>> The teenage years are full of firsts, perhaps driving for the first time getting your first paycheck or your first kiss.

>> But publishing your first book probably isn't on a lot of teenagers list of accomplishments, but our next guest did just that at 16 years old, 18 brands wrote his first book exploring the year 2020 from a teenager's point of view and brands didn't stop there.

He wrote us friends into the plot by starting his own publishing company.

Joining us now with more are Aden brands, author and owner of Aden Brands Books and your reads, 80 author of the Short Kid from Pakistan.

Welcome.

Thanks for joining us.

Thanks for having congrats on things.

You all published books.

I haven't published book.

So you've you've got something on us.

>> I mean, it's really fun to do what we're doing.

And I'm so glad we get to talk about it here.

Awesome.

So you wrote your first novel, a ton at 16, 2020 from a teenager is P o V what made you want to write that?

Well, you know, back in 2020, I stayed up all night and >> I was just kind of processing everything that was going on in the world.

And I was drinking a lot of coffee saw as kind of like really energetic.

And I just randomly decided to open a Google document and just start writing what I was feeling and what people my age were going through because at that time, there really wasn't a lot of people talking about the teenage perspective of everything that was happening in 2020 and we can both admit that was a crazy year.

So I just wanted to do something kind of unique and put something out that I really was insane.

And that was really what started it all just from one crazy night.

you go from, like writing, getting it all out.

You know, in that first crazy night to all of those thoughts becoming a book.

>> Well, I worked on it a little Has the has the weeks and months past and I kind of format it to be more like a story instead of just like a giant rant and I put the I put the book out on my own in early 2021.

And it took a took a little bit of time and it was a process, you know, trying to figure out how to do all this stuff.

But once I did, it was like really amazing.

And I got such a good reception from people, especially at my school and in my community in Palatine.

And it was just like a really crazy experience just to go through all of that.

Eventually you got in some of your peers like you read sitting next to whose book the Short Kid from Pakistan, you published.

>> Yuri, tell us about your book.

It's about to show it could from back.

It's about.

>> They showed kid who is with a fictionalized character, but its stories.

My story and it's being put on and he experiences up to learn a new language move across the world and just like.

Follow new traditions not used road conditions like it.

Just learning everything new.

All I want.

And if I really grow legal story and I've had people who are not from Foxconn, but they fed immigrant.

If that I really to story because I went to same thing.

>> What was it like sort of telling your own personal story that way?

>> And with and with knife, I feel like some some of it.

I just needed to get off my chest.

fog pretty good.

But also like being able to share my story, which I don't feed them much media at all about boxed on being represented at all.

I feel like that.

It's very good opportunity for me to represent my country and my story.

>> Done.

Why was it important for you to start your own company?

What it what did you think was missing in the publishing industry?

So I really wanted to just see more authentic stories be told because you look in the mainstream publishers and they're not really doing what we're doing and the whole subtitle of my book, the First One teenager's Poe V I wanted to expand upon that idea.

And I really realize like the world is just bigger than my point view.

And that's why I wanted to give someone like you read chance to share his point of view of the world.

And that's really kind the whole idea.

Just showing a different perspective that people don't really see or they don't really hear and doing that has been such a amazing honor because we're able to tell these great stories that people are connecting with.

And, for example, if someone doesn't connect with what I write, that doesn't mean they can't connect with what your reads writing or maybe even someone like Evelyn, we're just trying to do new things and push the limits to be honest and be unique and embrace our uniqueness.

And you published 6 books, 9 books, 6 offers like we've done a bunch the more than you can which is great.

>> You read what would you say were some of the challenges with being a package?

Some park, a sunny author.

And what did you feel like?

People didn't understand about your experience?

I believe some people definitely do tradition over there.

>> give a lot of different conditions.

Light from and more think the deflect a car holidays, too.

But like that, people didn't understand, but also like, what's it like living in a 3rd world country that poverty and like just like going around you net out control.

>> And also what it's like moving from that to this to hear.

Yeah, we didn't see a moving across the globe.

>> Learning a new language learning how to.

Have new mentors.

>> you guys really warms here, Project shock.

Yeah, very much.

I'm sure.

So according to the National Center for Education Statistics, there been long-term declines in the share of 13 year-old who reported reading for fun almost every day in 2012, it was 27% to 13 year-old.

>> Falling to 17% in 2020 15% in 2023.

And, you know, we've got the 2 of you.

You are currently community college students, but you started doing this when you were in high school.

You know, what do you think needs to be done to encourage the younger generation to read more a tunnel?

Start with you.

>> I think that we got to get our young people to read books that they want to read that they can connect with, because I think sometimes in schools, you know, you the students are kind of forced to read these books that they don't really want to read or they can't really relate to it and they can't connect with what's on the page.

I think that's that's a big aspect of it.

I think there's there's a lot of things that need to be done.

I think I it's an issue that's bigger than just me.

And you read.

I think it's like it's a group effort.

A lot of people are going to have to come together and think of ways to raise those numbers because it's honestly concerning.

I encourage reading.

I think everybody should agree no matter what your age is.

don't know your review.

>> Yeah, no.

I mean, I just wonder what my my point to be the same.

What what's next for you?

You read plan on your state.

You're studying radiology right now.

they plan on writing anywhere books.

Yeah, but you haven't new book coming out soon a publishing that won't forget publishing is going to be called Apollo DART into and then kind not.

Well, It's a sequel to book that he did called Apollo Darwin.

>> And it's about a convicted felon getting out of jail.

And just I'm trying to rebuild his life and it kind of shows how society kinda, it's hard for people who get out of the prison system to kind move forward and it's really it's a it's kind of different from what we do.

But it still shows appeal.

The that I think is super important that well, I look forward to reading it when when that when he's ready to go because I was on the website, I read a couple of pages of some of them and they were paid starters.

I want to