Farewell, 2022!

This year has been full of surprises and challenges; we have been pushed out of our comfort zone, embracing growth and learning along the way.

We’d like to take a moment to reflect on our journey in 2022. We launched two new titles – Kesar and the Lullaby Birds and Lioness of Punjab – which have been received with overwhelming enthusiasm. Along with author Srividhya Venkat and illustrator Kavita Ramchandran, we were honored to receive the South Asia Book Award for Young Readers for our picture book, Dancing in Thatha’s Footsteps. In June this year, we had the opportunity to exhibit at the American Library Association’s Annual Conference for the first time, giving us the opportunity to share our stories with a professional audience. We also received our very first Publishers Weekly review for Lioness of Punjab, a special moment for us! And finally, we wrapped up the year with a collaboration with fellow small press Modern Marigold Books, spreading joy together through our beautiful books.

It’s been a bumpy journey behind the scenes, requiring us to adjust our systems and skills to tackle whatever came up. Every brief moment of success is preceded by months, even years, of hard work by the creative team. Small press titles are made with lots of love and attention, and we hope that effort (blood, sweat, and tears!) is evident in each of our books.

We are deeply grateful for the ongoing support of our readers and advocates. We look forward to relying on that strong foundation of love as we move into the New Year. We have some amazing things planned for 2023 and can’t wait to share them with you.

From all of us at Yali Books, we wish you Happy Holidays!

Warmest wishes, 

Ambika, Kala, Taryn, and the Yali family.