The pinnacle of what I call in my own book “the expert’s edge,” i.e., that dreamy competitive advantage when your competition seems to all but melt away, will almost surely be reached when the time comes for you to write and publish a book. Though such an endeavor can at first seem overwhelming and near-impossible, there’s no denying the impact of pulling it off. By writing a book, you fit all the pieces of your expertise neatly into place. Your insights and lessons learned combine to fill your book’s pages resulting in an alluring record of your current value proposition. While much of this can also be said about writing articles, a book ups the ante, strutting your stuff thoroughly, glamorously and uniquely.

A second impact will be your book’s positive effect on getting you invited to do speaking engagements before audiences composed of your target market. Authors of books tend to be at the top of the list of desirable speakers, report most planners of business events. Thus a new avenue for meeting prospects will open for you for in a way that affords higher credibility and less resistance to one day engaging your services.

Of course, both your book and your speaking gigs can also lead to business media breaking down your door (or at least beginning to look for you). Reporters and editors and even bloggers are always primed to investigate credible business experts, resulting in even greater visibility (and credibility) for you within media and Internet channels.

Does any this appeal to you in terms of its potential to generate new (and long-lasting) business? With significant competitive advantages harder and harder to come by these days, it should! So does that mean you should just sit down and start writing? Not quite. First you need to address a critical initial question: What will your book actually be about? It’s imperative that you be sure that any book you write will truly advance your business goals.

To answer this question correctly, first consider these sub-questions:

· What are you, or do you want to be, known for?

· What high value do you currently bring to your clients?

· What is it about you and your firm that currently attracts prospective customers?

· What do you want to be known for in the future (in addition to what you are currently known for or what you want to be known for now)?

These questions have to do with your “thoughtleading” image, that is, how your target market will view you a s a “thought leader” in your area of expertise. Only by crafting the proper image will your business development goals be accurately served. So to identify this proper image, zero in on what currently defines you as most valuable to your target market. What do you typically say at a networking event when asked what you do? What would you write if you had to bang out a quick e-mail on the subject to a hot prospect? How do you articulate the benefits of hiring you and your firm when delivering a presentation or pitch to a prospect?

Your book idea should reinforce answers to these questions. In this way, your value proposition will be illustrated, clarified and reinforced to your readers, all of whim represent potential new customers or (at least) potentially influential word-of-mouth referral sources. Do you have a new way of analyzing data that you employ again and again as you service your clients? Or are there 10 common mistakes you notice your competitors make again and again but which you do not? Perhaps there are issues looming on the horizon that you have been advising your clients to watch out for? Topics such as these are the stuff which develops and deepens your book idea and brings your particular thoughtleading knowledge to life.

If I’ve convinced you by now that writing and publishing a book might be worth your while, it may be time for you to begin. This means of course being willing to set aside a significant amount of time and emotional energy, coupled with the will to see this project through come what may. Writing a book generally demands the commitment to endure a bumpy ride.

Writing and publishing a book is not for the faint of heart, involving a commitment that not everyone is ready to make. It’s akin to every other major life commitment: getting married, having a baby, raising a family, buying a house, studying for a Ph.D., or starting (and running) your own business. It will indeed take lots of time, persistence, reflection, research, organization, isolation, frustration, soul-searching and… uh… writing. Yes writing… and writing: writing, writing, more writing and rewriting too!

If you’re not ready to tackle your first book, that’s fine. Recognize the reality of that and move on. But if you do feel compelled to take on this formidable, yet invaluable challenge, here’s how to lay out the groundwork. First flesh out your idea by creating an outline, then start writing rough drafts of your chapters in depth. Don’t be concerned with perfect prose at first, just get your ideas down in even the roughest form. Start thinking about appropriate publishers too, if you plan to go that route. Or, if you decide self-publishing is the way to go, forget finding a publisher and go on the step 3: revising your rough draft, sending it out to an editor or a few colleagues (not too many, though, too much feedback can drive a budding author bonkers!).

Eventually, if you stay the course, you’ll one day be holding a real, live book in your hands with your own name on it! You’ll be proud of yourself and excited about the possibilities. Once book authorship becomes a new item on your resume, you’ll be joining a very elite club that automatically will lift your stature as a professional. Use this newfound expert’s edge to your advantage and “serious” competitors will indeed begin falling well behind.