At 19, I went to a publisher to publish my first book.
But instead, I got scammed out of 20,000 BDT (£163).That was the money I got by selling a gold chain that was a gift from my aunt.
I wanted to publish my book in hard copy.I found a publisher from a known publishing house.I gave him all my money to publish my book at the nearest biggest book fair.
A few months later, I realised he had just published some sample copies instead of the 200 pieces he was supposed to publish.When I went to get my own book to sell myself,thinking I could promote it better than them, the book fair had already ended.I was so sad and embarrassed. But I was not furious.
I needed to get the money back somehow.
So I sat down and wrote out a few business ideas.I borrowed some money from my friend, thinking about starting a small business from scratch.I convinced my cousin.We analysed the market and started a small business.
When we went for sales, we realised selling is much harder than producing.After trying for a few months, we finally managed to sell some.
But we didn’t get back the invested money either.I had to pay back that loan to my friend from my pocket money, which I used to get from my father.But I did not stop.
I knew I would be an author.
I would write until I die.
It was not a sudden plan.
It was a goal from my childhood, which I kept in my heart.
At first, I didn’t tell my father about any of this.
After I managed to publish some copies myself,I told my father about it.
He was astonished and furious, thinking I could do anything just to publish my book.
Then he never stopped me again.
I was from a family where everyone used to read a lot of books, grandfather, grandma, uncle, aunts, cousins.
I saw my mom reading a book whenever she got some spare time during her work.
I grew up listening to stories from my dad.
Our house bookshelf was full of books from the past.I even got those books which were read by my eldest uncle Kaiser.Literally, I was also like, if I get some extra money, I would be happy to buy some books with that money instead of anything else.
I was a good money saver like my grandfather who went to the USA as an auditing officer and his savings from that salary helped to build another house on his land. By the way, I can still remember when I used to play with my cousins on our rooftop.
The front yard.
Ah! Those childhood memories!
I used to tell my cousins, “Let’s write a story.” I used to do it myself too during weekends.n the noon, I used to write in my little notebook whatever I wanted when I was in primary school.
I can still remember making a list of my desired books and giving it to my dad when he left for the office in the morning, so he could bring those books back when he returned in the afternoon.I remember going to the nearest library with my mom when my dad didn’t have time to take me for his office work.
Usually , I used to go with my dad.
My mom was a homemaker.She didn’t like to go out much because she loved staying home, praying, cooking, and tidying up . She only went out with family during outings or to drop me at school.
Besides that, she didn’t like going out much.She was always busy with her household work.Still, I pushed her to take me to the nearest library when I became a library member. After my father first took me there, just a 10–15 minute walk from home, I used to push my mom from noon, telling her to get ready quickly. She would take time finishing her work, and I would wait eagerly for the afternoon to come, for her to finish lunch so we could go to the library.
That library allowed both reading and borrowing books.And on the days when my father had a day off, he used to take me himself.So, getting back to the point, I decided to publish my first book by myself.My first handwritten copy, I managed to convince my father to get it typed.
He took my written papers to a typewriter shop and got them typed for me.That’s how my book publishing journey started.I went to printing companies to print those.That was a huge amount of money for that time if you wanted to do it yourself.So, I decided to do it in a different way, printing from one publishing house and binding from another.
In that way, I could manage to do it cheaply on my own.That was my first experience. At that time, I had just stepped into college. During breaks, I used to visit them.
I completed my college and then university.
I could hardly sell my books from those shops.
Some close friends only read them.
My close friend used to read my stories, she was really skilled at storytelling.As far as I knew, she used to tell them to her siblings and parents as well.
Her father used to tell her, “Did you get this habit from your friend?” mentioning my name.But my friend didn’t like that.
Actually, not in a bad way, she just wanted to say she loved building stories.By the way, I can’t write more about her right now.
I will burst into tears.
That’s another story.
My beloved friend was the only one who could proofread my work.
No one else could do it because she was an expert in storytelling.
I learned many plots from her.But she is not in this world anymore.I will write about her one day if I can manage to control my tears.
Then, during my first university year, I was finally able to publish my first ever book under a known publishing house at a popular book fair in February.By that time, I had established my own business, “YES”. My own publishing house as well.
From zero to becoming a founder was an incredible journey while studying Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology at university.
In those years, I learned never to stop writing.
If you are not able to publish traditionally, still write. Publish anyway, self-published or traditional, it doesn’t matter.
What matters is that you keep writing and publishing continuously through all ups and downs, whatever they are.If you truly want to become a writer, dreaming about it is not enough.You become a writer by continuously writing and publishing.
One thing I have learned, writing is not only an art.It’s also a business of distributing and publishing your words to your readers.
You have to be good at marketing to showcase your words to your audience.
Writing is not just art, it’s a business.
To run this writing business, you have to be good at sales as well.
So, if I had not been scammed, I would not have been desperate enough to start my writing business.If I had not started that business, I would not have learned how to sell and build systems by learning sales and marketing.And at university, I started taking non departmental extra courses like business strategy and marketing too.
That journey also taught me the importance of goals. It showed me that failure is often the seed of success. Every setback was a lesson.I learned to turn obstacles into stepping stones.
I realised that writing alone is not enough.
Reaching readers, promoting your work, and building a system are equally vital.From the scam to the small business, every experience shaped my understanding of the writing world.
It was more than storytelling, it was a craft, a discipline, and a business.I understood that to be a successful writer, one must master both writing and selling.
My first book, the first handwritten copy, the struggles of self-publishing, all became part of my journey.I learned patience, persistence, and the value of planning.I discovered that the real impact of writing comes from continuous journey.Every page, every printed copy, every sale taught me lessons no classroom ever could.
Looking back, the scam was a blessing.
It forced me to start my own publishing house.
It taught me marketing, sales, and business lessons essential for a writer.
And above all, it reinforced my commitment to writing.I would write until I die, no matter the obstacles. Because for me writing was not just a dream.
In fact, for me it is a journey that begins with a single word and continues until my last breath.