My-Linh Kunst
Beyond Borders: Portraits of American Women from around the World celebrates "seemingly ordinary" American women living abroad, who have assimilated into the culture of their host nations and achieved something meaningful in their chosen path. It is a wonderful coffee-table book and the creative brainchild of photographer My-Linh Kunst, in collaboration with Charlotte Fox Zabusky, writer and fellow FAWCO member.
Beyond Borders was launched as a photographic book and accompanying exhibition (2008-2010) about the power to go beyond borders to make things happen, and about the necessary sacrifices and well-deserved triumphs along the way. It is a tribute to the adaptability, inventiveness, and perseverance of these women, who along with millions of other women just like them, believed they could "make a difference" in the world... and did.
Expat Women's Interview With My-Linh
Expat Women: My-Linh, your ambitious book project involved sifting through the many nominations received through FAWCO's global call for inspirational women, then interviewing and photographing 30 women in 20 cities in 15 countries. Please share with us more about your whirlwind of activity to create this book. |
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My-Linh: Yes, Beyond Borders came together very quickly. Within a year, the project went from its initial conception to a published book and touring exhibit.
I suggested the book idea at the FAWCO (Federation of American Women's Clubs Overseas) annual conference in March 2007. The following month, my request for nominations went out to the 15,000 members of FAWCO. By July, 30 women had been invited to be in the book. They come from 20 cities in 15 countries around 5 areas of the world. The next four months were a blur of air travels, photo shoots, and interviews. I traveled a few days every week, causing my husband to develop a new respect for single parenting as he steadfastly took care of our two young children. By October, I had finished the photo shoots, Charlotte finished the write-ups two months later, and by February 2008, the book designer had sent everything to the printer. In March 2008, the exhibit opened and the book was launched in Seoul, Korea at the 2008 FAWCO Conference – just one year later. |
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Expat Women: What were some of your most memorable moments from the experience? |
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My-Linh: Besides my special day with each of these inspiring women, my most memorable moments were when the first palette of books was delivered to my house, and when the exhibit was unveiled at the Opening in Seoul. I was overwhelmed by feelings of accomplishment, pride and joy. |
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Expat Women:What challenges did you face on this book's journey and how did you overcome them? |
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My-Linh: My main challenge was funding. This project is self-funding and a labor of love. Pro-bono and at-cost work from key collaborators (writer, print-manager, book designer, printer) helped. Pre-orders gave me the confidence to go to print. And being affiliated with an organization like FAWCO ensured a network for PR. |
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Expat Women: What advice can you offer to similarly ambitious photographers and authors who dream of one day collating a book with multiple interviewees? |
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My-Linh: Beyond Borders was indeed a very ambitious project, but as someone once said to me "Once you decide to do something, the universe will conspire to help you". My tips are: |
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Have a clear vision and make the commitment to your end product; |
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Set aggressive deadlines and have strong project management. If you cannot do this, enlist someone who can help you; |
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Recruit talented collaborators. Do not be afraid to inspire people to help you; |
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Self-publish. For non-photographic books, the cost is very reasonable: you can control your inventory and recoup your investment relatively quickly; and |
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Promote! Promote! Promote! Count on spending many hours on promoting your project. Again, if you cannot do this, enlist someone else to help. |
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Expat Women: In terms of book promotion, which strategies worked best for you and which would you do differently next time? |
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My-Linh: What worked best was having people pre-order the book and get their names printed on the back as "Friends of Beyond Borders". I was very encouraged by the number of pre-orders I got. Of course, bringing the exhibit to different locations (through FAWCO member clubs) also brought the book to life. Being on Amazon adds credibility to a self-published book and having a professional website is a must.
I wish I had spent more time on PR after publication. As a creative, my interest was to do the project, not to sell the book or the exhibit afterwards, and I find "self-promotion" difficult. I wish I had hired/ enlisted the help of a PR professional who would spend the time. There are many, many ways to promote on the web, as well as organizations to write to. |
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Expat Women: What's the next project for My-Linh Kunst? |
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My-Linh:Besides working as a portrait photographer, I have several projects in the works, as part of my goal to highlight gender-based violence through photography. More details to come. |
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Expat Women:My-Linh, thank you very much for sharing with us your experience in creating, launching and promoting Beyond Borders. We wish your book every ongoing success and we hope to see more books from you in the future! |
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