We all know that the publishing industry can be tough to crack. It's difficult enough to write a great book, but then you have to find the right agent or publisher who believes in your work or learn how to publish your book yourself. It's a lot of pressure! But I have some good news: affirmations can help.

What are affirmations?

If you've read my other posts on affirmations, you already know the answer. Affirmations are positive statements that you say to yourself in order to manifest your goals and desires. And what better goal is there than getting your book published? Repeating affirmations related to publishing will help you stay focused and motivated as you navigate the publishing process.

How do affirmations help you reach your goals?

I believe we achieve what we focus on. Affirmations help you reach your goals by keeping you focused and motivated. It can be easy to get discouraged when pursuing a goal like publishing a book. There will be rejections and set-backs, but if you keep your eye on the prize and remind yourself of your eventual success, you'll be more likely to make it happen.

Creating the Right Affirmations

When it comes to affirmations, there are no hard and fast rules. However, I do believe that there are certain elements that make for a good affirmation. A good affirmation is positive, present tense, personal, and specific.

For example, an affirmation like "I am a published author" is much better than "I will be a published author someday." The first statement affirms that you are already published, while the second states that you hope to be published eventually.

Both are positive statements, but the first is more effective because it's in the present tense. It's also specific; it doesn't just say "I am successful," it says "I am published."

Make your affirmations personal by using the word "I." Again, this keeps the focus on you and your goal. When you make an affirmation about yourself, you are much more likely to believe it and take action to make it happen.

Here are some affirmations from my Author Affirmations card deck to help you through the publishing process:

I have the best publishing team.
Nothing lights me up more than sharing the stories I love.
My publishing career is booming.
I'm proud of my work.
My books are polished and engaging.
Honing and refining my process helps me succeed.
I trust the process.
The perfect publisher for me is just around the corner.
I have a fulfilling writing career.

Affirmations should make you happy. If you say, "I'm a published author," and it doesn't make you feel good, try "I'm taking the right steps to becoming a published author." Depending on what negative thoughts we've been telling ourselves, it can be difficult to go straight to a statement like "I'm a published author."

Once you find the right affirmation for you, say it often throughout the day. Associate it with other fun things by dancing around while saying it or saying it as part of a song, anything to make the energy feel happy and exciting.

If you're looking for a little extra motivation during the publishing process, I hope these affirmations help. Remember, speaking things into existence is powerful stuff! So keep your head up and your affirmations close, and you'll be holding your published book before you know it.

This is Part 4 of a five-part series. Here’s where you can read the other posts:

Part 1: The Power of Author Affirmations: How to Use Them to Boost Your Writing Mindset

Part 2: Why You Should Use Affirmations During the Editing Process

Part 3: How to Use Affirmations to Maximize Your Writing Productivity

Part 5: How to Use Author Affirmations to Market Your Book