🦊 I launched a book
A week ago my new book of fables, Wandering Spirits, flew out into the world:
On launch day, I had a wonderful time gathering with friends, family and readers to celebrate the release:
Since then, I’ve been getting so many messages from readers on how they love the beautiful illustrations, how the stories contain lessons they deeply relate to, and how much fun they’re having reading to kids while doing voices.
“These fables are great and poignant — there have been some really arresting moments of magical realism that I particularly loved. Almost like Aesop meets Gabriel Garcia Marquez. The illustrations are wonderful as well!”
“I thought this was more of a kids book, but realized how deep the stories go. It made me stop and think a little bit about the situations these animals get into and how they can be applied to real life and even my own life!”
“Just started the book with my two kids - 7 and 10. Read the prologue and that is not only enticing enough to want to charge ahead but so very beautifully written. Creates a whole world that we’re eager to explore!”
“Love the book so far Salman. I have been reading it to my son and he loves hearing me do the voices. I imagine this would be a great animated movie too.”
It warms my heart to read these words. I’m filled with gratitude (and relief!) knowing the book is resonating with people.
I’ve also hit some milestones in the first week:
The book has now crossed into triple-digit orders (119 at time of writing)!
It’s also become a #1 New Release on Amazon across a few different categories such as Children’s Myth Books and Folklore Anthologies.
A couple of updates on what’s next:
This weekend, I’m hosting an in-person launch event at a local restaurant in the Bay Area. If you’re around and interested, reply to this email and I’ll share the info!
The audiobook edition is almost done processing, so stay tuned for more news on that very soon.
I’m feeling a mix of elation and relief to see my book finally out. I’m excited to see these wandering tales find their way to more readers.
If you’ve gotten the book and enjoyed it, don’t forget to leave a positive review on Amazon! And send any book pics you have my way 😊
If you haven’t gotten your copy yet, watcha waitin for friend? 😁 These whimsical tales are sure to delight and inspire. Give them a try, and I bet you’ll find a tale that speaks to you (or a friend, family member or child you know!)
Quick Links
On Protecting Your Creative Self with Yuri Yuan — “I usually like to imagine myself having three hats: the artist hat, the business hat, and the philosopher hat.” I love this framing, and I haven’t stopped thinking about since I read this interview. I often get anxious or defensive when talking about business ideas (“you should do this, and expand this, and sell that!”) relating to my creativity, because the artist in me is trying to protect my creative vision. But it can be really helpful to separate them out, and think of them as a team working together rather than one overwhelmed individual.
Why Do You Create Art? by Clintavo — A lot of wisdom here, but my favorite is his note to serve your soul first and then find its market. I think it’s important he frames it as a sequence, not a choice. You must have both to keep your practice alive in the long run. But the soul dies quicker than money runs out.
Anne-laure Le Cunff’s Annual Review Template — I almost skipped doing a review entirely this year, as it’s been a very difficult year, and I didn’t want to sit and dive into it for so long. I decided to try Anne-Laure’s template and I’m so glad I did! I completed my review in just a few hours and immediately took steps to act on some of the takeaways. (If you enjoy this, you might also enjoy her weekly journaling system, “Plus/Minus/Next”, which I’ve been using for years now.)