By Munirah Al-Fayez
KUWAIT: Kuwait Times interviewed three Kuwaiti authors — Haider Al-Mosawi, Hanan Al-Obaid and Yasmeen Al-Hasan — to ask them about their experience of writing and publishing a book in Kuwait. A Kuwaiti author who has published multiple books online, Mosawi said he believes that learning English as a second language made him interested in languages, which led to him becoming a writer. "I became a writer because I feel I have a lot to say and I can contribute to the lives of others by sharing ideas they will find beneficial in their lives.
I cannot not write at this point,” he said. According to Mosawi, writing is easy; however, the struggle is in deciding what to write about. He explained how in the future he would like to involve his audience in choosing a topic for him to write about, so he would get feedback early on. He said involving others helps writers stay committed and helps them base their decisions on actual feedback rather than assumptions. He also advised people who would like to become writers. "Don’t think of it as a book. Think of it as a collection of essays.
If you feel intimidated by the prospect of writing a book, it’s much easier to think of your book as shorter essays you’re putting together.” Obaid, who has published multiple Arabic fiction books, said she has loved writing since she was younger. According to Obaid, the writing and publishing process in Kuwait is "unimaginably easy”, especially since Kuwait gives writers freedom of speech, which is not always the case in other countries. However, advertising her first book was not easy, because "people have not heard your name before or read anything you have written, and because there are many competitors”.
She said in the future, she would want to give herself the time to learn self-marketing so it becomes easier. Obaid’s advice to people who are going through the same thing she went through is that "the process is long and tiring, but you should not give up. Keep going and have patience, even if it takes a long time. The most important thing is that you will end up with a result that will satisfy you and your target audience. Also, become a good listener.” Hasan, a writer who has published two books of stories and poems, explained the reason she started writing.
"I found my voice in writing. I found that I express myself and my feelings a lot better in prose. I found I can share so much emotion through stories and poems. So, it became a passion.” Hasan said her first book took a few years to finish, as she took her time, because she did not have a deadline for herself. However, when it came to her second book, she said she challenged herself to finish it in a few months. Hasan has only worked with one publisher, and was responsible for writing, designing and editing.
So when it came to publishing, they approved her work, signed the contract and started printing her book, which took a few months. She said the publisher she worked with took the responsibility of publishing her book, which facilitated the process for her, adding most of her books were sold was during the book fair. Hasan advises people who are considering writing a book to "go for it”. "Don’t be afraid to take the first step, even if there are mistakes or God forbid the book doesn’t succeed. It doesn’t mean you should quit; on the contrary, it should motivate you and it’ll always be an experience,” she said.