The Islamic Writers Alliance is pleased to start 2009 with new Board leadership -- and, of course, the latest issue of Islamic Ink.
Wondering who the new Board members are, and what IWA members have been up to? IWA Headlines is packed with this kind of news, showing just how busy IWA members have been in the last quarter of 2008. Be sure to read some of our members' creative work in the Reflections, Fiction and Poetry sections.
Looking for some inspiration as a writer? Catch up with novelist Irving Karchmar in this issue's Spotlight Interview, get a handle on web writing basics and the in The Tip Off, and learn why your copyright ownership may be at risk. And, don't forget to check out this issue's book reviews and writing and publishing news.
Content Disclaimer: Articles and external links posted in this bulletin do not necessarily represent the views of the Islamic Writers Alliance.
Islamic Writers Alliance Position Statement: The Islamic Writers Alliance unequivocally condemns all acts of terrorism against any persons or property.
The following members have been elected to serve a two-year IWA Board term, effective January 2009:
·Director: S. E. Jihad Levine (Sister Safiyyah)
·Assistant Director: Mahasin D. Shamsid-Deen
·Secretary: Balqees Mohammed
·Financial Officer: Linda D. (Widad) Delgado
·Marketing Officer: Zabrina bint Abu Bakar
The Islamic Writers Alliance extends gratitude to the outgoing 2007 to 2008 Board: Director Pamela Taylor, Assistant Director Mahasin D. Shamsid-Deen, Secretary S.E. Jihad Levine, Financial Officer Linda D. Delgado, Marketing Officer Irving Karchmar, and Publications Officer Christine (Amina) Benlafquih. Sister Amel S. Abdullah, who has served as IWA web administrator for the past year, will continue in her work-for-hire capacity in 2009.
New Islamic Ink Editor
The IWA Board has voted to move editorial responsibility of Islamic Ink Magazine from a volunteer effort to a work-for-hire position. Sister Umm Junayd bint Naeem will assume responsibility for Islamic Ink commencing with the April 2009 issue. Former editors were Sisters Christine (Amina) Benlafquih and Corey Habbas, who also served as publications officers.
2008 IWA Book Awards
In support of IWA's goal to promote literacy, it awards free books annually to a school (or schools) which demonstrates a commitment to Islamic literacy education. This year, IWA awarded a combined total of more than $500 to the SAMY Youth Group-SALAM weekend school for 14-18 year teens in California and to the Tawheed Prep Islamic School in Virginia.
IWA Non-Profit 501c3 Status
The Islamic Writers Alliance Board continues to work towards incorporation as a private non-profit foundation which supports and promotes literacy; IWA will also be filing for non-profit tax exemption. The Board asks for your continuing du'a as it works on this important project in 2009.
Islamic Fiction in E-Book Format
Sister Umm Junayd bint Naeem, owner of An-Najm Publishers (UK) and a columnist at SISTERS magazine, has teamed up with Sister Linda D. Delgado, owner of Muslim Writers Publishing (USA), to offer Islamic fiction novels in e-book format. Details on this project can be viewed at the e-books page on the An-Najm website.
Poetry Contest Winner
Brother Samuel (Zahid) Amico's poem "Forty Years" was named a winner of a contest sponsored by the Muslim Education Fund in Virginia. Bother Zahid owns and operates the online bookstore, Niche of Light.
Member Passes VA Bar Exam
Congratulations to Sister Debora McNichol, who recently passed the Virginia bar exam and is now licensed to practice law. In addition to studying for the North Carolina bar exam, Sister Debora owns and operates Sawa-Lad Editing Services.
New Moroccan Food Website
Sister Christine (Amina) Benlafquih reports that she has been hired as the guide to Moroccan Food at About.com. Visit the site to sign up for her free Moroccan Food newsletter. In October, she was also appointed Feature Writer on Islam at Suite101.com.
IWA Author Leads Writing Seminar for Students
In November, Sister Najiyah Diana Helwani (Umm Waheeb), author of Sophia's Journal: Time Warp 1857, along with members of her local writers group, held a writing seminar for elementary school students in Damascus, Syria. The effort engaged students in writing and "publishing" their own stories as part of Literature Week activities.
