Penguin Random House India will not publish Sonia Gandhi’s upcoming memoir ‘Belonging: A Journey of Love’ in India after the author reportedly rejected editorial changes and deletions sought by the publisher, with HarperCollins now reportedly close to finalising a deal.

Penguin Random House India (PRHI) has decided not to publish Sonia Gandhi’s much-anticipated memoir ‘Belonging: A Journey of Love’ in India, according to reports.

Sources cited by The Indian Express said the decision followed disagreements over certain editorial changes and deletions that the publisher wanted to make to part of the manuscript. The changes were reportedly rejected by Sonia Gandhi.

The disagreement means the Indian edition of the memoir will now have a different publisher.

HarperCollins reportedly in talks

With Penguin India out of the picture, several Indian publishers are reportedly interested in publishing and distributing the book.

HarperCollins is reported to be close to finalising an agreement for the Indian publication and distribution of the memoir.

No final deal has been officially announced in the information provided.

The memoir is scheduled for release on November 10, 2026.

The publication was initially announced by Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Penguin Random House in the US. Knopf has announced an initial print run of 100,000 copies.

The reported disagreement concerns the Indian publication arrangement and does not indicate that the global release announced by Knopf has been cancelled.

What is ‘Belonging: A Journey of Love’ about?

‘Belonging: A Journey of Love’ is Sonia Gandhi’s memoir and is expected to offer a personal account of her life and experiences.

The book has attracted considerable attention because of Gandhi's long public career and her central role in the Congress party and Indian politics.

The reported dispute with Penguin India centres on editorial changes to the manuscript rather than the book's scheduled global publication.

If the reported HarperCollins agreement is finalised, it would take over the Indian publication and distribution of the memoir.

The episode has drawn attention because of the high-profile nature of the author and the reported disagreement over editorial intervention. However, details of the specific passages or changes that Penguin India sought have not been publicly disclosed in the material available.