The Journey of Syed Arshad, from ‘Bhagalpur to BlueRose’

Key Highlights

•    Syed Arshad started his career as a collection expert with IBM,  after not able to find a suitable job in the aircraft industry
•    BlueRose Publishers is growing exponentially and is aiming to reach  all major cities in the country
•    The idea for launching his own company ignited after the release of  his first romantic fiction novel called ‘If It’s Not Love’

William Jennings Bryan, an American Author, once said, “Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice.” Every person has the right to decide their destiny, in the moments of choice that shapes a journey. Every successful person in their respective fields is known to be ambitious since their childhood, however, there are some rare journeys where destiny decided their fate and created a phenomenon.

One such personality is Syed Arshad, the founder of BlueRose Publishers. Syed was born in a small town of Bihar called Bhagalpur. Now known as a leading publisher, the small-town boy had different plans for his career. Syed graduated from Indian Institute of Aeronautical Science. Finding it hard to find a suitable job in the aircraft industry, Syed started his career as a collection expert with IBM. He was a part of the company for a few years and during this period, his life took a major turn.

Now, Syed runs one of India’s top self-publishing companies, with a vision of providing an opportunity for all types of writers and authors to get published. His company has launched more than 3000 projects under its brand. BlueRose Publishers is growing exponentially and is aiming to reach all major cities in the country. The self-publishing firm is adding around 150 authors every month for its end-to-end service.

In an interview, Syed said, “As an author, you can design, edit, print, and distribute your work. Or else, you can hire a firm like us (BlueRose), and we will take care of all the requirements of the manuscript and provide it to the market at a reasonable value to be borne by the author. We offer end to end services which include copyright application, editing, designing, and formatting to listing on online portals such as Flipkart, Amazon, and others.

The idea for launching his own company ignited after the release of his first romantic fiction novel called ‘If It’s Not Love’. Syed faced many problems while finding a publisher for his novel. With a couple of failed attempts, he finally decided to self-publish it through an agency in Kolkata. Soon after the launch, numerous people contacted him to know how he got his book self-published. Syed saw the potential of the market and decided to set up his own company.

Started in 2012, BlueRose began its journey by reaching communities on social media platforms such as Facebook, Goodreads, and more. He registered his company in 2015 as a proprietorship firm with the capital of only 5 Lakh INR. The initial investment was gathered through some personal savings and a bank loan.

Syed was working with only two people in his company and made around INR 20,000 in the first year. But things got better when the company made INR 10 lakh, in just a year. Since then the company is one a roll, they made INR 1 crore in 2017, INR 3 crore in 2018. Currently, Delhi’s company is a private limited firm with 50 people working for it.

BlueRose Publishing is planning to hire more than 200 people by next year. The Self -publishing house will be hiring some new marketing executives, editors, copywriters, consultants, and staff for daily operations. The company is expected to reach USD 1 Million (approx. 7 crore INR) by the end of the fiscal year.

BlueRose plans to introduce a reading Longue in Delhi next year. The self-publishing platform is aiming to test the market starting with the capital city (Delhi) and will forward it to other cities based on the performance of their pilot project. It is estimated to raise half a million dollars for expanding its business as it plans to go international. The company recently collaborated with a Germany-based publishing company called Omni Spectrum.

“Destiny is not a thing to be wait, it is a thing to be achieved,” William Bryan quoted. BlueRose stands apart in this competition due to its lower charges of self-publication than others. Syed says, “If the Notion’s starting fee is around INR 30,000, we charge only INR 15,000. That’s the sort of price difference we provide.” A creative mind like Syed is a prime example of how in a market filled with game players, the only way to make something big is to be a game-changer. With a slight scope for the market, Syed took the publishing market by storm.

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