Master of the Jinn to be Translated into Croatian
Brother Irving Karchmar reports that work is underway to translate his novel, Master of the Jinn: A Sufi Novel, into the Croatian language. This marks the tenth translation of his novel from English into other languages. Recently, Master of the Jinn was was also translated into German. Updates on translations are available at the Master of the Jinn website.
Editing Work Completed
Sister Balqees Mohammed announces that she recently completed the editing of MisGod'ed and God'ed, by Laurence B. Brown, MD. Read Sister Balqee's personal impressions of the books in this issue's Book Review section.
Activity Books Published
IWA founder and Financial Officer Linda D. (Widad) Delgado announces the publication of Grandma & Hijab-Ez Family Activity Book, co-authored by IWA member and illustrator, Shirley Anjum. Sister Widad is also the award-winning author of the Islamic Rose book series and owner of Muslim Writers Publishing (MWP) and the Islamic Fiction Books website.
Muslim Chaplain Article and Workshop
Muslim chaplain and IWA Director S. E. Jihad Levine (Sister Safiyyah) reports that her article, "Muslim Chaplains in America - Voices From the First Wave," has been accepted for publication in the journal Reflective Practice: Formation and Supervision in Ministry. In addition, she is developing a workshop entitled, "The Role of the Prison Chaplain in the Forensic AOD Therapeutic Community (TC)" for the Pennsylvania Prison Chaplains Association (PPCA), of which she is an executive member.
Sister Safiyyah, who is a retired certified substance abuse counselor and certified clinical supervisor, is also a talented artist. An alumna of the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, she has begun exploring digital art, which can be viewed on her blog, Shaalom 2 Salaam: A Muslimah's Journey from Judaism to Islam.
Islamic History and Oral Traditions Blog
Sister Mehded Maryam Sinclair, author of Miraculous Happenings in the Year of the Elephant and the soon-to-be-released Trust of Treasures, announces a new blog, Nur Al Qasas (Light of the Spoken Word), in which she features Islamic history and oral traditions for children.
-- Compiled from Monthly Secretary Reports by S.E. Jihad Levine and Balqees Mohammed
Want to read more about IWA happenings and member accomplishments?
Irving Karchmar served as IWA's marketing director in 2008. He has been a writer, editor and poet for many years. A darvish of the Nimatullahi Sufi Order since 1992, Brother Irving writes the popular Darvish blog. Here, Brother Irving talks about his book, Master of the Jinn: A Sufi Novel.
Islamic Ink: As-salaamu alaykum wa rahmatullah. Thanks so much for sharing your time with Islamic Ink.
Brother Irving: It is my honor and my pleasure.
Islamic Ink: What inspired or prompted you to write Master of the Jinn? Had the story been brewing for a long time?
Brother Irving: The desire to write a novel had been a lifelong dream, but the idea for a story that would be interesting enough to consume me for so long did not come until six months after being initiated as a darvish of the Nimatullahi Sufi Order in 1992. I had been reading many Sufi texts and stories, and read about King Solomon's legendary ring. And as I was sitting in meditation one afternoon at the khaniqah, the Sufi house, it all came together. I remember thinking, "Now that is a good story idea!"
Islamic Ink: New writers will be interested to learn of your experience going from writer to published novelist. Can you explain how you published your book?
Brother Irving:Master of the Jinn took five years to write, another seven years of sending it out, having it rejected, re-editing it, sending it out again, etc. Since it was completed a few years after 9/11, it became apparent that trying to publish a Sufi novel containing spiritual and peaceful Muslim characters, no matter how well-written or interesting, was not going to happen, especially given the relentless commercialism of modern publishing which considered Sufism a niche topic, and not likely to be profitable.
Fortunately, technology by then caught up with my intention and I could publish it myself inexpensively. I therefore self-published it through BookSurge, a print-on-demand publisher (POD) in September 2004. BookSurge is now owned by Amazon.com.
Islamic Ink: Marketing of published books is increasingly falling into the laps of authors. What did you do, and what do you do, to actively market your book?
Brother Irving: Marketing any book, and especially a self-published one, is a consistent, daily activity. What is first needed is a good website to promote the book, one that has excerpts, reviews, readers' comments, an author bio, and ordering information; a place to direct potential customers. Then the real work begins.
