In a conversation with Mehdi Hajizadeh, executive manager of Ketab-Resan, we become acquainted with a path that began from a small bookshelf in a computer store and continued through to the formation of one of the most successful book-distribution networks in the country. Ketab-Resan, focusing on introducing valuable works aligned with Iranian-Islamic culture, strives to deliver selected, effective, and appealing books at a suitable price to the farthest points of the country, even villages.
On one of the early days of Khordad (May–June), we sat down to the warm talk of the young manager of "Ketab-Resan" about the motives for launching this platform and its unique features in selecting and distributing books, and we asked about the collection's challenges, achievements, and future plans.
Please tell us about the starting point of "Ketab-Resan." What motive was behind its initial idea?
Messrs. "Haj-Ali Safaviyeh Shamlu" and "Javad Yarahmadi" founded "Ketab-Resan." Before that, both of these individuals were active in their own occupations and their businesses had no connection with the book field. For example, Mr. Yarahmadi at that time had a computer store. The story began from the point when Mr. Shamlu recommended the book "Salam bar Ebrahim" to Mr. Yarahmadi. After reading it, he became interested in the subject and decided to read similar books such as "Golestan-e Yazdahom" as well. Then the idea occurred to them to place a few copies of these books in their store, among the shelves.
The aim was that when a customer comes to the store to have a laptop or computer repaired and may wait thirty or forty minutes, the time would not pass idly and they would be able to read a book. This idea began with one or two books and, with the passage of time and customers' reception, the number of books increased. Gradually, a full shelf of the store's accessories space was allocated to this purpose.
The books were placed alongside products such as hard drives, mice, and keyboards, and this combination slowly shaped the store's dominant space. The spark of launching Ketab-Resan was struck at this very point, in 1396 (2017/18). And with the passage of time, its activity also expanded in cyberspace. It can be said that the birth of "Ketab-Resan" came about through the book "Salam bar Ebrahim."
Who currently holds the management of "Ketab-Resan"?
Unfortunately Mr. Shamlu passed away in a traffic accident. Therefore, at present, of the founders, only Mr. Yarahmadi is present in the collection. Currently, the position of CEO is held by Mr. Alireza Maleki. His presence, with a young and energetic spirit, has injected fresh life into the team and has increased the pace of the collection's growth and development.
What distinguishes "Ketab-Resan" from other stores?
We have always strived to deliver the book to the audience in the fastest and simplest possible form. Naturally, in large cities such as Tehran, Mashhad, and other metropolises, there are numerous and diverse bookstores that the audience can, by spending about one hour, access and obtain the book they want.
But we put our focus on counties; not provincial centers, but counties and especially villages. And for these areas, we have set the book shipping cost in a special way: for counties, we have reduced the shipping cost by half, and for villages, sending books is completely free. Our aim has been to realize the equitable distribution of books nationwide.
Our most important distinguishing feature, especially in the adult section, is that we do not offer every book. Unlike some bookstores that may have 80 to 100 thousand diverse titles for all tastes; we have a content team that, before bringing any book into the collection, evaluates it.
For us, every work must have three essential components:
First, the book must have a growth-promoting effect; meaning that after reading it, the audience feels a change in themselves.
Second is the book being problem-oriented; that is, it can solve one of the audience's problems or provide an answer to it.
And third is appeal; the book must be appealing enough that, between a mobile phone and a book, the audience's choice is the book.
We have strived for all the books in the collection to have these three indicators. This subject can be considered our main value proposition in the adult section.
Recently we have also launched a specialized children and young-adult section titled "Ketab-Jun," which is considered a subsidiary of Ketab-Resan. This space is different in some respects. Children and young-adult books have special importance, because they play an effective role in the formation of a child's character.
In this same regard, a team consisting of specialists in the children and young-adult field came together and compiled a set of educational indicators. All the books that are offered in our collection's children and young-adult section (that is, Ketab-Jun) have an evaluation form based on these indicators and, before entry, are reviewed and approved by experts.
These books are, as the saying goes, "guaranteed"; that is, we can say with confidence that their content is sound and valuable for raising children. Therefore if someone is looking for a book with particular educational indicators, we introduce these works to them. This feature too is considered one of our most important advantages in the children and young-adult section.
What is the composition of human resources at "Ketab-Resan"? How many people are active in the collection and what specializations do they cover?
We consider ourselves part of the cultural current of the Islamic Revolution and believe that wherever committed revolutionary personnel are active, they must present brilliant, clean, and high-quality work. On this path, we have trained some of the personnel ourselves and some others, having related specializations, have been recruited into the collection.
Currently, 23 people work directly with the collection. In the "content production" section, specialized personnel including a graphic designer and professional writers are present to produce exclusive content for each book. Also in "sales," sales experts and customer-relations managers are active. In addition to these, in the field of "social networks" we also have an active manager and experts. "Project management" is also carried out by other members of the team.
Are they all young?
Yes. The driving engine of Ketab-Resan is its young personnel. If I want to mention the collection's average age, it can be said to be about 23 to 24 years. For example, Mr. Maleki (the CEO) was born in 1379 (2000/01). I too was born in the same year. Even one or two members of our team were born in the 80s (the 1380s).
How do you introduce a book so that it is effective on the audience? What methods do you use in content marketing?
We have a specialized content team. On this team, a dedicated writer works on producing textual content. Then, we have a social-network expert who personalizes and recreates this same content based on the characteristics of each platform. For example, in messengers and Telegram we use textual content more; but on Instagram the focus is on visual and graphic content. This chain helps us introduce a good book to the audience in an appropriate way and have a desirable impact.
At what level is the geographic scope of your activity?
