In July, U.S.-based independent publisher Interlink Publishing announced that it was under new ownership: founders Michel and Ruth Moushabeck have passed Interlink on to their daughters Hannah, Leyla, and Maha, and son-in-law, Harrison Williams. Founded in 1987 and run out of Northampton, Massachusetts, the press puts out more than 70 titles a year, home to such award-winners as novelist Sefi Atta and cookbook author Yohanis Gebreyesu.
The founding of the family business, Michel told PW over a Zoom call with Hannah, began when “I started writing a book that nobody wanted to publish,” he laughed. “Coming to America from war-torn Beirut was quite a life changing experience for me. I quickly embraced the values…but I was really disappointed to learn how little people knew about where I came from. I wanted to bring [that] world closer to American readers.”
This goal rooted Interlink in translated literature. They have published works by such major Palestinian authors as Mahmoud Darwish and Adania Shibli. But, Michel noted, the appetite for translation—especially from the Arabic or works by North African francophone writers—hasn’t always been there. At the beginning, he said, “I could only sell copies to comparative literature classes.”
Since then, the tide has begun to turn for translated literature in the United States. This August, for instance, marked the 10th annual Women in Translation Month, meant to encourage readers to expand their shelves. And Michel now sits on the board for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction, established in 2007 and considered the world’s most prestigious award for Arabic fiction, often leading to translations for books on its shortlist. He confirms that the growing attention for works in translation has corresponded with growth in Interlink’s backlist.
How do you build a business on books that the public does not yet know they hunger for? The original backbone of Interlink’s publishing program was its Traveller’s Histories titles; part guidebook, part cultural history, and unique in the marketplace, there are now more than 30 titles in the series. Hannah reminded Michel of the role collective effort played in the press’s success, even in the early days: “You had mom at home doing primary care for your three children, and a big Arab family to support in every way—bringing books to a book festival, or packing books when orders came in too hot.” It is, after all, a family business.
Hannah said that the press’s interests developed as their family did: the children’s imprint arrived with her and her siblings, and as they grew older, feminist literature began to fill the lists. When asked how more commercial books, such as the Traveller’s Histories, fit alongside heady political titles, Michel asserted: “Even cookbooks are political.”
It is through the stewardship and editorial vision of Leyla Moushabeck that the cookbook list thrived. The press’s humanitarian cookbooks were launched with Soup for Syria, edited by Barbara Abdeni Massad, and the cookbook space provides a perfect example as to how Interlink’s innovations are not just of content but of form. Soup for Syria has since brought in more than half a million dollars in aid for Syrian refugees.
Hannah cited Maha’s expertise in business management as the savior of the press when the pandemic hit in 2020. Like most businesses, the unprecedented world shutdown proved a source of instability. Maha’s husband, Williams, helped give the Interlink website a functional, modern makeover that allowed for direct-to-consumer sales. And after inking a distribution deal with Simon and Schuster, Interlink has seen exponential growth in its reach.
The direction moving forward is not necessarily different—Interlink will stick to its ethos, but plans to bring out more books. Hannah worked in the marketing department at Simon & Schuster from 2021 until this past April; her leaving corporate publishing, she said, helped the final piece to fall into place for the new era at the press.
Hannah cited two forthcoming cookbooks as particular sources of excitement for the coming year. One, an exploration of the cuisine of Northern Mexico, emphasizes the importance of highlighting the variety within a nation’s cuisine “beyond the depiction of cultures as a monolith”; the other, from Great British Bakeoff competitor Ruby Bhogal, features baked goods, and provides both a classic and plant-based version of the recipe on each page.
Interlink is a Palestinian American–owned business, and its politics are clear, both in its books and in the actions of its founding family. In addition to fundraising for humanitarian causes, Interlink adheres to PACBI, the Palestinian Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel, as well as BDS (the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement) wherever possible. When asked how the heightened attention on Palestine has impacted their work, Hannah, who is also a children’s book author, noted that she has experienced acts of repression personally.
“[There was] the New York Post article about a Zionist couple systematically visiting every New York public library and removing books by Palestinians—two of which were ours: We Are Palestinian by Reem Kassis and Sitti’s Bird by Malak Mattar,” Hannah said. “Sean Hannity wrote an article that targeted my book [Homeland: My Father Dreams of Palestine] specifically, but he listed all the libraries in Florida that it was available at, which…backfired. I sold out!”
Still, she continued, “I’ve also since heard that my book has been challenged in all of the counties that he listed. It was very direct targeting [that] we have never seen at this level. There are now efforts to get any books that use the word Palestine taken out of schools and libraries. Of course that is impacting us.”
As Israel’s siege of Gaza escalated over the past year, Hannah added, “we sold out of almost every single one of our books on Palestine. But we also had books that we weren’t prepared to reprint because they’ve been slow sellers. There are books about Gaza where nothing in that book exists anymore. And so they have become a memorial…an archive of what was. We feel that it is so important to keep books like that in print.” That also means, she said, that in the case of reprints, updates to the material were necessary: “And of course, the genocide [in Gaza]—you have to mention it.”
As global solidarity with Palestine continues to mount, Hannah noted that Interlink has a particular opportunity to move its community beyond the page. The press now has a showroom in the company’s hometown of Northampton she hopes will become a community space. Over Zoom, Hannah shows off a fresh olive branch tattoo on her arm, a memento from a recent fundraiser Interlink held for the Middle Eastern Children’s Alliance to provide direct aid to Gaza.
“We had artists in our offices and in the showroom,” she said. “We had 30 people sign up for tattoos, and we raised $5,000. It was so special and beautiful. Interlink is becoming less of an online business, instead really engaging with the community it has. In short, we are a publishing house for the movement.”
