What Lies Ahead In Publishing?
The publishing industry is gearing forward and 2026 is all about embracing changes. As India’s education ecosystem prepares for the next phase of transformation under NEP 2020, it is increasingly clear that these changes are not happening in isolation. The shifts visible in classrooms, curricula, and content development mirror a much larger global rethinking of publishing itself.
“Education will become more learner-centric, competency-based, and technology-driven,” says Neeraj Gupta, Managing Director, Rachna Sagar Pvt. Ltd., pointing to blended models that integrate print, digital, and experiential learning. This view aligns closely with a global sentiment articulated by Geum Joo Lin, Co-founder of CO.MINT Inc., who frames 2026 not as disruption, but as opportunity: “I see 2026 not as a year of change, but as a ‘Digital Renaissance.’”
While, Dr Lovashish Aggarwal of SPD Books International Pvt. Ltd. says, “Teachers and classrooms will continue to play a central role, yet I strongly believe that the role of books will never get obsolete after digitalization.” Globally, this belief finds resonance in Karine Pansa, CEO, Girassol Brasil and former IPA President, who notes that “Publishing’s relevance will depend less on how quickly it adopts new technologies, and more on how thoughtfully it chooses to serve its readers.”
What is changing, both in education and in publishing at large, is intent. Content is moving away from volume and rote delivery toward meaning, outcomes, and experience. Sandeep Kumar Gupta of Bookman India describes a future shaped by personalization and data, “Hybrid learning—combining online and offline modes—will become the norm… making education more flexible, inclusive, and outcome-oriented.”
Accessibility and inclusion are emerging as common threads. In Indian classrooms, publishers are embedding multilingual support, competency-based assessments, and teacher resources. Internationally, accessibility is becoming a benchmark of credibility. As Karine Pansa observes, accessibility is no longer an afterthought but “One of the defining measures of how mature, responsible and future-oriented a publishing ecosystem truly is.”
While, Nitasha Devasar, Managing Director, Taylor & Francis India & South Asia, shares, “ The focus is now shifting from volume to value of research output, in a market that is still fragmented and inequitable. Research Integrity, the quality of research, the transparency of the process and the data on which it is based, has become central and will drive publishing trends in 2026.”
Across geographies and segments, one idea stands out: publishing is being recast as stewardship. As Asma Siddiq Al Mutawa reminds us, “The future will not be measured by speed or scale, but by depth, diversity of voices, and the ability to build a lasting and meaningful relationship between readers and knowledge.” The task ahead is not simply to keep pace with change, but to shape it thoughtfully, responsibly, and always with the learner and reader at the centre.
Shweta
shweta@allaboutbookpublishing.com