Startup MGZN talks to Melissa van Maasdyk, the author behind Bahrain’s favorite guidebook, Streetsmart Bahrain. We get to know about how this book came to be, the challenges she faced, her experience publishing in Bahrain, and much more.
Hey Melissa, would you mind telling us a little bit about yourself and about Streetsmart Bahrain (Why you started Streetsmart Bahrain, what makes it different than other guides…etc) ?
I’m a writer and editor and have worked in publishing for the last 18 years on magazines including Marie Claire in South Africa (my home), Elle Decoration in the UK and Time out in Bahrain, on which I was launch editor. While living in Bahrain, I also worked as a freelance writer for a number of magazines, which often involved delving into Bahrain’s cultural and leisure offerings and I was constantly amazed at the fascinating people I met and interesting places that awaited discovery, often under the radar. At the time, there were a couple of Bahrain guidebooks available, but they only really offered a superficial view of the country, which would explain why so many people new to Bahrain complained that there wasn’t a lot to do. I finally decided to set the record straight and produce a guidebook that attempted to truly reflect Bahrain’s diverse offerings, both mainstream and off the beaten track.
Can you tell us about the publishing process in Bahrain? Can it be improved? Was it hindering the project in any way?
It wasn’t entirely straightforward as I didn’t find any clear guidelines on the process, so I got there via trial and error. My first step was to present a book proposal to one of the publishing companies in Bahrain, but they decided not to take it on. So I decided to self-publish. For Bahrainis, this is quite straightforward: once the book is written, one submits two copies to the Ministry of Information for approval and an ISBN number, then has it printed and sells it direct to shops or the public. As an expat, however, there are a few more hoops to jump through. In order to legally sell the book, I was advised by a lawyer to establish an offshore company and then find a local distributor to sell the books. Another important step was getting Bahrain’s main booksellers to agree to stock the book, and once that was done, I was finally good to go. But it was all quite labour-intensive and there’s definitely a gap in the market for a publishing and distribution consultancy/agency to see writers through the process. The option does of course exist to use international publish-on-demand companies like Lulu (http://www.lulu.com) and Amazon, but they take a large chunk of your profits and the cost of printing is prohibitive if you have a lot of colour images in your book as I do. The cost of printing in Bahrain (through companies like Union or Oriental) is however reasonable compared to other countries.
What is doing business in Bahrain as an expat like? Were you given the support you needed to produce Streetsmart?
Once I got the correct legal advice, it was fairly straightforward and I would strongly advise anyone thinking about starting their own business, expat or not, to seek legal advice before doing anything. I consulted Ayman Almoayed of Almoayed Chambers (http://www.almoayedchambers.com ) on the advice of a British friend he helped to set up her successful relocation company, Expat Angels, and he was an enormous help to me too. Invaluable support also came from ARCEIT (the Arab Regional Center for Entrepreneurship and Investment Training), an arm of the United Nations in Bahrain, which offers an excellent training programme for entrepreneurs, covering all the bases from finance to marketing, following which they offer mentorship. I did the course prior to setting up my company and found it not only extremely useful but encouraging as they thought the idea was good and solid. In fact, the head of ARCEIT, Dr. Hashim Hussein, was so enthusiastic about the book when he saw the finished product on the screen that he agreed to co-host my launch event, and the visiting global Director General of UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organisation), Dr. Kandeh Yumkella, was the guest speaker.
What are or were your biggest challenges?
The biggest challenge was taking the leap of faith in the first place since there was a certain financial risk involved. Once the team was assembled, fees agreed upon and contracts are drawn up, however, things began to flow, gathering momentum as we progressed and I didn’t look back. It helped that I had a fantastic team, consisting of the designer Bader Kamal, photographer Phil Weymouth, illustrator Anna Thackray and copyeditor Jennifer Downey Gill. Everyone just did their bit brilliantly and it all came together. The next major challenge only really came when seeking approval, which was a far lengthier process than expected, and at one stage, I thought I might not get the book out at all. Currently, marketing is my biggest challenge as I still meet people who visit Bahrain regularly or even live in Bahrain and haven’t heard of the book, though they love it when they have it in their hands.
How did you get your first customer?
I sold my first 200 copies at my launch event, hosted by the Kempinski hotel, which was attended by around 150 people. Whatever your start-up, I think it’s definitely a good idea to have a launch event of some sort to get the news across to as many people as possible, particularly the press, in one go. It’s also a great way to celebrate your getting to this point, which is a huge sense of achievement.