At present, Ketab-Resan's activity is underway extensively nationwide, and fortunately its range and scope are being added to every day. Of course our activity is not limited only to inside the country; rather, in some cases, we have also extended our services beyond the borders. So far we have received orders from countries such as Canada, Australia, and Germany and have sent the books to customers via international post.
If you wanted to mention the achievements of "Ketab-Resan," what items would you name?
Allow me to go back a little. Over the past four years, consecutively, we have earned the title "Top Bookstore of Khorasan Razavi Province." "Ketab-Resan" is based in Mashhad, and we have had the honor that, in the form of plans we implemented with the judiciary and the Parliament (Majlis), we have been commended by these institutions and also by the provincial government and the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance.
At last year's international book fair, we succeeded in obtaining first rank in sales among bookstores and virtual stores. Also, we equipped about 40 libraries in deprived areas of the country with books and shelves; because equitable access to books is one of our core values.
Last year (1403 (2024/25)), we distributed more than half a million volumes of books. In addition, we have good interactions with writers and cultural actors at the country level, and these connections have helped us a great deal.
Have you, on this path, benefited from government support or particular facilities?
We have operated entirely privately. We have not received any facilities or government support.
What role does artificial intelligence have in Ketab-Resan's activities?
The world is moving toward becoming digital, and we too are not an exception to this current. We have tried, alongside preserving our values and principles, to also take advantage of the capacities of artificial intelligence. Especially in the content-production unit, we continually use artificial intelligence in textual and visual fields. This technology has helped us a great deal in improving processes.
Do you use it merely as a tool, or has it replaced human personnel?
We have used artificial intelligence only as a helping tool, not as a replacement for human personnel.
At present, what is the most important challenge or concern of your business?
Naturally in every business there are minor challenges that, fortunately, we have been able to come to terms with. But our principal and greatest challenge at present relates to physical space and the place of our activity. The existing space is limited for us, and this issue has reduced the speed of growth and put us under pressure.
Meaning you intend to expand, or the current space is not adequate?
At present we have a space at our disposal, but we really are under pressure. Our warehouse is small and the work space also does not meet current needs. We are seeking to expand the premises and create a more suitable space. In fact, one of our important goals is to create a high-quality cultural hangout; but the high costs of obtaining such a space have become our fundamental challenge.
What is your plan for developing the business in the future?
For developing the collection, we have considered several key goals. One of them is launching a cultural-artistic hangout centered on the cultural front of the Revolution. In this space, we have envisaged the presence of writers, the holding of cultural programs, and the creation of a separate library. The destination is providing a calm and high-quality environment in which the audience can experience the good feeling of reading books.
Don't you think such a space would meet with greater reception in Tehran?
Certainly in terms of population, Tehran has greater capacity, and this subject cannot be denied. But our main priority at present is the city of Mashhad. If in the future conditions are favorable, we might also think of Tehran. In addition, we intend to turn "Ketab-Resan" into a network for distributing cultural magazines as well; in such a way that magazines active in the field of culture can, through this platform, get their publications into the hands of audiences.
We are also seeking to expand the distribution network and develop a specialized children and young-adult space so that we reach a large volume of books in this field. Our aim is that families, with peace of mind, entrust their children to the world of books.
What information do you have about your audiences? Who are your target community?
My mental estimate is that more than half of our customers are women. Overall, our audience community includes culturally concerned families, seminary students, school students, and teachers. In other words, the bulk of our audiences are those who have a connection with the cultural and educational space.
It seems these women are often homemakers; is that right?
Yes, that is so.
Do you have information about the age of the audiences?
Based on statistics extracted from the customer community, the majority of audiences are between 21 and 38 years of age.
What kinds of books do your audiences welcome more? How do you assess last year's bestsellers?
If I want to mention the bestsellers in 1403 (2024/25), I must say that one of our serious priorities at Ketab-Resan was distributing books that the Supreme Leader mentioned last year or wrote an endorsement for. He praised about seven book titles, and we too made a special content and distribution investment in distributing these works. These works include "Paiz Amad," "Bist Sal va Se Rouz," "Majid Barbari," "Havato Daram," "Ma'bad-e Zirzamini," "Akharin Forsat," and "Istgah-e Khiaban-e Roosevelt."
In addition to these, the eight-volume series "Good Stories for Good Children" has also been among our bestsellers. This series has a special place; because the Supreme Leader, addressing its author (Mehdi Azar Yazdi), said he considers the upbringing of his children indebted to these books. We too are glad that we were able to introduce and distribute these books well.
Also, last year, when the atmosphere of the region and the world was under the influence of issues related to the Resistance front and the news related to it, books published in this field also met with a good reception. Among these works I can mention "The Thorn and the Carnation" written by martyr Yahya Sinwar, and travelogues such as "Arabica" and "Jade-ye California" by Messrs. Vahid Yaminpour and Mohammad Ali Jafari.
Another book that I must name here is "Namaz-e Bahal" written by Mr. Seyed Kazem Rouhbakhsh, which has been written for adolescents and young people, and was one of our very successful works in distribution. This work specifically addresses promoting prayer among the young generation, and we too have made a great effort in introducing it and getting it into the hands of audiences.
What is your monthly sales volume?
In terms of number, I can say that our average monthly distribution at present is about 50 thousand volumes of books.
Finally, given the experience of Ketab-Resan, what recommendation do you have for cultural actors and those interested in entering the field of book sales?
The public perception is that books no longer have an audience; yet we have a different experience. I accept that activity in the bookstore space is hard work; but when the audience comes to believe that a valuable work has been placed before them, they show a serious desire to obtain it. Therefore I believe that if we can properly "select" and "introduce" a "good book," without a doubt the audience will place value on it. This loop of introduction is very important.
Machine-translated from Persian by Namafar; the Persian original is authoritative. Read the original in Persian