The Asian Books
The Asian Books, a subsidiary of The Asian Group of Literature, is based in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha, India, and is administered by The Asian Literary Agency. Unlike traditional commercial publishing houses, The Asian Books operates with a distinct mission to foster cultural and literary exchange across territories where such robust exchange programmes have historically been lacking. Their focus lies primarily in promoting literature from Central and Eastern Europe, Central and South Africa, Central Asia, and the Middle East.
The publishing wing employs a unique funding model whereby half of their published works are fully financed by The Asian Literary Agency or another subsidiary or partner of The Asian Group. The remaining half are published under the sponsorship of governments, trusts and non-governmental entities dedicated to the promotion of literature from their respective countries. This innovative approach ensures sustainable support for diverse literary voices that might otherwise remain unheard in the global literary landscape.
Currently, The Asian Literary Agency implements three major fully funded programmes:
MLIT (Myanmar Literature in Translation), OLIN (Odisha Literature in Translation) and NAWW (New Authors Worldwide Programme). Additionally, they host a literary translation initiative called 'Book to Book' (B2B), through which The Asian Literary Agency undertakes translations into Sinhala, whilst the partnering country supports the translation of works by Sri Lankan authors into its language. For further information about The Asian Books, interested parties are encouraged to contact The Asian Literary Agency through their website's contact form by selecting The Asian Books as their area of inquiry.
The Asian Books is the contributing partner for the printed edition of The Asian Journal of Literature.
