New Delhi: Sonia Gandhi’s long-awaited memoir has found a new publishing home after a disagreement over the manuscript brought an earlier deal with Penguin Random House India to an end. 

HarperCollins India has secured the rights to publish and distribute the former Congress president’s memoir, ‘Belonging: A Journey of Love’, in India.

The book is scheduled to be released on November 10, 2026, HarperCollins India announced on Instagram, describing it as one of the most anticipated political memoirs of its time.

The publisher said the memoir is a deeply personal account centred on love, identity, duty and belonging, while also offering readers an insider’s perspective on India’s journey.

The move comes days after the expected Penguin Random House India (PRHI) publication of the book fell through.

The Indian Express had reported that PRHI had been in line to publish the memoir in India, but the arrangement collapsed following differences over proposed changes to the manuscript.

According to sources cited by the newspaper, Penguin Random House India had sought certain ‘editorial changes and deletions’ in a portion of the manuscript.

The proposed alterations were not accepted by Gandhi, leading to the publishing deal falling apart.

With Penguin India no longer in the picture, several Indian publishers were reportedly competing for the rights, with HarperCollins eventually emerging as the publisher.

The November 10 release date had initially been announced by Alfred A Knopf, a US-based publishing house and a division of Penguin Random House.

Knopf had also announced that the memoir would have a first print run of 100,000 copies.

Questions sent by The Indian Express to Knopf and Gandhi’s literary agent, David Godwin, seeking comments on the developments went unanswered.

Penguin Random House India CEO Gaurav Shrinagesh was also unavailable for comment when asked about the requested changes and deletions.

A deeply personal account

While Sonia Gandhi has previously authored and edited books, ‘Belonging: A Journey of Love’ is being positioned as her most personal and definitive account of her life.

Knopf had described the book as a riveting memoir from one of the world's most prominent women leaders, tracing themes of family and love against the backdrop of a country Gandhi has witnessed changing for six decades.

The memoir is expected to go beyond the public and political narrative surrounding Gandhi and offer an account of the personal motivations, choices and human vulnerabilities behind her family's much-documented journey.

In remarks quoted by Knopf, Gandhi said much had been written about her family, but argued that few accounts had explored the truth behind their motivations, actions and human failings.

She also said her story would give readers a distinctive perspective on the social and political transformations she has witnessed over six decades.

With HarperCollins now taking over the Indian publication, ‘Belonging: A Journey of Love’ is set to arrive in bookstores on November 10, carrying with it not only the weight of a prominent political life but also the anticipation surrounding Gandhi’s own account of the events and people that shaped it.