It’s raining and cloudy this morning. I woke up a tad tired. I remember a time I would not have called it a good morning, especially since I planned to take a walk today.

Oh, yeah, I can walk in the rain. I own boots, a rain jacket with a hood, even rain pants. What do you know? It is a good morning.

What does that have to do with writing and publishing books? Everything.

I hear so many people talk about the publishing climate. What does it mean when bookstores are going out of business and publishers are cutting jobs? What does it mean for you, an author?

There is some meaning to be found, of course. It is getting more difficult to get a traditional publisher. And that’s good news. It means you need to really research your book, your audience, competitive and complementary books. It means you need to make an airtight case for your book. It means you need to work hard to develop your platform (your following, mailing list, internet presence, etc.). And it means you need a fantastic promotion plan for your book.

Isn’t that great news? It’s much more likely to insure your book is a big success and reaches even more people.

In my experience, when you write and publish a book, the universe is going to put a few challenges in your path. You set a big goal (like writing a bestseller), the universe will put some opportunities in your path for honing your skills, learning to overcome obstacles, raising your frequency, so to speak. Isn’t that great? All those things you might view as obstacles are actually the universe supporting your vision by making you stronger and better equipped to meet your big, big vision.

Years ago, at a writer’s conference, I heard a whole bunch of women on line to pitch their books to an agent. “It’s nearly impossible to get an agent or get published,” they all agreed.

“Wait, I’m published. I had no credentials for my book when I began. I got tons of rejections. It’s not that hard. You need to be persistent and just keep learning as you get feedback. You’ll get there.”

These women had given up before they even began. They were telling the universe that didn’t believe in themselves. What kind of message is that to put out in a world that delivers what you expect, what you send out vibrationally?

Whoa. Put the stops on that one. If you’re telling yourself it’s difficult or impossible to get published, stop that thought right there. One of my clients just signed a mid-five figure book deal recently. The world of publishing is still alive. Sure, it will continue to change. The internet will continue to become a bigger force in the industry.

But it isn’t all a bad thing that publishing companies are in trouble. Many of them are poorly run. As someone with a master’s in management (business) from MIT’s Sloan School of Management, I’ve taken my share of business and strategy courses and it’s always amazed me how publishing companies didn’t employ many of the obvious and simple business principles everyone else did.

There are huge opportunities now for publishing companies to manage themselves better–and those that do will flourish. I’m sure of it. It’s not like people have stopped reading.

So, if you want a traditional publisher, go for. Just do your research, hone your proposal, and keep reminding yourself what a good morning it is, rain or sun.