Al-Ain publishing was born in 2000 with a focus on scientific literature. They started developing themselves on various fronts – literature, novels, short stories, research and translations – in 2005, when famous Sudanese writer Al-Tayeb Saleh decided to publish with them, in Egypt, his famous book Season of Migration to the North. This book changed the future of this publishing house. Over the past few years, Al-Ain has published many remarkable books, and many of its authors have been nominated for or won prizes. Additionally, Al-Ain was chosen for the Frankfurt book fair and to represent Egypt in the Union of Independent Publishers in Paris. Its owner is an Egyptian woman, Fatma El-Boudy, whose family has been in the printing business for years. Elisa Pierandrei talks to El-Boudy about her experience as a female publisher and her expectations for the future.