Publish a book
about Pakistan

There are not many books written about Pakistan in English. You'll find shelves upon shelves of material about India in your local library. But when it comes to Pakistan, barely a handful of books on any topic can be found.

This is truly a tragedy. Pakistan has a rich heritage and culture, not to mention language of its own. But not only is Pakistan ignored in general literature, but it is also ignored in the media. This is connected to its absence in the literary world of books.

In America, ideas are shared and debated based on research and analysis which are shared through books. When a book is published, it is a reflection of the writer's need to take ideas they take seriously and share them with others. This generates the debate and discussion, which includes media attention and focus on an issue. It's also important to remember that
Journalists need experts to consult on issues. These experts are usually professors who are writers.

Unfortunately, for most Pakistani-Americans, our sharing of ideas is limited to newspaper articles and the web. This is why coverage and attention of Pakistan, to some degree, is limited in the American media, to negative or controversial events.

You can take up the challenge to write this book. It's not all that hard to do, but it does require a perseverance, hard work and learning.

Your first step would be to seek out writing courses. Check out your local community college or even consider getting a degree in creative writing or journalism if you're more ambitious.

During this time, keep a writing journal where you practice your writing as regularly as possible. The more you write, the better you will be at it. Also, join writing groups that allow writers to share their work and get feedback.

The next point is finding a topic. If you're stumped for ideas, here are a couple:

1. Pakistan has been a country that has welcomed refugees. Although the Afghan immigration of the late 1970s and 1980s is the more well-known example, individuals from Iran, Burma and Vietnam are other lesser known instances. This is a fascinating topic and well worth exploring.
2. Pakistan's urban education system has been transformed from being public to private educatio in the last two decades. In fact, education is a very hot topic in Pakistan nowadays. One Karachi businessman went so far as to say that, "every other business is down except for the education business in Pakistan."

But despite this fascinating trend, no one has studied, analyzed and researched this phenomenon. You can be the first one to do this.
3. Gender issues in Pakistan
4. Civil rights in Pakistan
5. Human rights in Pakistan
6. Feudalism in Pakistan
7. Bureaucracy in Pakistan
8. Children in Pakistan's prisons

Maybe you think these are all serious topics. Or you're afraid you'll be arrested. Then consider some of these subjects as fodder for your future masterpiece: Pakistan's unique dresses, the type of caps wear.
9. Highlights of the country's cuisine
10. The birds of Pakistan
11. Pakistan's flowers.

Once you've got your topic, start jotting down your ideas and developing them. Writing is the process of idea development. Start by writing outline or one article then expand upon it. Some writers just write paragraphs which become article then book. Don't waste time thinking of how to start your book. That can come later. Start writing now. And thanks to the trusty word processor, you can easily rearrange paragraphs and ideas.

The final challenge is getting your material published. In the past, this had led many writers to drop the idea of writing a book altogether. After all, why put in all of the effort if the book isn't going to be published.

But today, through a system known as on demand printing, anyone can be a publisher for a few hundred dollars. And if you cannot spare a few hundred dollars, why not get it published on the internet? If the king of horror novels, American writer Stephen King, can publish his latest book electronically, so can you.

With resources like on demand and online publishing becoming cheaper and more accessible than ever, anyone can get their work published. If you have an idea and you're determined to write a book, publishing is not going to be a problem.

Maybe you can get yespakistan.com to publish your ideas, your book or articles if you don't find anybody else,
-give links at bottom of article about on demand printing or publishing.

Date/Time Last Modified: 6/17/2002 3:48:54 PM

Readers' Comment

Cheryl R Cowtan: 12/13/2005 11:55:59 AM
What an interesting subject for an article and a great way to encourage literary creations. --------------- Buy discount books and 30% will go towards restocking schools in South Asia's quakezone. For more info: http://www.booksforpakistan.info

© 2004, Human Development Foundation. All rights reserved.
1350 Remington Road, Suite W, Schaumburg, Il. 60173
Toll Free: (800) 705-1310 | Email: info@yespakistan.com | Privacy Policy