Writing is an art. And for Mohamed Isa, it’s a passion. Following his passion, he has reached a level where he became Amazon’s Bestselling Author. Besides being a writer, Mohamed Isa is also a public speaker and traveller.

What we love the most about him is that he is dedicated to his passion, and we can see it in his achievements. He is a savvy executive who shares his experiences as a writer. Let’s check out how our interview goes. 

Mr Isa, we learned that 4 of your books were Amazon’s best-selling books. Could you tell us something about it?

Mohamed Isa signing books

“I was a contributing author in four of Amazon’s Bestselling Books. My first experience getting on the bestselling book list was in 2014 when we published World Class Speaking in Action. It was a thrilling experience. We were 50 speech coaches working in tandem on marketing materials and a launch plan to give the book the maximum chance of becoming a bestselling book. On the launch day, we marketed the book across all social media channels and sought the support of family and friends to promote the book. Our efforts paid off; our book ranked as the # 1 Bestseller in the Public Speaking Reference Category.” says Mohamed Isa. 

He has reached such heights in his writing career that we got curious about how he wrote his first book ever. That’s why we asked:

“How did you get the inspiration to write your first book?”

Mohamed Isa with his first book, “A Review of IR Practices in Bahrain”

Isa says, “I owe that to my friend and brother, Tijjay Majiyagbe-Mitchell. It is a fascinating story of how I met Tijjay. I will narrate it in a future opportunity. In a nutshell, he visited me in my office to go through the findings of my research topic of Investor Relations. We discussed these findings for almost four hours. Before leaving, Tijjay told me: “You should publish this as a book.” Then, he introduced me to a publisher to get this done. I published the book in 2010. And the rest is history, as they say. Today, I have 18 books as a sole or a contributing author.”

For how long have you been writing? We asked Mohamed Isa.

He shares, “Since I learned to write in primary school, we had an extraordinary Bahraini teacher – Tarfa Abdulrahman. She always encouraged us to write in class and beyond. After each picnic or field trip, she asked us to write about what we saw or did. And whenever she reviewed our work, she encouraged us and praised us regardless of the quality of our writing. She made us fall in love with expressing our thoughts. She planted the seed of writing in our minds. I tracked her down in April 2018 and thanked her for that.”

You’ve received the Quilly Awards for Amazon’s best-selling book. Tell us more about it.

“In 2016, I contributed a chapter titled ‘Public Speaking: What You Need To Succeed’ to the Success Blueprint. The book’s lead author was the renowned business coach and speaker Brian Tracy. Hence, the National Academy of Bestselling Authors, USA, awarded me the Quilly Award. The Academy usually holds the awards ceremony at the Hollywood Roosevelt, where the first Oscar Awards Ceremony was held in 1929. I used this opportunity to walk through Hollywood Boulevard to take a picture with the star of the greatest boxer – Muhammad Ali.”

Receiving the Quilly Award

Which book you wrote is your favourite book among the others?

“The book closest to my heart is ‘Chai Karak: A Customer Service Story.’ This book took me places. It is the book that made speeches at well-known companies like Google, American Express, and BASF. As the title suggests, the book is based on a true story between one of the banks and me. Instead of tweeting or posting on Facebook, I wrote an entire book about my terrible experience with the bank.  

In 2021, I released the third edition of the book. It has an improved reading experience. It has cartoons and spaces for readers to reflect on specific customer service-related questions. I do not see this publication as a book. I see it as a change management tool companies could use to deliver exceptional customer experiences.” Says Isa.  

Are you currently writing a book? Tell us something about your latest upcoming release.

“The list of books that I would like to write is overwhelming. Speaking of Chai Karak, I am reviewing the design of the sequel of the book. It is called ‘Karak Xpress: 247 Insights on Customer Service.’ It is a research-based book. I skimmed through 1,836 articles, research, and books to select 247 quotes companies should reflect on to improve their customer service practices. I will release the book in the first quarter of 2023. In 2024, I will release the second sequel in the series: ‘Karak Break.’ It will feature 33 chapters containing stories on customer service.“

Lastly, we asked him, “What does it take for one to start following their dreams and beginning as an author?”

“Start writing. Stop procrastinating. Write about your chosen subject. Let your words flow. Gradually, you will have sentences, paragraphs, and chapters. Eventually, you will have a book manuscript. Ask for feedback along the way. Some people will encourage you, while others not. Persist. Here is one inspirational tip that would help you. Before you start writing, choose a title and design a draft book cover. Print it. Display it in front of you. This will get you going in low moments. I do this all the time. It works.” shares Mohamed Isa.

If you need more insights on this, please check out this YouTube video.

Connect with Mohamed Isa: LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook & Amazon.