Rupi Kaur never set out to be an author.

In fact, when she asked her professor if she should publish, the answer was no. Fortunately, she chose to listen to her cheerleaders instead, the ones who heard her read her poems and asked, “Where can I buy your book?”

 

That’s how it started. 

With a question. 

A no from someone she admired. 

And a yes to herself.

 

She took a chance, designed her own cover and printed her own copies.

She didn’t know that selling books with her sister from the back of rooms would lead to more than 18,000 copies sold.
She didn’t know that a publisher would notice and call.
She didn’t know that her little black book would become a New York Times bestseller, or that ten years later, it would return with an anniversary edition and an Amazon Prime special.  

 

She didn’t know what was coming.
She just knew she had something to say.

And look at how her world responded.

 

That’s the story we’re telling in this edition, not just of a book’s glow-up, but of what happens when you say yes anyway.
 

When you publish before you’re “ready” and with no guarantees.
When a book becomes a movement and goes on to impact a generation and a genre. 

I know firsthand how publishing a book can change your life.

 

So as you read this issue and trace Rupi Kaur’s author journey, I challenge you with the same question I was challenged with all those years ago, 

 

 

 

P.S Forward this newsletter to one person today. You never know who needs to read it. And if it was shared with you subscribe for yourself at unapologeticpress.com/report. 

 

 

We celebrate all kinds of anniversaries: wedding anniversaries, personal milestones, the dates that mark who we are and how far we’ve come.

These moments matter because they honor growth and the journey.

 

Books deserve that same recognition.

 

Milestone years are usually celebrated with an Anniversary Edition, a re-release that honors the life and impact of a book since its initial launch. 

 

An anniversary edition can include:

Essentially, an anniversary edition is a reintroduction. A version of the book that can be treasured by longtime readers and discovered for the first time by new ones.

 

On October 1, 2024, Rupi Kaur celebrated her debut book, Milk and Honey, with the release of the 10th Anniversary Collector’s Edition.

 

 

When Milk and Honey was first released, Rupi designed the cover herself.

 

A simple matte-black paperback.

Clean typography. Simple layout. Hand-drawn illustrations.

minimal, intimate and deeply personal.

 

Ten years later, the anniversary edition returned with a whole new attitude. It came to make a statement.  While it evolved from what it was, it did not lose its identity. 

It still remained intimate. Deeply personal. And deeply Rupi. 
 

This time you got invited into the behind the scenes journey with annotations throughout, new original poems and illustrations, and photos and memorabilia.  

 

While Milk and Honey received the most in-depth upgrade, it wasn’t the only one. Several of Rupi Kaur’s books have also been re-released or refreshed, which reminds us that you don’t need to wait for a ten-year milestone to reintroduce your work. You just need a vision and a decision. 

originally released 2014

originally released 2017

originally released 2020

originally released 2022

Rupi didn't just have a launch event, she had a tour with multiple touch points and experiences that allowed her to connect with those who journeyed with her throughout the years.

 

When Milk and Honey was first published, there was no publishing house and no massive audience waiting. It grew through poetry night readings, Tumblr posts and reposts, underlined passages, and word of mouth.

 

Readers didn’t just read this book.
They saw themselves in it.

 

It gave language to heartbreak, survival, softness, desire, trauma, and healing in a way that was accessible. It spoke directly to emotions people had been holding quietly for years. And because of that, it spread.

 

 

It also opened the door for a new wave of poetry that didn’t follow traditional rules. I remember an English instructor telling me that while Milk and Honey was “nice,” it was not poetry.

Rupi and her work were criticized. Dismissed. Debated.
Milk and Honey was even among the 11 most banned books at the start of the 2022–2023 school year.

 

And yet, it endured.

 

With that endurance came influence. And with influence came responsibility and opportunity to shine light on the issues that she was passionate about.

 

Rupi’s work expanded beyond the page and the stage into film and screen. She produced multiple visual projects and, in 2021, released Rupi Kaur Live on Amazon Prime.

 

This is still only a fraction of the impact that small, self-published black book had on her life and on ours.

 

Imagine if she had listened to the professor who told her no.

Imagine the loss. For her and for us.

 

What about you?

What is waiting for you on the other side of your yes?

What impact?

What influence?

What legacy?

 

 

Working on The Book Report these last few weeks has personally inspired me in ways I couldn’t anticipate.

 

I knew I loved books, but digging into these books and creating these cases has made me fall in love all over again with books, branding, even marketing. Beyond that, it has led me to picking up my pen again and challenged me to finish the book that I planned on releasing February 27, 2025.

 

After this issue, I’m choosing to say yes again.
 

As part of my own commitment to myself and to you, I will set the new launch date by the next issue.

 

What about you?

What project have you set down with the intention to return to “later”?
What is the idea you keep circling but haven’t released?

 

Let’s just go for it. 
 

Put a date on it. Hit reply. Share. And let’s hold each other accountable.

 

Who knows?

 

 

Editor, The Book Report, Creative Intelligence for Bold Authors

Founder, Unapologetic Press, The Creative Publishing House for the Bold

P.S. Don't miss the next edition of The Book Report. If this was forwarded to you, subscribe at unapologeticpress.com/report and get it straight from the source.

 

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