known.
Westland was previously known as East West Books before it was bought in 2016 by Amazon from Trent Ltd, a Tata group subsidiary. Westland had been a part of its global operations under Amazon Publishing. The current publisher is Karthika VK.
Other authors who have published books under Westland’s banner include Rujuta Diwekar, Devdutt Pattanaik, Manu Pillai and Harsha Bhogle. Recent works include Lady Doctors by Kavita Rao, Despite the State by S Rajshekhar, The New BJP by Nalin Mehta, Whole Numbers and Half Truths by Rukmini S and The Silent Coup by Josy Joseph. Westland had its own imprints, including Context, Eka, Tranquebar and Westland.
Terrible news: Amazon to shut down publishing house Westland Books. Here are some of their most outstanding and hard-hitting non fiction books to come out in recent times. Read pic.twitter.com/juY7GKxpxO
— Jairaj Singh (@JairajSinghR) February 1, 2022
The fate of unpublished books under development at Westland is not immediately known, and it is unclear whether existing books will continue to be in print.
Many in the literary and publishing world reacted with dismay following the news.
“Deeply troubling that a successful venture can be shut down this way from above, for god knows what reasons,” author Manu Pillai said.
Rotten news. @karthikavk and team have run a great publishing house with a strong list of books. It has been a pleasure to work with Westland. Deeply troubling that a successful venture can be shut down this way from above, for god knows what reasons. https://t.co/3XQpiPX4b3
— Manu S Pillai (@UnamPillai) February 1, 2022
Westland is my publisher and did so much for me, taking a chance on a non-celeb author. The editors are the best in India and they brought out the best and most hardhitting non-fiction you will see on the shelves.
— Kavitha Rao (@kavitharao) February 1, 2022
“Shocked to hear and this is a terrible blow to publishing in India @WestlandBooks and @
Shocked to hear and this is a terrible blow to publishing in India @WestlandBooks and @karthikavk have published some amazing books and done stellar work. This decision is unfathomable and my heart goes out to @karthikavk and her wonderful team. Seriously @amazon -bizarre totally https://t.co/spytwp31W1
— Nalin Mehta (@nalinmehta) February 1, 2022
“Sad about Westland's possible closing. Hope they manage to find private investors and get out of Am*zon's clutches,” author Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan said.
Sad about Westland's possible closing. Hope they manage to find private investors and get out of Am*zon's clutches. With such a great list (including my short story collection *ahem*) it would be a shame to see them fold.
— Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan (@reddymadhavan) February 1, 2022
Feel terrible about @WestlandBooks shutting down . A huge blow for publishing in India. 6 of my books incldg #ahundredlittleflames, #secretwishlist are with them.Hard to imagine a different home for them. Have some amazing memories with the westland team. Deeply saddened
— Preeti Shenoy (@preetishenoy) February 1, 2022
I’m devastated for everyone working here.
— (@Aparna) February 1, 2022
My friends & colleagues who put heart & soul into every book, every author.
Publishing giants @karthikavk
And @ajithags & the many other incredibly warm and professional folk. https://t.co/nIk67xrmkl