Nearly every day, someone asks my advice on the best way to promote their business or themselves. I get the question at speaking engagements, at the office and, yes, sometimes at home. I don't mind at all, because I've always got a good answer:

Write a book.

"A book?" some say -- with obvious horror. "I've never written a book!"

Precisely my point. But let me back up a bit.

When I started EMSI 22 years ago, I soon realized the clients who got the attention of the media most quickly were those who'd written a book. Not just any book, mind you, but one that aligned with what they were promoting. The apple salesmen who wrote about apples were far more successful getting media coverage than those who wrote about oranges - and those who hadn't written anything at all.

Why? Because yesterday's business cards are today's books. They give their authors immediate credibility, establishing them as experts in their fields. Credibility opens the door to journalists, talk show hosts, bloggers and anyone else creating content for hungry audiences. Who will they turn to as an expert source of information when a mysterious apple worm is destroying orchards? Johnny Appleseed, author of Red All Over - The Core of the Apple Industry.

There are some caveats. A poorly conceived, poorly designed, poorly written or poorly promoted book is worse than no book at all. Your book must capably and professionally represent your unique message - and you.

Not a writer? Not a problem. There are thousands of talented freelance writers and editors out there - especially in the wake of all the newspaper layoffs in recent years - who can help. So don't worry about that just yet. The first step is planning, and that's up to you whether or not you will actually do the writing.

• Decide on your book's main idea. The central focus will be what drives the entire project, so it must match the message you want to convey and it must excite you. If you're bored from the get-go, you'll likely never see your project through to the end. A great way to test ideas is by running them through these five questions:

1. What message am I enthusiastic about that I want to convey?
2. Who can benefit from it?
3. How will it help them?
4. Why am I the one bringing this idea to them?
5. How can I make my points unique and different from what has already been said on the topic?

• Pay attention to your own reactions as you test-drive your ideas. Which idea makes you smile? Which excites you creatively? Which hits the essence of what you're about - what you enjoy, think about and create every day? It may be an idea you never even realized inspired such passion in you.

• Consider what you really want to achieve by promoting yourself or your business. Business owners obviously want to grow their business and see it flourish; some people want to build careers as speakers. But often, there's something deeper driving us and we may not even be aware of it. Taking the time to do some soul-searching to identify your real motivation can help you clarify your message and find your book's focus.

A real-life example: When I sat down to write Celebritize Yourself, I planned a how-to book on commonly asked publicity questions.  But, when I ran that idea through the five-question test, I had trouble with No. 5.  So, I asked myself, "What do I most enjoy about my professional life?" The answer was easy: helping people identify and value what's unique about them and their message.  In writing a book about how to get publicity, I realized I needed to explain why everyone has an expertise that should be shared.

It's never too late to write your book. I know it seems daunting, but remember, the first time you do anything, it's often a challenge. Remember how hard it was wobbling down the sidewalk on your first bicycle? You may have crashed a few times, skinned your knees and bumped your head, but you got back on and kept trying.

Call on that brave 6-year-old you and start planning your book!

About Marsha Friedman

Marsha Friedman is a 22-year veteran of the public relations industry. She is the CEO of EMSI Public Relations (www.emsincorporated.com), a national firm that provides PR strategy and publicity services to corporations, entertainers, authors and professional firms. She also co-hosts "The News and Experts Radio Show with Alex and Marsha" on Sirius/XM Channel 131 on Saturdays at 5:00 PM EST.

Grassley Seeks Detailed Accounting of IRS Whistleblower Office Obstacles

WASHINGTON - Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa has asked the Internal Revenue Service and the Treasury Department to answer a detailed series of questions aimed at understanding why the IRS whistleblower office has been so slow in processing cases and making rewards.  Grassley expressed his "extreme disappointment in the management of the program" in a letter to the agency.

"The IRS does not have a problem attracting whistleblowers," Grassley said.  "The IRS has a problem processing whistleblower information and compensating whistleblowers in a timely manner.  I'm hearing frustration from whistleblowers, and my worst fears are coming true.  The lack of progress is demoralizing whistleblowers, and they might stop coming forward.  That would be a bad outcome for the taxpayers."

Grassley's latest inquiry was prompted in part by revelations that the director of the IRS whistleblower program was a panelist at the Offshore Alert Conference at the Ritz-Carlton in Miami Beach.  "It seems the whistleblower office director's time might be better spent reviewing hundreds of existing cases instead of attending a conference that isn't directed at potential whistleblowers," Grassley said.

Grassley wrote to IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner to seek a status update on several benchmarks that would indicate progress in the whistleblower program.  The letter is the latest step in Grassley's oversight of the whistleblower office.

Grassley wrote the 2006 law improving the IRS whistleblower office.  He modeled the improvements after the successful 1986 whistleblower amendments to the federal False Claims Act, which have brought back more than $30 billion to the federal treasury and deterred even more fraudulent activity.

The text of Grassley's latest letter is available here.

The text of Grassley's September 2011 letter to the IRS is available here.  The IRS' November 2011 response is available here.

The text of Grassley's letter to the Treasury secretary in June 2010 is available here.

Higher education advocates released new data today showing that an anticipated increase in the student loan interest rate would cost Iowa students $250 million per year. The increase would affect federally subsidized Stafford loans, which are provided to almost 7.5 million low and moderate-income students nationwide each year. If Congress does nothing, then beginning on July 1st, the interest rate will double from 3.4% to 6.8% on new student loans.

"In today's economy, students need a college education to get ahead," said Sonia Ashe, Iowa PIRG Advocate. "Doubling the interest rate for student loans would make this goal harder to achieve for thousands of Iowans."

"I'm already going to graduate with a mountain of student debt," said Jessica Tobin at the University of Iowa. "If Congress lets the interest rate double, then I'm looking at even bigger loan payments and it's going to take longer for me to get on my feet financially after I graduate."

The average student borrower already graduates with over $25,000 in student loans. On average, the doubling of the interest rate would add approximately $1,000 for every year a student takes out a loan, adding up to more than $4,000 over a four-year education.

To stave off the rate hike, Congress needs to act by July 1st to maintain the existing interest rate. Without action, interest rates on these loans will double, resulting in significant new debt for future graduates. A vote on the issue is schedule in the United States Senate for Tuesday.

"Student debt can change the shape of a young person's life," said Laurie Wolf, a financial aid officer at Des Moines Area Community College. "When students graduate with high levels of student debt, it can force them to postpone major life events like marriage, parenthood, and home ownership. It's important to minimize that debt, including keeping interest rates low, in order to reduce the impact it has on the lives of our graduates."

Today, the Center for American Progress, Campus Progress, and the USAction Education Fund will release reports detailing how an increase in the Stafford student loan interest rate would impact a number of states. These reports will offer new broad analysis, state statistics, stories of people who could be impacted, and support from student body presidents and campus newspapers.

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Iowa PIRG, the Iowa Public Interest Research Group, is a non-profit, non-partisan public interest advocacy organization.