What inspired you to begin your publishing journey?
I had put my thoughts into words by writing poetry over the last few years. I wanted these poems (my thoughts) to now have a permanence and make them accesible to everyone, not just a handful of my friends and family.
What led you to choose the self-publishing route vs. traditional publishing
This was my first book with the unique challenge of conveying the universal essence of my poetry in both Urdu and English. I wanted to make sure that I was involved in every step of publishing without the extensive delays often associated with traditional publishing.
Were there any moments during your publishing journey where your expectations differed from the actual process?
I imagined the process would be cumbersome to convey the vision of my book to the publisher. I was pleasantly surprised that the process went smoothly, particularly in regards to my interactions with the Author Manager. I must confess, though, at times I wished I could pick up the phone and talk to my Author Manager to discuss an edit at the spur of the moment, rather than having to wait and schedule a call in advance.
What aspects of the process did you find most enjoyable?
Getting the proof of the book in my hands to review.
What challenges did you encounter during your publishing journey?
My book is bilingual and each poem is in Urdu with an English version of the same poem. English script is written right to left, whereas Urdu script goes left to right. My biggest challenge was organizing the page order in the book, so that the poems remain as a unit without interrupting the flow of the book for the readers.
Would you change anything if you could do it all over again?
I would likely respond to my Author Manager’s queries and suggested edits much more expeditiously. It would have speeded up the entire publishing process.
What were the most surprising aspects of self-publishing with Gatekeeper Press?
I was very pleasantly surprised that GKP understood the message of my book so well and suggested an attractive cover design that was most apt for the book.
Would you recommend fellow authors self-publish with Gatekeeper Press?
Absolutely!!! I have been talking about my experience with GKP with family and friends and how accomodating and helpful the entire team was.
With your dream book a reality, what goals do you aspire to achieve with your story?
My poems are about our modern life experiences, expressed in simple Urdu and English verses. I envision my readers will relate to these experiences as their own, and enjoy the beauty of the Urdu style of poetry, even if they are not fluent in Urdu. My goal is to reach out particularly to young adults of South Asian background who seek a connection between their lived experiences in the West and the poetic tradition of the Urdu language that they may have heard about from their parents or grandparents.