The Story of Farah Ahmedi

by Raya Kuzyk, PW Daily -- Publishers Weekly, 4/22/2005

ABC's Good Morning America declared Afghan refugee Farah Ahmedi the winner of its "Story of My Life" competition this morning. Simon Spotlight Entertainment has rush-shipped 175,00 copies of The Story of My Life: Tragedy and Triumph, which were embargoed until today. After appearing on 20/20 tonight, the author will embark on a 10-city tour tomorrow, with $10,000 in prize money in hand.

Ahmedi's account of losing a leg and her family in a war-torn land was chosen from three finalists by an estimated 16,000 Americans who voted on the Good Morning America Web site from April 1-April 8. Industry insiders say it's a respectable figure for a contest that was promoted in five segments since the competition was announced on November 19.

Joseph Beth Booksellers in Pittsburgh, is counting on GMA's viewer demographics to boost the turnout at an author reading and signing on May 2. "There are probably a good number more people who watch the show than have online access," says one of the store's events coordinators, who asked not to be named. That may well be true, since the median age of the GMA viewer is 53.

Seventeen year-old Ahmedi's win also has participating booksellers targeting local high school students. Kristen Sohacki, district marketing manager of the Borders store inLaGrange, Ill., where Ahmedi will be appear on May 6, is optimistic about the turnout: "I'm hoping to seat about 200 people of all ages," she says.