In the beginning, I would devote many hours a day to it, gathering email lists from various Sufi Orders and other spiritual organizations, and sending out a form email to each promoting the book. I tried to send a hundred emails a day, and that worked for a year or so, until my email provider accused me of spamming.
I also sent out hundreds of free copies to anyone I thought could help promote the book – magazines, online reviewers, literary agents, etc. It all helped, and some did review the book. I also sent self-contained stories from the book to spiritual websites, and some were published with a link back to the book's website. It all helps to get the name out.
Finally, I became a little smarter and sent them the e-book instead, which is simply the PDF file of the book. It saves a lot of postage :) Eventually I started a blog called Darvish to showcase my writing, adding links to the book, excerpts, reviews, etc. Over the years, the blog has become an expression of my Sufi journey, and less about the book, though I often give away free e-books of Master of the Jinn through the blog for special occasions.
Islamic Ink: I remember learning that Master of the Jinn is being used in a college coursework. Can you tell a little about that? For example, did you market the book to universities or were you approached by a professor? What appeal does your book hold in the secular classroom?
Brother Irving: As part of my marketing effort, I sent copies of Master of the Jinn to many Islamic scholars in the hopes that some would use it in their classrooms, but nothing came of it, or so I thought. But I think all the books floating around found the right audience eventually. In the last year, four professors have emailed me; two to tell me they were using Master of the Jinn in a class on Sufism, as one of the books students could elect to read, and another, a professor in Oregon, said she used Master of the Jinn to teach an advanced Philosophy Great Ideas course. It seems to have been a success, since she is using the book again this semester. And a professor in New York emailed me and said he is using the book in a Sufism class, and asked if I could visit the class as a guest lecturer. Insha Allah, the book will be used more and more in classrooms.
Islamic Ink: Master of the Jinn has been translated from English into a number of other languages. Can you share with Islamic Ink readers the process of translating a work? For example, who initiates the translation – you, your publisher, or does a foreign publisher?
Brother Irving: All that marketing work did accomplish some positive results. Master of the Jinn has been translated and published in Russia, Turkey, Indonesia, Germany, and soon in Croatia. It has also been translated into Spanish, and I am now looking for a publisher in Spanish speaking countries. Future translations include Urdu, Lithuanian, and Japanese, insha Allah. And all of this was actually done online, by sending out emails, and also by asking for help on the Darvish blog. So it can be done; it just takes working every day on marketing and promotion.
Islamic Ink: You have a sequel to Master of the Jinn in the works. Can you drop any hints about the plot, or provide any news about when we might see it on the market?
Brother Irving: Well, to be honest, the sequel may never be finished. It may be that I have said all that I was given to say with Master of the Jinn. In any case, the inspiration has not come, and if it does not, there will not be a sequel. I cannot find it in myself to write just for sake of writing. If it does not have some inherent meaning to me, some truth, than I would rather not waste time or trees. Allah alone knows what is destined to be. So, insha Allah, the inspiration will come eventually.
Islamic Ink: What advice can you offer to aspiring novelists and to Muslim writers in particular?
Brother Irving: To be a Muslim is, in the most real sense, to serve Allah in everything you do. To be a Muslim writer, therefore, is to tell the truth as best you can, in the best way you are able. On the Sufi path this is a lifelong task. And also, hone your writing skills, take classes, read great writing in your field of interest. The task of any writer, Muslim or not, is not only to tell a compelling story on paper, but to add some kernel of understanding to the human experience.
And don't rush yourself. Deadlines are creative traps. Let the story unfold in its own time. Sometimes I would wait for six months between inspirations, until I had read enough or learned enough, or something happened in my life and meditation that led me to the next sentence. It was a process of learning and becoming, of growing with the book.
Honestly, writing Master of the Jinn, the entire experience, was the best time in my life. And I pray that it will be the same for any writer struggling to tell a story who chances to read these words.
You will get there with practice and patience, with love of writing and what you are writing about, and by the grace and mercy of Allah. There is no other way to get anywhere worth going.
Christine (Amina) Benlafquih served as the publications officer of the Islamic Writers Alliance in 2007 and 2008. A former publications and public relations director, she works as a freelance writer from Morocco, where she lives with her husband and six children. Read some of her online work at Moroccan Food at About.com, Suite101.com and Arabisto.com.