How did you promote the book when it was first published?
I invited the press to my launch event and sent out press packs to Bahrain’s main publications, a number of which covered it. Having worked in magazines, I strongly advise investing in a professionally written, word-perfect press release supported by high-res images, product samples and/or an enticing teaser. A time-poor journalist is far more likely to cover something if she or he has everything required to write the story, and given the cost of advertising, cash-strapped start-ups definitely want to maximize free editorial. My budget didn’t extend to advertising at that stage, but when I launched the ebook in December 2013, having shown sufficient profits, I was able to take out an ad in Gulf Weekly.
How did people respond to the book?
I got a very positive response right from the start. Although I produced the book with foreign tourists and expats in mind, I was really happy to find that many Bahrainis liked the book too, a number of whom have told me they’ve discovered things they didn’t know. It was also very gratifying to receive a letter from the Crown Prince of Bahrain, HE Prince Salman Bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, in which he describes it as ‘a guide that goes beyond the usual sights and attractions and digs deep into the culture and soul of Bahrain’ that, he said, ‘should be essential reading for locals and visitors alike’.
Did you have any financial support from organizations in Bahrain?
No. I initially did hope to get sponsorship and I approached a few organizations with a sponsorship proposal offering a couple of options but was unsuccessful. I put this down to the fact that I had nothing solid to show anyone and no real guarantee that the book would be written. I, therefore, financed it myself, which I was fortunate to be able to do with my husband’s support. Happily, the gamble paid off as the first edition sold out in less than a year, and I’ve done two print-runs of the second edition, which is also now close to selling out. This is thanks to the fact that, in addition to retail sales, the Ministries of Culture and Foreign Affairs have purchased a large number and I’ve also had a couple of orders from conference organizations.
Streetsmart Bahrain seems to embrace an opinionated outlook on what it covers, which I know much love, can you tell us more about that?
I think that the point of a guidebook is to do the work for readers: to sift through everything and recommend only the best of what’s on offer. Not everyone will agree with my choices, but one has to trust one’s own opinion if one’s going to write a book. And it’s not all my own ‘opinionated’ outlook; some of the best advice comes from the Bahraini lifestyle shapers who provide insider tips throughout the book.
When many are embracing the digital era of publishing (as you did with the iBook version of Streetsmart), what were the reasons behind going print-only at first?
The simple answer is that I’m a late adopter of digital books and didn’t even possess a Kindle or iPad at the time of publishing. I do of course realize that this is the way things are going and have now brought out an ebook, which I have to admit does enhance exploration enormously. Created by Canadian IT consultancy Everage Consulting using iBooks Author, it has the same content and design elements as the original but has additional features such as interactive maps, links, and zoom-in images, which make navigating the book – and Bahrain – a whole lot easier and quite a lot of fun. That said, I think we’re still at a stage where there’s a place and need for both real books and ebooks, a theory that is supported by the fact that the hardcopy of Streetsmart is still way outselling the ebook.
Are you planning on expanding beyond Bahrain?
It was always the plan to expand Streetsmart, and now that I’m based in Abu Dhabi, I’m looking at doing one here.
What will you do the same and is there anything you will do differently?
I love the branding and basic design so wouldn’t change much there, although I know that if Bader takes on the project again (which I hope he does!), he will make several changes as he never stops innovating. The insider tips will stay too since they are the essence of Streetsmart, but the format of the book will necessarily be different in certain respects since the first one grew out of Bahrain, and Abu Dhabi is a very different place. My approach will be different too in that I will work a lot smarter. For example, rather than waiting to discover things along the way, I intend to employ writers who already know Abu Dhabi to cover certain areas. I also aim to bring out the hardcopy and ebook at the same time.
How did you deal with stress while producing Streetsmart?
Sometimes I didn’t – there were tears along the way! But generally, I find yoga and running on the treadmill good for stress.
What’s your favorite spot in Bahrain?
Only one? Seriously? There are so many places I love but if I absolutely have to narrow it down, it would have to be La Fontaine Centre of Contemporary Art (www.lafontaineartcentre.org). It’s a true cultural oasis with its beautiful traditional architecture, gallery, restaurant, spa and outdoor performance space (where I’ve enjoyed watching everything from jazz and opera performances to a whirling dervish). The café terrace at the Qala’at Al Bahrain Museum comes a close second for its seaside setting and view of the fort. I’ve whiled away many an hour there with my laptop and a couple of cappuccinos.
