Nour Jarrar spent more than seven years in Dubai’s fast moving agency world. That time exposed her to a wide variety of clients across many industries. She learned how to manage projects, work with tight deadlines, and lead creative teams. These early years shaped her professional discipline and gave her the tools to imagine something bigger than a single book.
A personal project becomes a public testament
When Nour created her coffee table book, The State of Mind Palestine, she did not only make an object. She created a vessel for memory. The book gathers vintage photographs and personal visual accounts that reach back decades. For Nour it was deeply personal. It told the story of home through portraits, family scenes, maps, and moments that are easy to overlook but impossible to forget once they are seen together.
Publishing that book was also a challenge. Nour entered the world of publishing not by following an established path but by carving one for herself. The work required her to learn new systems, to coordinate design, printing, reproduction, and distribution. It also demanded emotional labour. The book stands as both artistic work and historical document, and Nour treated it with the care such a combination requires.
Founding NJPH: a response to a gap
While working on her own project, Nour noticed a significant gap in the regional publishing landscape. Traditional models often felt limiting to authors who wanted more transparency and control. She felt that many talented writers and creators did not have access to modern, flexible publishing options that match the digital age and the region’s evolving creative economy.
This insight led to the founding of NJPH. The aim is simple and ambitious at once. Nour wants to offer authors in the region a modern alternative. NJPH is structured to give creators more decision making power, clearer processes, and better visibility into how their work moves from concept to shelf. It is an approach Nour calls modern publishing, and it is built on the lessons she learned in corporate life: clear planning, accountability, and a results driven mindset.
The discipline of publishing
Publishing taught Nour patience. She is someone who loves to work fast and see immediate results. Publishing, by contrast, is layered and slow. A book might require months of research, many rounds of design, careful printing tests, and logistical coordination.
This discipline did not dilute her drive. It refined it. Where she once sought quick wins she now channels energy into long term value. The result is a publishing model that balances speed with craft, efficiency with respect for detail. For authors, that means work that is both well made and delivered with clarity.
A vision rooted in identity and inspiration
At the heart of Nour’s work is a clear vision. She aims to showcase the lifestyles, struggles, achievements, and current realities of people whose stories deserve broader attention. Her goal is to inspire readers by showing lived experience rather than simplified narratives. For Nour, publishing is not just a commercial act. It is a cultural mission.
The State of Mind Palestine is an example of that mission in action. The book invites readers to confront history through familiar human scenes. It offers a counterweight to narratives that erase or simplify the lived presence of a people. Through images and careful curation, the work reaffirms memory, identity, and dignity.
Modern publishing as empowerment
NJPH’s approach is framed around author empowerment. Nour believes that giving creators more control over their work fosters better outcomes across the board. Authors who retain creative agency often produce work that feels truer and resonates more deeply with readers. Transparency in costs and decisions builds trust. Faster, clearer communication keeps momentum.
Nour’s background in agencies taught her how to create systems that scale. She applies that same thinking to publishing by introducing workflows that are intuitive for authors yet comprehensive enough for serious editorial standards. The ambition is to make publishing less daunting and more accessible without compromising on quality.
Balancing speed with care
A repeated lesson for Nour has been the value of balance. She enjoys immediate impact and measurable progress, but she also respects the time it takes to do something well. Publishing taught her to marry urgency with quality control. That combination is central to NJPH and to Nour’s personal ethos.
Her process often begins with rapid ideation and disciplined planning. From there, projects move into carefully staged production phases that allow for checks without stagnation. The result is a workflow that respects both the author’s desire for momentum and the craft’s requirement for patience.
Leadership shaped by empathy
Running a publishing house requires more than business skill. It demands sensitivity to creative temperaments, historical contexts, and cultural nuances. Nour’s leadership style reflects that awareness. She places importance on listening and on shaping processes that support authors emotionally as well as professionally.
Nour shares a verse from the Quran that grounds her work: Allah does not burden a soul beyond its capacity. This tenet informs how she manages pressure .
What this means for authors and readers
For authors, NJPH represents a new pathway. It offers modern tools, clearer terms, and a collaborative model that values creative input. For readers, new voices and well crafted books will arrive with context and care.
For the broader publishing ecosystem in the region, NJPH signals a shift. It shows how a professional background in communication, combined with a passion for cultural memory, can reshape how books are made and how stories travel.
A lasting impact
Nour’s work is about more than one book or one company. It is about creating a sustainable space where memory and creativity can thrive. The State of Mind Palestine is the first visible milestone, but the deeper achievement will be a lasting infrastructure that supports authors for years to come.
Through modern publishing, Nour hopes to inspire others to invest in storytelling that matters. She wants people to see publishing not as a gate kept by tradition but as a craft open to those who bring vision, care, and determination.
Conclusion
Nour Jarrar brings together corporate discipline, creative sensitivity, and cultural purpose. Her path from agency life to founding NJPH illustrates how professional experience can be repurposed for cultural change. The State of Mind Palestine is a heartfelt example of what that change looks like when passion meets process.
Nour’s journey is a reminder that publishing can be both modern and meaningful. It can honor the past while opening doors for future voices. With patience, discipline, and a clear vision, she is building a home for stories that deserve to be seen and remembered.
Do follow her on Instagram.
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