While many students share a love and passion for reading, some might decide to create their own books during their time in college. Working on a book is not an easy task. Students dedicate time and effort to their book and should be able to share their work with others afterwards.   

UT should provide students with scholarships that they can use to create, publish and market books of their own.

Public health and business junior Fariha Irfan recently published a children’s book called “I’m My Favorite Superhero.”

Irfan researched the process of publishing a book on the internet and published her book through Amazon. She did the graphic designs, artwork and writing herself, and recruited people she knew to look over and edit it. She believes that UT should provide students with resources when it comes to working on and publishing their books. 

“UT should have resources for that because it is something that’s enriching students’ college experience, their knowledge and their learning experience,” Irfan said. “They’re supposed to be helping their students in as many ways as they can.”

The process of working on, publishing and marketing a book can be costly, especially when external resources, such as professional designers or editors, are involved. The University should assist when students feel that they need to reach out to external resources for help or find which publishing or marketing route is the best one for them to take. 

Many students may lack the financial means necessary to create their book the way they want or to publish and market it. They may spend time and energy working on a book, only to end up not publishing it due to a lack of financial resources. Students should be able to share their creativity, ideas, imagination, experiences and values with others if they choose to without unnecessary financial strain.

UT should create scholarships for students who wish to create a book and demonstrate financial need. In the scholarship application, students can indicate their plans for their book, including external resources they may need. The scholarship should give up to $3,000, which is approximately the average cost for students to publish, depending on each individual’s needs for their book. 

The funds can be given out once students show a finalized draft of their book, excluding any work that they plan to have done by an external party, such as graphic designs. Additionally, UT can have students sign an agreement stating that they will use the money for book-related purposes, and that they will return an amount of the scholarship if their book is not published within a scheduled time frame. 

Despite interview requests, administration did not comment on the matter before the publishing of this column.  

It is beneficial for students to work on books and publish them, as it is an enriching learning experience that allows them to express and showcase different sides of themselves, such as their creativity. It also benefits UT, as having published student authors and illustrators would be a positive reflection of the support and encouragement provided to students. 

Students should be able to create books the way they want and showcase them if they choose to. However, that can be difficult due to financial restraints. UT should help students with these valuable academic ventures in any way possible. 

Kamal is an international relations and global studies and economics junior from Irving, Texas.