A Quest for Identity: From Afghanistan to the World

CLIENT STORY:

When I first spoke to my client, Parastu Mehdawi in November of 2021, she told me her dream was to self-publish her memoir and see it on the shelves of a bookstore. She had been writing her memoir for 7 years. She had tried to find a traditional publisher but none were interested, so she continued her journey on her own, reading everything she could get her hands on about self-publishing. She found the organization Alliance for Independent Authors and joined, reading all their material and listening to their podcasts. She discovered author and publisher, Joanna Penn and listened to her podcasts and read her book series. She became an informed writer, she knew what she needed to do, but wanted to work with someone who could lead her down the path to designing and publishing her book. That’s when she called us.

PROJECT SCOPE:

She had a very clear idea of what she wanted for the cover; a style similar to Michelle Obama’s book. She lined up the professional photographer and we gave her a list of important tips for the photoshoot and the results were stunning! Canadian photographer, Cynthia Summers, did an outstanding job and gave us wonderful images to work with, making our job so much easier!

This project involved:

• Cover Design
• Interior Formatting with a photo section
• Self-publishing Assistance
• Distribution to KDP and IngramSpark in the Canadian Market
• Book Mockups
• Book Release Assistance
• Sales Sheet for Marketing

Today her #selfpublished book is on the shelves in her local Chapters Bookstore in Canada AND it’s across the aisle from Mrs. Obama’s book. #Selfpublishing is a huge endeavor for authors, but it is possible to achieve your dreams by choosing this path. Para spent years writing her book, trying to publish and dreaming about “someday” – now she is a #published #author with her book in hardcover, paperback and an ebook available across the world through #IngramSpark and #KDP distribution.

This book can be purchased on Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Barnes and Noble, Abe Books, Thrift Books

• Adobe Illustrator CC
• Adobe InDesign CC
• Adobe Photoshop CC
• Book Design and Layout
• Scan and color corrections of photos