Welcome to The Stationer
A brand-new newsletter from the Young Stationers.
Letter from the Publisher
We are living in an unprecedented era of content and communication. Information, data, entertainment – it’s all there, right at our fingertips, all the time. When was the last day you went without watching a video on your phone? Sending a text? Opening Twitt… (oh wait.)
But we are not just living it: we – young pioneers in our industry sectors – are creating it. Editing it. Publishing it. Printing it. Packaging it. Marketing it. Selling it. Protecting it. We are the current and future custodians of content and communication.
This is something to celebrate, share and discuss. Yet, there is currently no platform that offers such a facility. Quite ironic for our industry. Perhaps we are so focused on content that communicates outwards, that we forget to look inwards, to reflect and self-inform.
Hence, The Stationer. This new, pioneering newsletter aims to apprise, inspire and empower the next generation of industry innovators.
We will fulfil this aim by providing the latest news and trends from across industry sectors; celebrating the achievements of those making a positive difference in their profession; serving as a resource for career development by highlighting opportunities for young people, including jobs, apprenticeships, grants and competitions; and sharing expert insights through exclusive features and interviews.
In our first piece we speak to Mohammad Masoud, a former bookseller at London’s oldest Arabic bookstore who, looking to fill the void left by its recent closure, is running an appeal to raise money for a new and ambitious project.
The Stationer is proud to publish under the banner of The Stationers’ Company, from which so many fantastic industry opportunities are provided. Our editor, Bill Bowkett, found invaluable journalism experience through The Shine School Media Awards, sponsored and organised by The Stationers’ Foundation. I, on the other hand, was a recipient of the Company’s Postgraduate Bursary Award. We are determined to help fellow young professionals discover and access these priceless, charitable openings.
I hope you agree that this is an incredibly exciting project. If you are interested in contributing to The Stationer, or simply fancy connecting and having a chat, please do drop me an email at robert.wilding96@gmail.com. Ta.
Rob Wilding, Chair of the Young Stationers. He posts @robwilding96.
Note from the Master of The Stationers’ Company
‘I am delighted to support a fresh initiative from our Young Stationers.
We live in a world that is continually changing in terms of message, means of communication and audience. The one constant is that today’s young are tomorrow’s leaders and this is as true of The Stationers’ Company as anywhere else.
As a leading livery company, it is our hope that The Stationer will reach a young online community in the world of content and communications that our other publications have yet to reach.’
Tony Mash, Master of the The Stationers’ Company.
Maqam Books: the ‘dream’ to save London’s Arabic book scene
WHEN Al Saqi bookshop in Bayswater, London closed at the end of last year, the Arab community lamented its loss. Opened in 1978 by André and Salwa Gaspard and Mai Ghoussoub, three friends who fled war-torn Lebanon for Britain, Al Saqi emerged as Europe’s largest Middle Eastern books specialist; a cultural gem nestled in the trendy suburb of Notting Hill.
However, recent economic challenges — such a surge in book prices in Lebanon, exacerbated by the pandemic and Port of Beirut explosion in August 2020 — hit Al Saqi harder than ever before. On December 31, 2022 its owners shut up shop for the very last time.
Now a former Al Saqi employee is ‘fundraising a dream’: to replace the void left behind by the city’s oldest Arabic bookstore. Mohammad Masoud, 29, is running an appeal to raise money for Maqam Books, an ambitious project he describes as a ‘youth-led bookshop and community space’.
Born on a former Palestinian refugee camp in Amman, Masoud was taught to read by his mother Oum-Farah when he was five and quickly immersed himself in rare Arabic texts. He said that one of his favourite books he read growing up was The Book of Ingenious Devices — an illustrated work about inventions from 9th century Baghdad, published in 850 by three brothers of Persian decent, known as the Banū Mūsā (‘Son’s of Moses’).
Masoud told The Stationer: ‘During my upbringing, I was basically reading all the time. Sometimes, I would go and play hide and seek with my cousins and they would end up finding me reading a book.’
After finishing school, Mohammad went on to work at Jordan’s prestigious Abdul Hameed Shoman Library — named after the founder of Arab Bank — before moving to the UK to work at Al Saqi in 2020.
