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Zabrina A. Bakar
Zabrina Abu Bakar's first book, Life is an Open Secret, was released in Malaysia in July 2007 and quickly drew media attention. Only six months later, second print editions are already on the market. Christine (Amina) Benlafquih interviews Sis Zabrina to find out more about the self-dubbed "Life Storyteller" and her marketing strategies.
Amina Benlafquih: Assalamu alaykum. Thank you for sharing your time with Islamic Ink.
Sis Zabrina: Wa alaykum salam wa rahmatullah. It is a great pleasure to be here, alhamdulillah
AB: Let's start with what you call yourself – "life storyteller." Can you explain how you came up with this slogan, and what's behind it?
Sis Zabrina: Well, as a new writer, I was very much like a sponge, learning from everyone and everywhere. One of my gurus told me that I must have a branding as it will help me focus and help my readers know who I am. Being a business student, it made sense to me. So, I asked myself then, What is my brand?
So, I thought, basically, I tell stories in a writing form, right? Then, it hit me. I am a storyteller! That's when I decided to stick with the brand "storyteller."
I came out with, I think, more than 20 branding names that incorporate the word 'storyteller'. Words like "motivational storyteller," "inspirational storyteller" and "your storyteller" are among them. The final decision was made after I realized that I only write stories about life. I mean, I don't write articles relating to fiqh, or politics, or science fiction. That is not my strength. My forte is telling and writing stories about manners, morals, challenges, ups and downs of life, success, failures and triumphs a person faced in his or her life.
When I wrote down the words 'Life Storyteller' I could feel tingling in my whole body, my face flushed and my heart just started pumping so fast – I think I was about to burst. That was when I knew it was the right choice, insha Allah. You know, light bulb moments! Yes, it was that moment that I decided to use the name Sis Zabrina, 'Life Storyteller'. Alhamdulillah.
AB: At what age did you start writing?
Sis Zabrina: I started writing from the age of seven, as this was when my stories began to be selected for the school magazines. I always enjoyed writing but of course, at that time, I simply knew it as English homework! You know – to write a story about family vacations, my pet, my best friend or about my parent – the usual topics teachers have always asked grade one students to write about.
This went on until I graduated from high school, after which I pursued an accounting degree. From that moment, I was in drought for almost 15 years. Not a single word written by me except, of course, my term papers and assignments. Alhamdulillah, it was only about one and a half years ago when I rediscovered my passion – my love for writing. Alhamdulillah, alhamdulillah, alhamdulillah for that. I basically found my purpose in life, my strength. Something that Allah has given me to use to serve Him. Alhamdulillah.
AB: I assume that you used that accounting degree. What kinds of professional positions have you held?
Sis Zabrina: Actually, even though I have an accounting degree, I did my MBA just two years after that. So, all the professional positions that I held were based on both my accounting degree and MBA.
My last position was as a Deputy Chief Executive Officer for the Administration and Finance Division of a large private international college. I was responsible for nine departments. It was a real challenge but I loved every minute of it. Holding that post has helped me grow and has allowed me to push myself and discover my real potential.
And before I was promoted to this position, I was lecturing in a few other universities, alhamdulillah. Lecturing is something I just love to do. I actually miss it a lot. I love being with students and exploring the world with them. I love to see their eyes twinkle and go wide when they discover an amazing fact and finally "get it." You know what I mean. I love to see a shy one developing into a confident person upon graduation. That was…satisfying to me.
AB: What was the turning point that made you decide to return to writing?
Sis Zabrina: I was doing my doctorate when this happened. I studied and worked at the same time until I reached my data collection period when I know that I needed time off from my work. I requested for a study leave from my CEO.
My dissertation is about managing knowledge using the storytelling method. So, the two main literatures that I read were knowledge management and storytelling. As I get deeper into storytelling – its usage, environment, techniques, methods, styles, mental models, etc, I found myself getting the itch to write some stories too. And I decided to "scratch" that itch. And it felt good! Alhamdulillah.
That's when I began writing, again, after 15 years, alhamdulillah.
AB: Have you devoted yourself full-time to writing, or are you still working?
Sis Zabrina: Alhamdulillah, I am now a full-time writer. And for me, living in this passion of mine is a journey I should have started long time ago.
AB: Tell me about your new book, Life is an Open Secret. What is it about? How did the idea for the book originate?
Sis Zabrina: Life is an Open Secret is a book written with the beautiful and ancient art of storytelling. It represents the reality of life challenges faced by all of us, living in this so-called modern society. The stories are based on issues that are commonly found across geographical, race, faith, gender and age boundaries.
I shared with my readers in total 19 stories – eighteen stories plus one from my blog. These stories are aimed to tease my readers with a variety of mind-boggling questions. Personally, I love mind-boggling questions, you know, questions that can make us all think and ponder for hours.
