 Tripathi had initially decided to write a book on the philosophy of evil , but was dissuaded by his family members , so he decided to write a book on Shiva , one of the Hindu Gods . He decided to base his story on a radical idea that all Gods were once human beings ; it was their deeds in the human life that made them famous as Gods . After finishing writing The Immortals of Meluha , Tripathi faced rejection from many publication houses . Ultimately when his agent decided to publish the book himself , Tripathi embarked on a promotional campaign . It included posting a live @-@ action video on YouTube , and making the first chapter of the book available as a free digital download , to entice readers . 
