“Work isn’t everything, love is more important. No matter how bad it is, how hard it gets, stick together and support each other… and be happy.”
— Neven Eltohamy & Mohamed Gameel, Founders of Kayan Publishing
Journalism: Dr. Mahmoud Mansi
Kayan Publishing, established in 2013 in Egypt (Official Website), is a leading Arabic publishing house focused on literary books. It aims to advance Arab culture, promote reading, and support emerging writers through quality content and innovative distribution. Kayan’s goals include global market penetration and strengthening Arabic literature’s global presence. Their 2025–2026 plans feature audiobooks, EPUB formats, social media content, and eco-friendly practices. The company has received several prestigious awards and published numerous acclaimed titles. Co-founded by married couples Mohamed Gamil Sabry and Neven Eltohamy, Kayan continues to shape the literary landscape in Egypt and the Arab world through cultural impact and innovation.
Neven Eltohamy is a board member of the Egyptian Publishers Association since 2023—the first woman elected in 12 years. A law graduate from Cairo University, she transitioned to publishing in 2012. She co-founded several publishing companies in Egypt and the UAE. Neven has participated in major book fairs and conferences, delivering talks on publishing management. Her companies have published award-winning works by prominent Arab and international authors. She received multiple accolades, including Best Arab Publisher. Her work has been featured in international media, and she remains a leading voice in the development of the Arab publishing industry.
Mohamed Gamil Sabry, a seasoned publisher since 2007, is the founder and general manager of Kayan Publishing (Egypt and UAE) and Makan Productions. He has participated in major publishing events like the Sharjah and Frankfurt Book Fairs and was a speaker at AI-focused conferences. His companies have published renowned Arab and international authors and won multiple prestigious awards. Kayan Publishing received accolades including Best Arab Publisher (2023, 2025). Numerous titles published under his leadership have won or been shortlisted for notable literary prizes. His work has been featured in international media, and he has appeared on prominent radio and T.V. programs.
Women of Saudi Arabia: Congratulations on winning Saudi Arabia’s Golden Pen Award as the Best Arab Publisher! Tell us more about the vibes of this day, and tell us how those vibes and experince will be shaping the future vision of Kayan?
N. Eltohamy & M. Gameel: It was an amazing day, stunning and on the same level of international celebrations like Oscars and Cannes. We loved everything about it, as we believe it was about time that publishing and books have something that prestigious. being there made us feel recognized, easing all the pain and hard work for years and years. This changed our view for the publishing landscape, which is now more connected to the Cinema and T.V. industry which we think will boost our efforts to publish and produce better books in the future.
Women of Saudi Arabia: With Saudi’s new evolution and 2030 Vision, what was the most thing that grabbed your attention and inspired you as visitors to the Kingdom?
N. Eltohamy & M. Gameel: As it wasn’t our first time in Saudi Arabia and Riyadh, Mohamed actually lived and studied in Taif for years, and he saw how much change happened in the last few years, and how there is a fast pace to get better and conquer uncharted territories not in just the world of business but also in Cinema, Tourism, and Cultural activities. all driven by a great vision of reaching the goal of achieving the 2030 Saudi Arabia Vision.
Women of Saudi Arabia: Could you share the yet unpublished story of Kayan Publishing House; what inspired you to establish it, why the name “Kayan”, and what is its “purpose”?
N. Eltohamy & M. Gameel: The untold story is so simple; it’s about a boy and a girl who fell in love with each other and fell in love long before that with books… that’s why we gave our all… with a long-term aim to bring Arabic publishing to its real potential, to really compete globally… We “as Arabs” do have a lot of amazing stories and great writers that deserve to be recognized everywhere. About the name “Kayan”, it represents what we hope to achieve… a goal to make a huge global “Entity”.
Women of Saudi Arabia: Winning this award in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a significant achievement, among robust publishing houses across the region. What do you think are the competitive advantages that made Kayan standout and win this award?
N. Eltohamy & M. Gameel: We think the diversity of our publications and translations was the biggest factor, also choosing the best translators and working with the best writers is something we always pay attention to… When we talk about the best writers we don’t just think about the well-known or most influencing, we also search for new ideas and great potential in new ones, and of course trying to reach out for all the potential readers in the world.
Women of Saudi Arabia: Masha Allah and Kudus to both of you for being able to sequentially manage your personal and professional lives. We want our readers to learn more from your experience. Let us assume now you are both certified relationship coaches, and are giving advice to married couples who are business partners at the same time, what would these tips be?
