Today, the ongoing Wednesday series on managing the legal side of your writing career takes a look at an important tax issues many authors struggle with: keeping track of deductions. First, a disclaimer: this post is not, and should not be construed as, legal or tax advice. Consult an accountant or licensed attorney for assistance with your personal tax issues, including (but not limited to) legally permitted tax deductions. Today’s post isn’t about what you can deduct – that varies based on your personal situation, writing income* and other factors. Instead, we’re looking at some ways to document potentially deductible expenses, to ensure
Read morewriters
Hidden Dangers in Short-Form Publishing Contracts
Authors have plenty to watch for when evaluating a publishing deal, but one of the most common dangers is one even savvy authors might not recognize: an abbreviated contract that omits important clauses and protections. Most authors look at standard-length (12-30 page) publishing contracts with a combination of excitement, fear, and confusion. For those not versed in legalese (or, more precisely, Publishing-ese) these contracts can range from “hard to read” to “penned in Greek or Sanskrit.” Authors often see a three-page form and think “finally, a contract that makes sense!” Beware…that way be dragons. Publishing contracts are long because they have to deal with many
Read moreAvoiding Writing Contest Scams
Writing contests can offer great opportunities for published and unpublished authors alike. Good contests can provide valuable feedback and even a chance at publication. However, not all contests are created equal, and authors need to be on the lookout for some important traps and pitfalls when evaluating writing contests. Fortunately, savvy writers can learn to identify–and avoid–the common contest traps. Let’s take a look at some of them today: Legitimate writing contests don’t require entrants to transfer copyright ownership to the contest or its organizers. Here, as everywhere else in publishing (except for clearly identified work for hire situations), authors should retain full copyright
Read more“Bad” Reviews, and How (Not) To Respond to Them
Today, we continue the Wednesday series with a look at negative reviews. We’ll start with a universal principle: Not everyone will like your book. And that’s okay. In fact, some people will HATE your book, and that is okay, too. Most debut authors (and many experienced ones) release a book into the world with the unreasonable expectation that everyone will adore it. Or, in the alternative, they think the people who don’t enjoy the book will decide, collectively, never to mention that fact. The truth is, some people will love your book. Some people will enjoy it. Some people will find
Read moreI miss my anxiety … but lately, my aim is improving.
For the most part, authors are wriggling balls of anxieties held together by dreams and duct tape. We like to pretend we’re not, but if you catch a writer in an honest moment, (s)he’ll admit it’s true. Before I had an agent, I thought my anxiety would disappear when I found one. Before I had a publishing deal, I thought a contract would cure my nervous woes. I believed a multiple-book deal would leave me smiling forever. I should have asked for a unicorn too – because clearly, I was dreaming. The question for authors – and, truly, for every
Read more