Publishing is not just about using quality paper and designs as well as marketing and profits. It’s also about sincerity and respect when dealing with the creative minds. Without pen holders, there will be no publishers.
By Ashraf Aboul- Yazid
Cairo, Egypt
I have been fortunate enough to have my 44 books, either authored or translated, published in four continents.
There are publishers from America (Costa Rica), Africa (Egypt), Europe (Russia, Italy, Turkey, Germany and Serbia) and Asia (Lebanon, Kuwait, Oman, UAE, India, Iran and Korea).
To start with, I would like to appreciate the perfect book production from Korea, Bibliotheca Alexandrina of Egypt, Kuwait, Italy and UAE. They were the heaven for me.
Korean publishers are my best example as they were keen to tailor perfect designs, special quality paper, and premium visual content, as well. It is a good experience to enjoy this kind of varied publication experience.
This was the good smiling face of the moon; while the other side was not the light of the sun, but the darkness of publishing houses in Egypt, where the Paradise Was Lost.
I had two books published by the General Egyptian Book Organization, in 2002 and in 2022.
Although there was a 20 year difference, but the results had been the same; the text was lost more than once, the artworks have been delayed, and the royalty paid the author was almost enough to pay for taxis to follow the process of publishing during the more than two years follow up time!
The Korean author who traveled from Seoul to Cairo especially to attend the book Launch discovered that the publisher offered a fake list of invitees; no ministers, no professors, no TV media.
The private publishing houses were even worse.
The publisher whom I gave an opportunity to sell 2000 copies of my translated book didn’t respect the agreement in the signed contract.
There were no color photos, no good paper, and no donations of books to scientific centers and university professors and students.
The Korean author who traveled from Seoul to Cairo especially to attend the book Launch discovered that the publisher offered a fake list of invitees; no ministers, no professors, no TV media.
I was forced to apologize for all the misdemeanors committed by the Publisher especially to the Korean Ambassador who was invited as a special guest of honor.
It was not an issue whether the publisher was a man or a woman, as another Egyptian publisher, this time a lady, did worse.
After signing the contract to publish my latest novel, I spent a long time to revise the draft. That was when she called me to excuse herself from the project on the excuse that the book contents would make her lose her chance to be invited to a book fair of a certain Arabian Gulf State.
These walls erected by publishers against the authors and translators are gradually destroying the book industry.
The industry needs to be handled by professionals and sincere credible individuals.
Publishing is not just about using quality paper and designs as well as marketing and profits.
It’s also about sincerity and respect when dealing with the creative minds.
Without pen holders, there will be no publishers.
Read: The Poetic Gardens of Ko Un
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Ashraf Aboul-Yazid is a renowned Egyptian poet, journalist, novelist, travelogue writer and translator. He is author of around three dozen books and Editor-in-Chief of Silk Road Literature Series.
