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CONVERSATION

By Zunaira Afzal
13 May, 2016

What should an amateur write do in an age where Kindle and e-Books rule and well-known publishers set their standards high? Should you leave with your script rejected or stand yourground until you find a way around it? Meet Irum Zahra, who has not only published her own book, but also started a publishing company.

 Psycho and chaotic:

     Irum Zahra

        (an interview)

What should an amateur write do in an age where Kindle and e-Books rule and well-known publishers set their standards high? Should you leave with your script rejected or stand yourground until you find a way around it? Meet Irum Zahra, who has not only published her own book, but also started a publishing company. Her first book, Psychaotic, has sold over 2000 copies worldwide! Her publishing company is now accepting the submissions for all genres and is presently providing services like proofreading, formatting, e-Book conversion, ISBN allotment, copyright and cover design.CONVERSATION

* Tell Us something about yourself.

Books were (and still are) considered a pathway to success in my family. While it’s true for anybody that life is a constant struggle between society and ambitions, it was what defined me as one of the two daughters my mother had. There was only one thought in my mind when I started my educational career: I had to become someone important in this world in order to prove my worth to the society.

I told the same thing to Humans of Pakistan: Make yourself so strong that this world has no power over you. I was an opinionated girl without a father; I survived where I wasn’t supposed to and now, I am writing to cure all I have been through and all I will in the future.

To tell about myself is to read every poem from Psychaotic. To keep it short, I am proud to call myself a writer and every time I look in the mirror, I recognize myself as a strong person who can give something back to Pakistan.

* When did you start

your writing career?

I started writing when I was in Grade VI. My teachers supported my passion pretty much throughout the period. It was small passages and verses at first, which became better with time. Later, I was writing my debates and speeches for college and inter-college competitions. I was also contributing to the college magazine. I kept a diary with me at all times wherein I would scribble and make notes. All those diaries later helped me compile Psychaotic.

* What prompted you to

start your own publishing company?

I was terribly disappointed with the way Pakistani publishers rejected me. They made me think I wasn’t good enough. They said (and I quote): “We don’t want to waste our time and money on new writers”. Tell me, if you won’t accept new writers, who else will? 9 out of every 10 books written by Pakistani writers are published by either Indian or US publication so, yes, that can be one option. But, why are our own publication houses ignoring and not promoting local talent? My idea behind ‘Beyond Sanity Publishing’ is to create a platform where young Pakistani writers can come, present their ideas and their thoughts and see them published. I want to guide and help them uncover their talents.

CONVERSATION

* Who designs your book covers?

Book cover is the key to marketing your book. I sold 2000 books worldwide with a cover that was plain and simple. It lent a melancholy touch to my book. With the first edition already sold out and a new edition due this month, I am thinking of going with a brand new cover that is darker and more relatable. See, I want people to grasp the idea behind the book and a book cover does that job perfectly. It gives the audience a perspective to see if they would like the book or not. I have an excellent team whihc includes graphic designers who work hard on the cover designs of our books. It’s important since 70% of sales are dependent on the book cover. To some extent, people do judge a book by its cover.

* Tell Us something about Psychaotic and what inspired you to write it.

Psychaotic is Pakistan’s first free-verse Gothic poetry book. It revolves around two concepts of human nature: psycho and chaotic. A blend, the title is to tell people the story behind a mind that is consumed by the chaos of this world and how it copes with it using medications, drugs and people. It tells you about the realities of life and that every bad experience and every challenge you encounter, ends and you come out the other side, stronger than you were before. It is about a mentally unstable person finding their way back to sanity. All the best people are crazy, right? Psychotic is dedicated to all of them.

I consider my own life, particularly how I suffered for things I didn’t do, as the biggest inspiration. I learnt to live with it; I took solace in words which gave me a new perspective and a new purpose in life.

* How long did it took

you to write Psychaotic?

Psychaotic is a compilation of my life’s work, a collection of diary pages, 3 a.m. ramblings on laptop, scribbles on college registers, and cellphone entries. Everything I went through is there. I guess you can spin it over the course of six years and then add to it the six months it took me to select every single page I did for my book. I remember staying up all night, typing, making sure nothing is left out. Finally, I had a 200-page manuscript, which I later edited and shortened to 130 pages.

* How was the response?

It was difficult to introduce Pakistan with a somewhat bold and outspoken work of poetry, but I think I managed to do that. The response has been excellent until now. I have countless reviews from people around the globe. Honestly, I never thought I would get this much love, yet I did. At 24, I am a writer of an award-nominated poetry book and judge for competitions. What more can I ask for? I have lost count of the moments when I had nothing and this book helped me get through those times.

* Did you do a press release, Goodreads book launch or anything else to promote your work and did work on it?

I did. I used social media (Facebook, Google+, Instagram, Twitter, Blogspot, Wordpress, Tumblr, etc.), because they are great sources to develop interest in your audience. Using Goodreads was one of the biggest decisions I ever made for Psychaotic as my book was the only book from Pakistan to reach semi-finals of ‘Goodreads Best Poetry Book of 2015 Choice Awards’. I also launched the book in Islamabad and Lahore to interact with the audience directly.

* Your favorite books/author?

Thomas Harris, without any question. I adore his books. “Silence of the lambs” is my all-time favorite book. I wish I could meet Thomas Harris one day and tell him that he created a God for all psychopaths when he created Hannibal Lecter. I also enjoy reading books by Dan Brown. His book “The Lost Symbol” is another one of my favorites. I have read that book 6 times and still love it!

* What are you working on these days?

I am working on my second poetry book, Invicus, which will be released in July. I am also working on a thriller novel and a paperback anthology featuring around 100 new writers from Pakistan and India.

* Any message for readers?

Never stop reading – or writing or painting or dancing or creating music. These arts will make you immortal.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BeyondSanityPublishing/

Official weblog : irumzahraofficial@gmail.com

Twitter: @IrumZahraOfficial