Showing posts with label Three-bppk series. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Three-bppk series. Show all posts

Thursday, 16 April 2026

WHY I WROTE ‘HOW TO WRITE FOR SUCCESS – VOLUME I, II, and III

 




My writing journey began after I retired from the corporate

 world, and my first memoir, I am Cancer Free, was published

 in June 2013. 

I was a successful banker, and after I retired from banking, I

 moved on to insurance, where I excelled. I qualified for the

 prestigious Million Dollar Round Table six times in a row and

 gained Life Membership. As I was an MDRT member, I had

 the privilege to attend the MDRT Conferences abroad. 

Those opportunities helped me to expand my knowledge in

 new areas. After my near-death experience with cancer, I

 wrote, I am Cancer Free. I also wrote four other memoirs, My Life as a Banker, and one about my life after banking, Retirement is Fun.  I travelled extensively on vacations and conferences for many years of my life during my Banking and Insurance careers, and I wrote Travel Memoirs

I compiled and published my father’s memoirs, Memoirs of Dr.

 A. M. Khan. He was an Educator.

When I wrote my first book in 2013, I was just writing for

 pleasure. In fact, it was not for pleasure because the book

 was about my bout with cancer. I wanted to relate my experience with that dreaded disease so that others in similar circumstances could learn from it. I made no effort to do any marketing of the book. I did not realise that although I had written one book, I was a writer, a business manager, marketer, and entrepreneur.

The book sold on its own because of the name, but if I had

 marketed it properly, I could have obtained a greater amount

 of sales. I kept on writing. I wrote a few more books, but I was

 not doing anything to put them into the hands of readers or

 obtain reviews. I did not even have social media accounts.

One day, I heard my niece talking about Facebook, and I

 decided to open a Facebook page. I joined several Facebook

 discussion groups for authors. From the discussions, I

 realized I needed to advertise my books if I wanted reviews.

I decided to take the easy way out and give up writing. I

 thought that I was a failure at it. However, I remembered the

 words of Anthony Robbins in his international bestseller,

 “Unlimited Power.”

‘There is no such thing as failure. There are only results.

 Failure is something that is not perceived by people who

 achieve greatness. They do not dwell on it.’ 

 Another small voice within me reminded me that my motto all

 my life was, “Never give up.” 

I reflected on my life. When things were rough, I never gave up

 on banking, and I climbed the ladder to success.

In 2014, I wrote Heart-Warming Tales and Stories People

 Love. Both books are short story collections.  They each

 received five-star reviews from readers, but I still felt that I

 needed to write some more exciting stories.

In 2016, an idea for a science fiction series came to me, and in

 February 2016, I published Zeeka and the

 ZombiesRevenge of Zeeka Book 1. Within a few months, I

 released Zeeka’s Child Book 2 and Zeeka Returns Book 3.

I had compiled the first three books into a trilogy

 called Revenge of Zeeka: Horror Trilogy. In September

 2016, I submitted the trilogy to Reader’s Favorite for a free

 review. The book received a five-star review and a five-star

 seal.

In 2017, I added two more books to the series - Zeeka’s

 Ghost Book 4 and Resurrection Book 5. I compiled the five

 books into one book called Zeeka Chronicles

I sent Zeeka Chronicles to Reader’s Favorite International,

 and it received a five-star review and five-star seal. In

 September 2017, the book won an award in the Best Science

 Fiction category of the SIBA Awards.   

Because of the many successes that I achieved in 2017, I

 decided to write How to Write for Success as a guide for

 new authors.

In that book, which I published on my birthday, 1st December

 2017, I explained the steps I took to become a better writer.

I had a burning desire to share my knowledge with new

 writers. 

I believe that mistakes are stepping-stones to success.

The book covers how to plan a story, draft the plot, write

 narrative and dialogue, build characters, build a story world,

 and do the nitty-gritty stuff before and after you publish your

 book. I also delved into how to market the book, get sales,

 and reviews, and gave a practical example of how to publish a

 book. When these salient matters are clear in your mind, you

 can feel comfortable starting your writing journey. The book

 received a five-star review from Reader’s Favorite

 International.

In 2018, I was elated to receive the gold award for Zeeka

Chronicles in the Science Fiction category of the Emagazine

 Reader’s Choice Awards. The book also placed in the top ten

 finalists for the Author Academy Global Awards.

In 2018, I received the best news. Zeeka Chronicles won an

 award in the Reader’s Favorite International Book Awards

 2018, in the category of young adult, and I am Cancer Free

 won an award in the category of Health and Fitness at the

 same award function. It was a double celebration.

I travelled to Miami to receive those awards.

In 2018, Memoirs of Dr. A.M. Khan: Journey of an Educator

 received four five-star reviews from Reader’s Favorite

 International.

I continued to receive awards for Stories People Love, How to

 Write for Success, and Zeeka Chronicles.

I also wrote Volume II of How to Write for Success, which

 focuses not only on publishing and marketing, but on writing

 characters, writing for kids, memoirs, and fiction.  Self-

Publishing Tips is the third in the How to Write for Success

 three-book series, and a simple guide for new and aspiring

 authors who want to be independent and learn the art of self-

publishing.

To date, I have published 68 books, 68 audiobooks spanning

 various genres, including science fiction, memoir, horror,

 mystery, romance, self-help, poetry, children's books,

 anthologies, magazines, and three screenplays for my sci-fi,

 horror, and romance novels.

My horror screenplay for Zeeka and the Zombies II was

 selected as a finalist in the 13Horror-com Film & Screenplay

 Contest in September 2025.

My romance/mystery screenplay, The Gift of Love, was

 selected in the Quarterfinals Stage 32 + DramaBox

 Screenwriting Competition in April 2026.

NEVER GIVE UP!

FOLLOW ME ON MY WEBSITE