All stories in Life is an Open Secret are to inspire the readers to ultimately reflect and change (should need be) according to the guidelines from the Holy Qur'an and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). I strove very hard to make sure that the stories in Life is an Open Secret are refreshing to the soul, inspirational, motivational and humorous. And most importantly, that all these stories, even though wittily crafted, do not lose any of their substance, insha Allah. The beautiful message of Islam must be delivered, insha Allah.
AB: Did you self-publish or use a professional publishing house?
Sis Zabrina: I self published Life is an Open Secret, alhamdulillah.
AB: Why did you decide to go that route?
Sis Zabrina: I remember the shock I got when I was told that authors have to do their own marketing. With my background, I know what marketing entails, the demand of it, the money that involves, the creativity that is needed.
And with the percentage that authors "might" receive, I didn't believe that it was doable for me.
That's when I knew that I must find another way to publish my book. I searched and asked questions about publishing. IWA members have been very supportive in answering my tons of questions on this matter, alhamdulillah.
AB: Have you had any stumbling blocks along the way?
Sis Zabrina: Stumbling blocks? Of course! That is expected. The bumps on our road in life are welcome as it helps us grow, alhamdulillah. Bumps like finding an editor for the Islamic content; finding a professional editor, illustrator, book cover designer, and layout designer; developing my book website; distribution and many more. I must say that I really learned what they mean when they say writing is just 10 percent of the process. And the best part is that, I got to learn and grow along the way. The challenges that I faced were good for me, alhamdulillah.
AB: Based on your experience, how would you advise other writers who are considering self-publishing?
Sis Zabrina: Wow, there is a lot to say here. It will be a long story, really. But the shortcut version is this – learn from other published authors, ask questions, open your eyes and look for blueprints. It is everywhere. Get a writer coach, if you will. I am a writer coach to a few aspiring writers now. Alhamdulillah, we are moving in a good speed to the right direction. I always tell aspiring writers that we don't have to repeat all the processes if we can quickly identify what works.
And to self-publish means we must be bold, creative, daring, unrelenting. There is a lot of work involved in getting a book published. We have got to have that drive. The stumbling blocks we talked about earlier? We must be able to get up no matter how bad the stumble was.
We must be humble enough to learn from others and be bold enough to make decisions. Indecisiveness is a big NO-NO here. We must decide on every single thing like size of book, color, design, concept, paper used, etc. We must know what works. What is a good price? How to prepare the market for your book? How to promote it? Where to print? Offset? Digital? How to pitch your book? How different is your book from others? How do you position yourself in the market?
To sum up, my advice is learn, learn, learn. And learn quickly, insha Allah, and always remember that we are responsible for our books, no one else. So, with Allah as our Lord, ask from Him, strive to your best and He will shall give us success, insha Allah.
AB: You've had a favorable response, masha Allah, from the Muslims and media in Malaysia. But have you had any feedback from non-Muslims?
Sis Zabrina: Yes, the reaction from non-Muslims has been wonderful too. I had about six non-Muslims review my book and I published them all in Life is an Open Secret. From their reviews, I felt in my heart that Life is an Open Secret would be a book that could be accepted by the non-Muslims for many reasons. Maybe they want to know more about Islam, maybe they want to know how Muslims live their lives, maybe they want to get to know how Muslims think or maybe they are just plain curious. I have personally sold and autographed Life is an Open Secret to a few non-Muslims at the booth during the grand launching, alhamdulillah. Even on my blog, I have received comments from the non-Muslims too.
The most recent endorsement I received is from a business coach known as Dave Rogers, who made a short promo for Life is an Open Secret, and he uploaded the clip on youtube, subhan Allah.
AB: Can you share a few strategies that have proven successful in marketing your book?
Sis Zabrina: Sure, I would be glad to. I remembered being told that writing is just 10 percent of the work as an author and that is the easy part. The other ninety percent is about marketing the book you wrote.
Firstly, I learned from a prominent international bestselling author to always talk about my book even if it is in writing stage. So, I did just that. If anyone asked me, I told them I am writing a book – a motivational book – and if they want to read a sample, they can always go to my blog for a "taste" of my writing. I took quite an effort to overcome this shyness we authors always have, but, after so many times doing it, right now, I do it just like how I breathe air, automatically, alhamdulillah.
Secondly, as I speak to everyone I meet about my book, it's rather challenging to explain and re-explain again to the same group of people about my book every time someone new joins the conversation. So, I used a mini booklet which is also a name card to give away to people. The mini booklet has a story from my book, the book cover, the blog address, my personal contact details and some reviews I received, alhamdulillah. It helps me to promote the book and it allows my new readers to read my stories at their own time too, alhamdulillah.
Thirdly, I engaged a brother who is a film producer based in the UK to help create a Life is an Open Secret book trailer and upload it on youtube.
And I also would like to thank Sheik Yusuf Estes for writing a foreword for Life is an Open Secret, alhamdulillah. This is a major boost of confidence on the Islamic content of Life is an Open Secret, alhamdulillah.
