I’m told that walking into a bookstore and seeing your book on the shelf is one of the greatest feelings for an author. Even better is when someone tells you that your book impacted the way they run their company or approach life challenges. It’s confirmation that the months (or even years) you spent bringing your ideas to life in book form were, in fact, worth it.

As anyone who has ever written a book or worked in the publishing industry knows, the process of bringing a book to market is not for the faint of heart. Between actually writing the book, finding an agent, selling the book to a publisher, working through multiple rounds of edits, and deciding on the title and cover art, it’s a draining process that can often take upwards of a year. And that’s just the start – next comes the marketing, publicity, sales, and distribution.

The process is often equally overwhelming as it is exciting. In what we call the publishing marathon, it’s easy to lose sight of the victories, focusing solely on the next step and giving way to anxiety and discouragement.

To curb this, I encourage authors – whether you have recently published a book or you’re in the process of doing so – to take a moment to reflect upon and celebrate how far you’ve come. Hold the finished manuscript in your hands, visit a local bookstore to sign a copy of your book, or re-read that glowing book review in Publishers Weekly. Whatever you do, take a break from the daily grind, and celebrate your accomplishments thus far!