N. Eltohamy & M. Gameel: Mohamed answers this, “That’s easy, she is always the Boss even if it’s not said.” But really laughs aside, we think it’s that we treat each other’s equally, and we trust each other, we divide the tasks and obligations and we support each other. and more importantly we do everything honestly and with respect for each other. So, the advice is as simple as that, work isn’t everything, love is more important, no matter how bad it is, how hard it gets, stick together and support each other, don’t care about what people see or say… and be happy…
Women of Saudi Arabia: As entrepreneurs, have you faced any distinctive challenges in the book publishing field, and how have you overcome them to have this outreach and multiple success stories?
N. Eltohamy & M. Gameel: Yes, in fact we have had a lot of challenges during our years in publishing, most we have overcome but some are still there… We faced logistical challenges, book fairs challenges, problems concerning the sustainability and digital transformation and of course our biggest nemesis till today “pirated and counterfeit books”, a problem that we are currently trying to stand to with the help of other publishers and organizations in the whole MENA region. We believe that we can overcome anything together and the more publishers are united, the less problems we might face. A Lot of these challenges and more we already have conquered by learning more, meeting, discussing and asking friends and experts in publishing, participating in fellowships and publishing programs and always thinking out of the box.
Women of Saudi Arabia: You have dedicated the award to your sweet baby daughter Maria – may Allah bless her. How does Maria inspire you both at your lives and work?
N. Eltohamy & M. Gameel: Well, Maria is our best achievement in life… 4 years ago she was diagnosed as an autistic child… and that was so hard at first to comprehend, yet she is our happiness and ultimately our goal is to make her happy and be there for her. So, no matter how hard things get work wise. With a simple hug and smile she makes us happy and satisfied. That’s why we dedicated the award to her.
Women of Saudi Arabia: From your expertise, what are the new trends in modern Arab literature, and how can it impact the readers and community?
N. Eltohamy & M. Gameel: In an ever-changing field, we have to always be ready to change, to adapt. Whatever is trending now isn’t going to be there after a year or too, or at least not with the same intensity. But, to be honest we have a slightly different opinion about that, we believe that publishers can make a trend too, so regarding something like the rise of the Fantasy books in the Arabic region. only few publishers worked that and we are proud to be one of those publishers. And still, if you do something right, it will stay for years, carving your name in the minds of your readers. We are specially focused on two genres “Fantasy” & “Sci-Fi” which we know can affect the readers and communities greatly, those two genres help expand your imagination, which we believe is the main drive to shape the future of our countries and societies.
Women of Saudi Arabia: With the existence of a wide range of podcasts, YouTube channels, digital magazines, and social media content, are people in the Arab region still interested in reading long text books? What are your insights and observations about that?
N. Eltohamy & M. Gameel: Yes of course, there is a huge difference between reading and any other kind of entertainment, whether it is on Paper or eBook or even Audio. and we do not believe people are going to abandon reading because “again” the imagination, as you read you can imagine the whole world, and that’s something you can’t find with any other kind of entertainment. So yes, people are still reading long books and probably will do as long as we live, as you can see that in Riyadh Book Fair or Cairo Book fair with millions of visitors.
Women of Saudi Arabia: As a Saudi female enablement and empowerment magazine, we would love to hear your insights and opinions on the role of Arab women in the publishing industry.
N. Eltohamy & M. Gameel: An important role with a lot of Women in the Arabic publishing industry yet still not enough, which we think can be a lot bigger in the next few years. Studies say that the global publishing industry have more than 77% of its force consisting of women with almost 56% in management. and we don’t believe it’s more than 20-30% in the Arabic region yet. In Kayan our work force is 50% women, and we are proud of that.
Women of Saudi Arabia: Any special plans you have for Saudi Arabia after winning this award?
N. Eltohamy & M. Gameel: We had plans for the Saudi Arabian market even before the award, after the Award this is more confirmed than before and we are working on it right now, yet we would prefer to keep it close to our chests for the time being, and as a surprise to the intellectual community soon.
Women of Saudi Arabia: What message would you like to share with aspiring writers, especially women, who dream of being published but fear the challenges of the industry?
N. Eltohamy & M. Gameel: Don’t stop trying, being published may not be easy, and it’s a lot harder to really find success as a writer, yet it’s a lot easier now with the help of social media and respective publishers… It’s amazing how many female writer’s names are now shining in Arabic publishing. so don’t fear the unknown, and don’t let anyone stop you. if you want to do it… You can do it.
Thank You 🙂
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