Enith Morillo was born in Venezuela and came to the US when she was 15 to pursue higher education. During her first year in college, she was introduced to Islam by Muslims from all over the world, and was guided to revert to the natural fitrah. She is an engineer by profession, a mother of two, stepmother of three, and loves to read and write. Her writing spans from poetry centered on both Islamic and secular topics, to technical pieces on pharmaceuticals. A lover of reading and the written word, she aspires to become a published poet, and to establish a non-profit mentoring network for Muslim professionals and protégés. To read about her Umrah experience, please visit her blog, Umrah Through My Soul.
Fawzia Gilani-Williams
Fawzia Gilani-Williams is the author of more than a dozen Islamic books for children, including The Jilbab Maker's Eid Gift, Husna and the Eid Party, The Lost Ring, and Ismat the Shoemaker – A Tale for Eid. Born and raised in England, Sister Fawzi now resides in Ohio (USA) with her husband and daughter where she works as a reference librarian and educational consultant. Prior to that, she worked in administrative and teaching positions in Islamic schools in the United States and England. She holds a B.Ed. Primary Education and Religious Studies and a M. Phil in Historical Studies and Islamic Studies.
Dr. Freda Crane Shamma
The co-author of Ayat Jamilah: Beautiful Signs; A Treasury of Islamic Wisdom, Dr. Freda Crane Shamma has been involved in raising and educating Muslim children for the last 40 years. She earned her EdD degree from the University of Cincinnati (Ohio), and is currently the Curriculum Director of the Foundation for the Advancement and Development of Learning (FADEL) in Cincinnati. A mother of five, she is the author of numerous articles, including "Teaching Your Child About Islam", and frequently lectures on issues concerning children.
News briefs from the world of writing and publishing
Fiction Reading Up After Years of Decline
The National Endowment for the Arts reported in January that fiction reading in the United States is finally on the rise, reversing a quarter-century old decline in literacy. The report, titled "Reading on the Rise: A New Chapter in American Literacy," is based on data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2008, which began noting in 1982 the proportion of Americans age 18 and over who said that they had read at least one short story, novel, poem or play in the past 12 months. Although the current proportion is still less than statistics from 10 and 20 years ago, the upturn is encouraging news to the struggling publishing industry.
Google Print Library Project Update
Google caused an uproar in the publishing industry several years ago when it scanned copyrighted material from hundreds of books and made the information available online without the copyright holders' permission. Two years later, the proposed settlement threatens to change the face of U.S. copyright law. Be sure to read "Your Copyright Ownership Rights" to learn more about this very important issue for writers, publishers and illustrators.
Signs of the Times - More Magazines Fold
The U.S. economic crisis and the advance of digital media have hit the magazine publishing industry hard. In early February, Doubledown Media shut down, ending its short era of publishing magazine titles such as Trader Monthly and Private Air for an elite Wall Street readership. Here's a roundup of some other magazines that folded in 2008: Domino (Conde Nast), Teen (Hearst Magazines), Wondertime (Walt Disney Publishing), Electronic Game Monthly (Ziff Davis Media), Country Home (Meredith Corp.), Green Guide (National Geographic), PC Magazine (Ziff Davis), SI Latino (Time, Inc.), Cottage Living (Time, Inc.), Men's Vogue (Conde Nast), CosmoGirl (Hearst Magazines), Home (Hachette Filipacchi), Golf for Women (Conde Nast), and Luxury Spa Finder (Spa Finder).
Magazine Sharing Website Live Again
Mygazines.com had barely been born before it shut down under charges of copyright infringement after it encouraged registered users to copy, upload and share copyright-protected magazines they had purchased. However, Mygazines.com has recently gone live again, albeit under claims of a new "legit" digital strategy. Sound fuzzy? Perhaps just to skeptics -- or to hard-working writers concerned about unnerving trends in online copyright infringement.
The Internet is revolutionizing how people read, research and get their news. As an increasing number of people turn daily to the world wide web for work, school and pleasure, it's no surprise that print publications are folding left and right.
