All your efforts to attract clients,  build your list and distinguish yourself from your competition will miss maximum benefit if you are making one critical mistake: neglecting to write a book.

Your niche is loaded with skilled, talented and successful experts. You are one of them. While writing a book may be on your bucket list, you are making a big mistake if you don’t move it up to the top of your to-do list today.

You may be lulled into procrastination by thinking that writing a book is not that significant anymore. After all, with the popularity of self-publishing and sites like Amazon and their company, Create Space, it’s easier than ever to write a book. Perhaps you think there’s not much likelihood that you will shine as an author.

Not true.

Whether you are a coach, entrepreneur or speaker, when you write a book sharing your slant on your niche, you will not only stand out, but you will kick butt. Whether networking on and offline,  as an author you will rise to the top of your niche, bolster your own confidence and set the stage for creating multiple streams of income.

• One of my clients is finishing up the rough draft on her book for helping Christian entrepreneurs, and she already is putting in place workshops, coaching and audio products.

• While another client is eagerly waiting for his book on AIDs survival to be delivered,  he has already presold copies, lined up two speaking gigs and is increasing his visibility by participating in a bike ride from Los Angeles to San Francisco to raise money for  AIDS research.

The best thing about being a coach, a blogger, a speaker, or a pastor, is that you already have content. Unlike the average person who dreams of writing a book one day without any idea of what he wants to write about, you (and you know who you are) already have the ingredients for your book (actually more than one.)

As an entrepreneur you also already have a platform, a list (no matter how small) and are probably active on social media. This means that you have fans who already like what you offer and will become the first wave of buyers of your book, not to mention evangelists for spreading the word.

So why should you write a book if you already have all these great things going for you?

Your book is going to get your transforming message out to a wider audience and fulfill the purpose for which you went into business. While you can reach a throng through your blogging, speaking, and other forms of communication, it’s no comparison to what your book can do.

You can’t even imagine the reach of your book.

It reminds me of a time when I spoke at a workshop and took some of my books for sale. One lady who came up to my table didn’t want to buy my book. She already had a copy and wanted me to sign it. When she handed her book to me I noticed that she had little colored post-it tags sticking out throughout her book from top to bottom.  She had read my book thoroughly and thanked me so much for making a change in her life. She was not on any of my lists, had never read my blog nor heard my radio show. But she had read my book.

As an author you will have an unfair edge over your colleagues because your book can work on your behalf when you are resting. It will

• demystify your niche for your potential clients, endearing you as the go-to person in the field
• introduce your product/service to people of influence who can become joint venture partners
• establish your credibility as an expert in your niche
• put you at the forefront of meaningful interaction in your niche
• enable you to command higher fees
• help build a team of devoted fans and even evangelists

Now that you know the critical mistake you’ve been making in your niche, it’s a good time to correct it. And if you’ve always promised yourself that you’d write your book someday, I have a special gift for you. Download it here