AB: Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
Sis Zabrina: Insha Allah, always believe in your work and know your stuff well. Write about things that you are passionate about, write from your heart. New writers must also understand that it takes a lot of thinking and planning as a writer to do well in the industry. You cannot hide behind doors and then expect your writing to be accepted or your book to sell.
Also, keep on learning. I have not stopped learning and insha Allah, never will. As long as Allah gives me the opportunities, I will continue to learn from everyone.
One thing that I found after I launched Life is an Open Secret is that I met many aspiring writers telling me that they have always wanted to write. My question to them is – what is stopping you? If we really have the drive and the passion, we should be doing it instead of talking about it. There is a story in Life is an Open Secret that addresses this issue – Secret 9 – "Say the Word and Do the Action." I quoted an Arabian proverb that says, "A promise is a cloud, fulfillment is the rain."
So, in anything that we wish to do, be it to be a writer, to slim down, to learn cooking, to travel, whatever it is, always remember that we can always talk till the cow goes home. We can always get awed at the clouds but, it is really the rain that really matters. We can have many clouds with us, but, if it doesn't rain, we will still have drought.
My personal quote on writing is this: "There is never a good time in the future to start. The good time is always now."
So, start writing.
AB: You say it's essential for writers not to hide behind doors and expect their book to become successful. Yet many writers find that they're unable to help market their own books – perhaps they have limited time or are unable to travel. What words of encouragement or advice can you offer those writers who don't have the flexibility or means to strongly promote their own books?
Sis Zabrina: There are many ways to do this. The aim is to get your name and your book name out there. Creativity is always the answer, insha Allah.
Let us take from the example you gave just now – limited time. Since time is limited, the author must research methods that would give her the highest exposure with the least amount of time. If she has an article, to get the highest exposure to her name, that article must be sent and published at a place where there are lots of readers. If she is going to do a public appearance, that appearance must be at a venue and event when there are a high number of participants. Don't go for the smaller ones. Find the one that would expose you the most. All this takes a lot of thinking and we need to strategize.
The other hindrance you mentioned is inability to travel. In this case, I believe we must capitalize on two things – technology and leveraging. I must admit that 60 to 80 percent of my writing and promoting is done on the net. Use that. It is cheap, most of the time free and we can expose our work to the world, insha Allah. And leverage. Find other authors that would want to partner with you in marketing and promoting. If you cannot be there physically, you can take the responsibility to, say, write a press release, email the press and media, identify events and contact the organizers, etc. Basically, you take charge of most of the background work and your partner or partners could do the traveling around promote your book together with their book. You can do bundling too, insha Allah.
Subhan Allah, I truly believe that there are tens if not hundreds of ways to do this. We just have to sit down and think together. Insha Allah, we will succeed.
AB: Do you have any other book projects planned?
Sis Zabrina: Yes, absolutely, alhamdulillah. I have got a few books under Life is an Open Secret series such as Life is an Open Secret for Women, teenagers and others. I am also writing a mini book, insha Allah that contain inspirational words and anecdotes of life.
Other than that, Life is an Open Secret e-book and audio book are in the pipeline, insha Allah.
AB: Jazaki Allahu khayran, Sis Zabrina. May Allah continue to bless your efforts.
Sis Zabrina: Wa eyyakum, insha Allah sister. Ameen to your prayers and may Allah bless us all with His Love, His Blessings, His Mercy and give us success in this world and hereafter, Ameen.
Copyright © 2008 by Christine Benlafquih. All Rights Reserved.
Christine (Amina) Benlafquih is a freelance writer and the current publications officer of the Islamic Writers Alliance. A former publications and public relations director, she lives in Morocco with her husband and six children. Read some of her online work at Arabisto.com and Suite101.com.
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Global Connections
IWA is a U.S. based organization with members from all parts of the globe. Our Spotlight IWA interview subject, Sis Zabrina, is Malay. Here are few facts about her homeland.
Country: Malaysia
Location: Southeast Asia
Bordering Countries: Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei and the Philippines
Population: 27 million
Where Sis Zabrina is from: Kuala Lumpur, the capital
Climate: Tropical
National Language: Malay
Sis Zabina's Languages: Malay, English, Arabic
National Religion: Islam; more than half of Malays are Muslim
Main Exports: natural rubber and palm oil
Example of a Famous Malaysian Dish: Satay (sweet and spicy meat on skewers)
Some of Sis Zabrina's Favorite Foods: Chocolate chip cookies and Magluba (a Palestinian/Jordanian dish)
Malay proverb:
To bend a bamboo, start when it is a shoot.
"Our ancestors had the opportunity to observe their surroundings and gather life lessons from them. One proverb reflected how they had observed the beautiful bamboo trees. Bamboo tress as we all know is very strong and hard. However, they observed that the bamboo shoot (Bamboo shoots are the edible shoots - new bamboo culms that come out of the ground) can be shaped and bent. Hence, they came up with the wonderful Malay proverb that reminds us that if we want to shape something – for example kids, new companies, new culture – we have to start early and not wait until it becomes big."
-- Sis Zabrina
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