Recently, I told a friend (who's a business owner) that she needed to write a book. Although she's a good writer with terrific ideas, she said, "Do I really have to do it?"

For her -- and for those of you who have a business -- the answer is yes. Here's why:

1. Additional revenue. I don't just mean revenue from book sales, although that can sometimes be substantial. I'm also thinking of speaking engagements. Speaking engagements can be very lucrative, and a book gives you great material for speeches!

2. Business development. Some of the people who purchase your book or e-book may become even bigger customers, buying additional services/products from you. As an example, I have had several major clients who bought my e-book, The Do-It-Yourself Public Relations KitT, and then came to me for additional assistance. Now, I would have been happy if they just bought the book. But often, they grow and need more services than my book can provide. And since they've already had a "taste" of my P.R. expertise from my book, they feel more comfortable working with me on a bigger scale.

3. Word-of-mouth. Like many others, I'm a big fan of Michael Gerber's books, on the E-Myth. Just this week I sent a copy of the book to a friend, and told several others how the E-myth principles could help their businesses. Did Michael Gerber pay me? No. But I am such a big proponent of the ideas in the book that I want to share them (thanks by the way to Jeff Bolton, who originally got me excited about the book). The word-of-mouth from many people leads to referrals and sales of products and services for Michael Gerber (he has a hugely successful organization).

4. Publicity opportunities. Wouldn't I be remiss if I didn't say this? When choosing between someone who has written a book and someone who hasn't, the vast majority of media people will prefer to use the author as a source. Why? Again, because this person has obviously gone the extra mile, putting in the time and effort to put his or her expertise out there, and gotten a book published.

Copyright 2005 Margie Fisher All Rights Reserved

Margie Fisher is President of Margie Fisher Public Relations. She is also the author of the Do-It-Yourself Public Relations Kit?. To sign up for her free biweekly PRactical P.R. newsletter, and to see more free articles, visit http://www.margiefisher.com