The impact this has on writing careers is both frightening and exciting. Writing for print is becoming more competitive, but conversely opportunities on the Internet are expected to continue to grow. If you're interested in making the transition from print to web writing, you'll need to let go of certain writing standards and practices and focus on a different set of skills that will enable your article, blog or web site to stand out among the billions of pages that compete for web surfers' attention.
It's All About Search Engines
Sure your blog can get a following by word-of-mouth, but if you're writing for more than just personal pleasure you'll want to craft your piece in such a way that readers will find your work when they do a search via Google, Yahoo or another major search engine. However, the goal is not just to see your article "Feeding and Caring for a Baby Monkey" listed somewhere on Google -- how often do you look at page 10, 20 or more of a search result -- it's to try to get Google to place your article on the first page, or even in the top three listings, for a search How you do that is through a process called "optimizing" your writing, or Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
Optimization and Keywords
To optimize your writing, you'll need to identify which words and phrases are most likely to be searched in relation to your article's topic – these search terms are called "keywords" -- and then write your article with a focus on repeating those words and phrases throughout the writing.
Sound repetitious? It is! This is one kind of writing where repetition is necessary and OK. Your keywords need to repeat several times throughout the article in order for search engines to nudge your article towards the top of the pack in a search for those words. To avoid sounding like a broken record -- or a lousy writer -- use discretion in repeating keywords -- they can be used in the title, subtitle, sub-heads, and body text.
In the sample article title above, "caring for baby monkeys" and "feeding baby monkeys" would be obvious keywords. These might be varied some way in the article with similar terms, such as "food for baby monkeys" or "what to feed a baby monkey" or "monkey food"; or they may be expanded upon, such as "what to do when your baby monkey gets sick" or "common diseases of pet monkeys". Those new phrases can become keywords as well. Do try to limit how many keywords you actually use, as too many keywords can diminish their effectiveness, and don't go overboard and try to repeat the same keyword in every sentence or even every paragraph.
Transparent Titles and Subheads
One of the most important SEO skills you can develop is to write headlines that are "transparent" rather than creative. This means that your titles should concisely state what an article is about. "Bananas and Blankets: Setting Up House for Little Tree Climbers" may spark some interest for a print article, but "Feeding and Caring for a Baby Monkey" is the transparent title with keywords that will pull in Internet readers searching for that kind of information.
Short Paragraphs and Short Article Length
Write your article, blog post, or web site content in short, un-indented paragraphs with double spaces between them. Long paragraphs tend to look tedious on a computer screen. Likewise, try to keep the content short and on-topic. The entire length of your copy should ideally fall between several hundred and one thousand words. Consider breaking longer articles into shorter, focused pieces to avoid being too wordy.
Easy-to-Read Layout
Web readers won't give your writing more than a glance before deciding whether to read on. In addition to using short paragraphs, use techniques which draw readers' eyes to important information or topics:
·Bulleted or numbered lists when appropriate
·Bold-face subheadings to identify key themes and break up the text
·Indented quotes
·Choose easy-to-read non-serif fonts like Arial or Verdana
·Limited use of italics or bold within paragraphs
·Photos, graphs, charts or graphics that are relevant (Hint: Use keywords in their captions as well.)
Inbound and Outbound Links
When appropriate, place links to related content both on-site and off-site. Be judicious – you only want on-topic links which are beneficial to the reader. Search engines, although mysterious in how they rank, seem to favor pages which have inbound and outbound links. If you don't have a way to generate inbound links, consider contacting web sites and blogs to reciprocate links.
When you do link, be sure to embed the link in the text rather than providing an exposed url. For example, a reader should find a link to So You Think You Want a Monkey? and not http://primatesanctuary.tripod.com/boonhome/monkey.html. And err on the side of caution -- use only a few links so that the reader isn't distracted and you're not mysteriously penalized by search engines.
Increasing Traffic and Page Views
Internet writers are sometimes successful in increasing traffic and page views to their sites by using social networks such as Twitter and Facebook. Likewise, some writers create Squidoo "lens" or establish separate blogs to direct traffic to their online work elsewhere. Be warned that while these can be valuable, especially if you're monetizing your own blog or web site, they can become time-consuming and a distraction. If you're running a web site or blog, improving and increasing keyword-rich
