How did I published my first book?

The books I wrote

I saw a tweet yesterday by @self_publish : Instead of "I Published a Book," Tell "the Story Behind the Story". Interesting tweet right? And it made me realised the one common question by anyone who got to know me through social media as an author. I actually never think of myself as a great author and there is a valid reason for this. I always do badly in my grammar. I will always need a good editor. After I published my first book, I realised the point of having editors and how infuriating is an editor's job.

So, how did I published my first book?

I did write about it long ago but it was more of an announcement with a bit of the stories of how the book got published. The blogposts are; I wrote a book and now someone wants to publish it : the story of how proud I was that someone like Azizi Ali, a property investment writer wanted to publish my book; Before you buy that house ask your lawyer this : which was a draft of what the book is finally was and Writing workshop : the second blogpost ever for this blog which was the story of the writing workshop by Azizi Ali which led to him publishing my book. As they say, to have a blog is to keep a diary. If the journey is writing, I consider this blog as the map which charts it. It is where I drafted, mapped out and it is also where I sharpen my writing skill.

If you read any of the blogposts I listed above, it would show how I started my writing journey by going to the workshop offered by Azizi Ali. And if you go further back, you will get to know how I decided to go to that workshop as I thought I was already at a plateau which was a comfort zone in terms of work. I was thinking as I have read Azizi Ali's book since early 2000, I might as well learn something new on how to write a book by attending his workshop. I went to attend his workshop and then I went one step further. I pitched an idea for a book to him. A book which I know how to write and is about the lifeblood of my business : the conveyance of property in Malaysia, specifically on the function of lawyers.

With Azizi Ali, the man who decided to publish my book

After I went to the workshop on how to write books, I started writing. It was thwarted by my discovery of blogging. I became an avid blogger and I learned how to better my writing. I write on various issues about law and even wrote a few fictions spurred by events in my own life. I would post a blogpost every day. It took its toll on my book. I set to write my book in 2008 but by August 2009, I was still writing. When I got to know about a book by another lawyer writing within the same vein being published by Azizi Ali's publishing company, True Wealth Sdn Bhd in September 2009, I finally took the initiative by locking myself in my house for nearly a week, finalised the draft for the book and sent it to my publisher. That was the start of the editing process which saw the English version of the book to be published on 31st January 2010. The Bahasa Malaysia version took a much shorter time to write as I translated it myself and it was finally out by 1st May 2010. 

I guess what finally motivated me to finish writing is the need to beat another person from writing what I had in mind first. I never realised that True Wealth may talk to other writers out there who can write a similar title like mine. When it was published, I found out it was on Number 6 in a well-known local bookstore chain : MPH Bookstore. It is still being sold and can be bought online through that store or through my publisher, True Wealth online store : Book Planet. 

The lesson I learned is this from blogging and writing : Although I was engrossed in self-publishing myself on the internet, it didn't give me any returns unlike the two versions of my book which have been a form of marketing for my legal firm.

That, in itself, as they say, is another story....