My Publishing Journey

 

Let me tell you the truth from the outset. Writing is not easy. Being creative can be easy as long as you have a willing audience. Gathering your thoughts and ideas to translate into cohesive word-building is the tricky part. You may have an amazing idea or a brilliant concept but getting it down on paper in a manner that will entice your audience to read it can be difficult. I suppose the rewrite is your best friend. To make your work palatable by cutting, editing and re-writing is a 'get me out of jail' card. But all said and done writing is as much fun as it is therapeutic. Below you can access helpful advice for new authors.

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My first bit of inspiration came from a Magazine that had contacted me regarding an article on being an international student in the UK. It required a tongue-in-cheek perspective. I was not sure if I could provide a piece on the subject matter but I wrote it anyway. It was approved and you can read it by checking the 'My Article' section. You can also access it here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My influences are eclectic. I have drawn inspiration from many authors including Ken Follet, Jeffrey Archer, Wilbur Smith, and many more. I was lucky enough to get my copy of Best Kept Secret signed by Jeffrey Archer himself, see pics below. Incidentally, my three favorite books are a trilogy of gangster philosophy. The questions these authors had of this world were raw, but they managed to curate it into some well-defined answers. I would say everyone should read these three books The Godfather, The Prince, and The Art of War.

 

Publishing is another world altogether. The first part is to get your work read by someone, anyone at all. The feedback that all writers crave eats away at you in the beginning. But it will take time. All authors I researched said that they were rejected first before they were accepted. I faced numerous rejections myself, till I got accepted by my publisher.

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Thinking back, I had always been interested in creative writing ever since I was a small boy. In school my English lessons were the most interesting. I knew that one day I would choose a subject and write something and be appreciated for it. All I needed was a subject!

 

I remember being influenced by the bible in my school days (since I attended a Christian CNI school). I am not very religious but I am very spiritual. Engaging the bible as a subject, I decided to write from a spiritual perspective which I tabled in the form of fiction. I chose Fantasy as the genre and wrote TESTAMENT. I sent my manuscript to Olympia Publishers and they came back with a reply!

 

This is an excerpt from the e-mail I received from them:

 

 

 

 

'In the last few days, we have considered and discussed your novel. Editorial consider various aspects of each work we are sent to conclude what type of offer, if any, that Olympia Publishers can make. We agree your work is well-written with a consistent and absorbing narrative, we believe that your work deserves a chance to reach the wider market.'

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Music to my ears. This e-mail rang out to me. I couldn't have been happier.  This was the validation I needed. After all the rejections and all the dejection, there was someone willing to publish my work. So I say to all authors, don't give up. Never give up! Even if you have to write another novel or rewrite your entire manuscript!

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Apart from fiction i also indulge in quirky poetry. I have published some of my poems on this website. You can check them out in My Poetry section or click on the 'link' below.

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If you like my work and you think I can help you in any way, please get in touch.

I would be happy to create content for you be it fiction, non-fiction, screenplays, poetry or even reviewing a book and creating a blurb. Get in touch in the section below!