27th September 2021: Pratilipi, India’s largest digital literature platform, has acquired The Write Order, the largest anthologies publishers in India. The acquisition will assist Pratilipi broaden its reach across numerous categories, having developed in-house web series and audiobooks, Pratilipi now offers a fully functional publishing arm which will help support their writers see their work published in print.
Established in 2017, The Write Order has published books by over 150 solo authors and following the acquisition by Pratilipi in January 2021 they have witnessed a 10 fold growth in revenue and 500 fold increase in author acquisition. Since the acquisition, Pratilipi has published 13 books with The Write Order including 7 Hindi and 6 Gujarati – all of which are available on Amazon and through offline distributors.
Commenting on the acquisition, Ranjeet Pratap Singh, co-founder, Pratilipi said, “Pratilipi was founded with the mission to build a vibrant community of Indian language writers and readers. We have committed ourselves ever since our foundation to offer aspiring writers an accessible platform for publishing their work while simultaneously establishing a dynamic forum for readers to interact in meaningful ways with content and one another. Every writer’s dream is to be published in print, and we’re thrilled to be able to help make that a reality with this acquisition.”
The 13 books highlight the genres of romance, suspense, and thriller, which have built a massive audience following on Pratilipi. Pratilipi are delighted that 12 of these 13 authors have been published for the first time. This includes Anku Thakur, a 25-year-old Master’s student from Himachal Pradesh, who began reading stories on the Pratilipi app before she started writing suspense stories on Pratilipi. Nidhi Vyas, an engineer by profession but a writer at heart, joined Pratilipi in 2019 to pursue her incessant love for storytelling. Her book ‘Safar’ depicts the day to day struggles of women in Indian society. Seema joined Pratilipi in 2017 to deepen her passion for reading and writing, she attributes her success to her readers who have played an instrumental role in elevating her self-confidence. Her book ‘Prem Ek Ehsaas’ – a contemporary romance novel explores the different perspectives and layers to love.
Since its inception, the self-publishing community has encouraged novice and established writers from diverse backgrounds to explore their love for storytelling giving users access to a large and engaged audience. The acquisition of the Write Order is a key step towards Pratilipi’s vision to democratize story-telling across languages and explore newer formats and reach new audiences. Some of the leading stories from pratilipi have also been adapted to various other formats including comics, audiobooks, animations and even web series.
The acquisition of The Write Orders follows a period of expansion for Pratilipi who have launched several verticals within the brand, including — Pratilipi Comics, and Pratilipi FM along with the acquisition of IVM Podcasts further amplifying their visibility in the storytelling space.
Niket Raj Dwivedi, Business Head, The Write order commented “The partnership with Pratilipi was a perfect fit. Pratilipi got their physical publishing arm and The Write Order got the much needed resources it needed to expand its guided publication services across the country and globe eventually. The acquisition gives hope to millions of writers who want their work to be out in print without the interference of literary agents and middlemen.”