What are things about Bahrain’s culture you are really proud of?
I think the efforts to preserve traditional architecture and heritage are amazing, and I admire Sheikha May enormously for her constant efforts in this area. I haven’t come across anywhere quite like the Sheikh Ebrahim Centre in the world, and think it’s something people from around the region and beyond should travel to see, along with the Qala’at Al Bahrain Museum and National Museum and Theatre, whose architecture is such a wonderful mélange of East and West. I was also surprised, on arriving in Bahrain, by the number of artists operating in the country, from visual artists to poets, filmmakers and musicians. Also impressive are the underground societies such as Museland, Boho Baha and Ta’al Shabab that have emerged to support and promote art and music, alongside galleries like Al Riwaq and Albareh and various initiatives by the Ministry of Culture.
What are things you’ve gotten used to elsewhere that you were not able to find in Bahrain? (Society, culture, products, services…etc)
Coming to Bahrain from London, I initially missed the possibility to go to the theatre, a concert or a new exhibition any day of the week. I also missed really good public transport and supermarkets offering everything you could wish for. As a South African, another thing I missed were natural beaches and parks and I think it’s a pity more isn’t made of the coastline and the Hawar Islands. That said, there are many compensations.
Why do you write?
Some people write to share ideas and philosophies but I’ve always written to share great experiences or to describe beautiful places I’ve been. I didn’t actually set out to write professionally though and did a Masters in Translation at university, hoping to become involved in international relations or marketing. I ended up in magazines when my favourite women’s magazine, Marie Claire, launched in South Africa and advertised for a sub-editor/French-English translator. Once working there, I saw a gap in the magazine for a leisure column covering restaurants, hotels etc. and that was the beginning of my career in food and travel writing.
What are the biggest obstacles you face during the writing process? How do you deal with them?
My biggest obstacle is a tendency to procrastinate. I love the research process and generally end up with reams of notes and transcripts but battle to get it all down in a concise story. Deadlines are the ultimate solution to this problem and I generally start writing fast and fluidly as one approaches. When writing for myself, however, one of my best tricks is not to allow myself my first cup of coffee until I’m in front of my computer. I also force myself to sit at the computer even when not inspired to write and to just start writing something, anything… because things do eventually start flowing and one can delete all the bad stuff later.
Do you think where you live could impact your creativity?
Yes, and I think there’s an energy in Bahrain that’s definitely conducive to writing – perhaps it’s all that history or some magic emanating from those burial mounds.
Any thoughts on the entrepreneurship scene in Bahrain?
Bahrain seems to have quite a thriving entrepreneurial scene and I’ve met several really successful entrepreneurs in various fields, from beauty and fashion to food and entertainment. I think there are also some really good structures in place to support entrepreneurs, such as Tamkeen and ventures like Riyadat Mall, ARCEIT and of course your magazine, which is full of great advice.
What advice would you give young and aspiring entrepreneurs?
Do something that you know and are passionate about because there will be obstacles and detractors along the way and sometimes it’s only passion and belief that will push you through. Extensive market research and a good business plan are, of course, also essential, and I can’t recommend ARCEIT’s entrepreneurial training programme enough. Register via its website: http://www.arceit.org
How about young writers?
The writers’ market is pretty tough right now, so you need to be proactive if you want to get paid for your prose – for example, if you’re after freelance work, you should send out several story ideas and even unsolicited features tailored to a particular magazine’s tone and style. If you’re battling to actually get focused and motivated to write, I highly recommend joining a writing group like Bahrain’s Writer’s Circle (http://www.bahrainwriterscircle.org). You could also do an online course with an organization like New York’s Gotham Writers Workshop (http://www.writingclasses.com) which covers a variety of genres and helped me get going with my fiction writing. Books on writing that I’ve found very helpful and would recommend are Bird by Bird by Anne LaMott, The Right to Write by Julia Cameron and The Art of Fiction by John Gardner.
Thank YOU MELISSA FOR YOUR TIME! THIS was fantastic.
Streetsmart Bahrain is available in Bahrain (for BD7.9) at Jashanmal, Virgin, Words Books Café and the National Museum gift shop. The ebook is available from Apple’s iBooks store (for $9.99): https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/streetsmart-bahrain/id770929768?mt=11