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Friends, I have goosebumps writing this newsletter.
I’m like a broken record talking about how the traditional publishing industry too often tells you that your vision is "unmarketable," "too different," or "not what we're looking for."
That's exactly what happened to my friend Kayla Silber. And then that same vision landed her book on Oprah's Favorite Things 2025. That’s right: THE List every creator dreams of making.
You can check out Rosie and Raven right now. For a limited time, Kayla is offering signed copies if you order the beautiful augmented reality book via her website. But you can also support Kayla by buying her book on Amazon or at your local bookstore. After coaching Kayla on her publishing strategy, she sent me an early copy. The Joy Boys love it! Buy a copy for any young people in your life—it makes a perfect holiday gift.
The Publishing Roller Coaster
Kayla's journey began with what can only be described as a mystical moment. In early 2024, while at a friend's brunch, she looked at a rose painting on the wall and suddenly remembered a dream she'd had 10 years earlier about holding a magical book with a three-dimensional, moving rose on the cover.
"At that moment, I knew what I was supposed to do with my life," Kayla told me in our recent interview for The Story Cure podcast. "It was so clear, and it was clear that I always knew, and that I was working towards it all along."
In just four months, this augmented reality artist wrote and illustrated an entire children's book. Then, through another divine download, she created and sang the songs that go with moving images, all of which literally come to life through viewing the images via a camera on your phone or another smart device. No app required. Pure magic.
Kayla secured a literary agent immediately. The book was unique, innovative, and gorgeous. She thought publishers would be "fighting over it, for sure."
Instead? Complete rejection.
Why? Because it was too unique. As Kayla explained, "It's so different, there's nothing like it on the market, and they didn't... I realized they just didn't understand what to do with it."
The publishers also questioned whether it was marketable to children. They wanted to control the IP but couldn't figure out how to own all the multimedia components—the songs Kayla sang, the animations, the augmented reality experience. They felt the illustrations were “too old.”
So, after months of waiting for publishers who would never come through, Kayla made a decision: "I am done waiting. This needs to come out now."
She connected with me for coaching, and I helped her navigate the self-publishing landscape. She got her book uploaded to IngramSpark and Amazon.
But then she hit another hiccup. The print-on-demand versions were not high quality enough for her special book, which needed a superior cover and images.
Kayla was unstoppable. She found a printer in China and ordered 500 copies sight unseen. "They were mostly in my car," Kayla laughed. "My car looks insane."
The Investment that Led to Oprah
Next, Kayla followed her entrepreneur sister’s advice and did something she thought was more than a little bit crazy: She invested $4,000 in a booth at a New York gift trade show.
One product. One book.
It was slow for a day. Then the show's marketing team asked to film her experience. That day, two people walked by. Four minutes into her demo, Kayla looked at their name tags: O Magazine.
"Oprah has been on my vision board for a year and a half," Kayla revealed.
The next day, the O people sent a messenger to pick up her book. Five weeks later, the email arrived: "Confidential, Oprah's Favorite Things 2025. Congratulations."
"I couldn't even read the email through my tears," she told me.
Trust Your Vision
Kayla didn't force doors to open. She became magnetic. The night before the trade show, she meditated and said, "Come to me. Whoever needs to come to me, come to me." And they did.
But none of this would’ve happened if Kayla had not trusted her vision. She believed in her book and she believed in herself. That is such a critical aspect of her story!
Her book, Rosie and Raven, is now an Amazon #1 bestseller and a selection for Oprah’s Favorite Things 2025. It's a magical augmented reality experience that brings children into a world of empowerment, beauty, and wonder.
And Kayla owns every bit of it.
"What a blessing to have been rejected by everyone," Kayla reflected, "because now I have freedom."
 Check out Kayla's magical book at rosieandraven.com or find "Rosie and Raven" on Amazon.
Keep writing, keep believing, and remember: Sometimes rejection is just redirection to something infinitely better.
Aloha,
MeiMei
TIP OF THE WEEK:
Consider Self or Hybrid Publishing
Every day, I talk to authors who think traditional publishing is the only "real" path. But Kayla's story proves what I've been saying for years: self-publishing is not a consolation prize.
Remember those publishers who rejected Kayla? Let's talk about what they wanted versus what she achieved:
Traditional Publishing Would Have Given Her:
- 10-15% royalties
- No control over her IP
- No marketing support (yes, you still do it yourself!)
- No say in the multimedia rights
Self-Publishing Gave Her:
- 100% of her intellectual property
- The majority of profits
- Complete creative control
- And even distribution with Simon & Schuster
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