‘I had the best two years of my life at Al Saqi until its last day,’ Masoud said. ‘Losing such an institution was a big loss… it is tough to see that there isn’t an alternative.’
Just weeks after Al Saqi went out of business, Masoud launched a crowdfunding appeal to launch a spiritual successor. Maqam — which in Arabic translates to ‘the place’ — hopes to sell an array of works across different languages, while supporting publishers from the Southwest Asia and North Africa (Swana) region.
But Masoud wants Maqam to be more than just a bookstore. He wants the store to be a café, community hub, events centre and home for up-and-coming authors and artists to exhibit their works. ‘You can almost hear Arabic everywhere in London,’ Mohammad said, alluding to London’s 150,000-strong Arab population.
‘You can also see how many Brits are interested in the language who don't speak it in the first place. Unfortunately, there is no one to cater for this market.’
So far, Masoud’s Maqam campaign has managed to raise nearly £15,000 — enough to design a website and to stock and sell his first collection of books online. His ‘milestone’ is £90,000 to cover hiring a team and set up shop for a full year.
He said: ‘My aim is to not only own a bookshop, but to sustain it for generations.’
The crowdfunding campaign is currently live on JustGiving.
Bill Bowkett, Editor of The Stationer. He posts @bill_bowkett.
Industry takeaways
Elon Musk is planning to remove headlines from news articles shared on his social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. He has also urged journalists to publish content directly on X, promising ‘more freedom to write and a higher income’. The Guardian has the details.
Attaining a blurb from a prominent name for a book’s cover is a common and useful practice in publishing. However, there have been greater calls for this industry exercise to be reviewed following criticism levelled at Jordan Peterson’s Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life (Allen Lane), for which negative quotes were spliced into positive endorsements.
Does Artificial Intelligence (AI) have a place in printing? A recent poll found that 9% of respondents were already using it, while 12% planned to in the future. PrintWeek’s Richard Stuart-Turner suggests that, whilst early adopters are urging others to get a grip on its transformative potential sooner rather than later, ‘it can be wise to proceed with caution in its early days’ until its capability is proven.
Meanwhile, ministers have written to bosses of firms across the UK’s creative sector regarding ‘concerns’ over advancing AI technology and copyright infringement. The Government is currently working on an AI white paper and is set to host the world’s first global AI summit in November. The Financial Times has the scoop.
Multisensory packaging is winning over younger consumers, reports Packaging News. Look, touch and smell should all be considered as Gen-Z crave tangible connections more than ever. The same demographic, who have grown up in a more ‘eco-conscious’ world, is also demanding sustainable packaging made from bamboo, cork, bio-based compostable materials and recycled plastics.
Opportunities board
PR and communications firm Luther Pendragon are looking to hire a graduate trainee with a passion for media and politics. Apply by September 1.
Creative Access’s Positive Action scheme (for under-represented groups) is promoting a management assistant internship at independent artist management company Everybody’s Management. Clientele includes Baby Queen, Jack Garratt, Keane and Sarah Kinsley. The closing date is September 10.
The Continuing drama writer internship at ITV Academy offers four budding script writers the opportunity to work an exciting 12-week trial contract on two of Britain’s much-loved shows, Emmerdale (Leeds) and Coronation Street (Manchester). Applications close September 24.
An apprenticeship to train as a library assistant has opened up at King’s College London (Maughan Library). You'll have the unique opportunity to work in Frontline Services, Special Collections and Archives teams. Apply by September 8.
Entries for Young Travel Photographer of the Year 2023 are open until October 1. Prizes include £500 and Royal Photographic Society membership.
5 minutes with… Maria Nae
With every edition of The Stationer, we speak to a young professional working in the Communications and Content industries. This week, Emily Dexter sat down with Maria Nae, UK & Europe Sales & Marketing Coordinator at Ingram Content Group.
Click HERE to watch the full interview…
The Stationer is edited by Bill Bowkett. Please send thoughts, feedback and corrections to bill.bowkett@btinternet.com. Follow the Young Stationers on Facebook, X and Instagram. For more information, visit www.stationers.org/company/young-stationers.