Sinhala literature has always carried its words carefully, from hand to hand, generation to generation. At the heart of OLA Publications is a simple belief: Sinhala stories deserve thoughtful editing, careful publishing, and a home that understands their weight. As an imprint of The Jam Fruit Tree Publications, OLA exists to do exactly that.
The Jam Fruit Tree Publications has been a longstanding hybrid publishing house in Sri Lanka, serving the English literature field for fourteen years with professional and quality publishing services to authors of all ages and all walks of life. Through The Jam Fruit Tree Publications, OLA came into being when this vision extended towards our rich Sinhala voices as well. Which means now, The Jam Fruit Tree Publications is open for both Sinhala and English writers looking to get their book published.
Sinhalese has always been a rich language, and Sinhala stories carry meaningful depth, literary culture and unparalleled creative beauty. However, when it comes to getting their stories published, our talented Sinhala writers also face countless challenges such as continuous rejection of their work, dismissal of talent and inconsistent production quality. Unfortunately, this means many Sinhala writers in our country remain undiscovered and discouraged. OLA was intentionally created to respond to these gaps where we would carefully handle, edit, design and guide you through your Sinhala manuscript up until its deserving publication. At OLA, your dream of becoming a published Sinhala author in Sri Lanka will come to life with a quality and meaningful book in your hands.
The Jam Fruit Tree Publications’ expertise influences and informs OLA’s workflow, and we work with long-standing standards and values. Therefore, as an imprint, we at OLA respect the authorial voice and are committed to thoughtful editing on every single page of your manuscript. We view our Sinhala authors’ craft as unique and valuable voices beyond just content. This is because our team at OLA knows and understands the value of a manuscript and how much time, energy and dedication a writer pours into it as well. As your publisher, we strive to give the best possible service throughout all stages of your book – Beta Reading, proofreading, editing, designing, page layout and printing, with care and attention to every single detail. Building a lasting relationship and trust with our authors is also important to us.
OLA strives to be a space that listens to its authors, supporting both emerging and established voices with every project we take on. We believe we have a cultural responsibility, and we would always circle back to care, quality and belief. We encourage diverse themes and forms within Sinhala literature since the Sinhala literary field is ever-evolving and never static. Our role is to preserve tradition while embracing contemporary voices, and we are hoping to reach a new generation of readers beyond simple book production. At OLA, we would consider it an honour to welcome our Sinhala writers with their written voice, as we join together to encourage a wider literary ecosystem in Sri Lanka. Publish your Sinhala book with OLA and become the author you always meant to be.
Words by Gayanga Dissanayake