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Deadlines and Taxes

by Steve Laube

Two certainties in the life of a writer. Deadlines and Taxes.

You know what a deadlines is. It has the word “dead” in it for a reason. And intrinsic to the reality of taxes is that April 15th filing deadline.

But what about those taxes?

Many articles appear in early April about taxes when approaching the filing date. But I thought we should explore a couple items now so there won’t be any surprises come April.

First, the obligatory disclaimer. I am not a tax attorney or a tax accountant. I am merely discussing concepts and ideas which you may or may not use in your situation. And, as always, when it comes to your taxes, make sure to consult a professional.

Some of you may roll your eyes and say, “I already know this.” But remember there was a time when you did not. I get many “beginner” questions each year from debut authors who are discovering much of the business side of this industry for the first time.

Keep Good Records

One advantage of the self-employed writer is the ability to deduct certain expenses as they relate to the writing profession. Writers conference fees, writing magazine subscriptions, web site hosting fees, promotional items used to market your book, etc. These are possible deductions, but you must have a record of each expense.

And I mean keep everything. Receipts, ticket stubs, bank statements, check registers, ATM receipts, mileage (when and where and how far). Nowadays a good scanner and smart use of Evernote can put it all in one place.

Now is the time to start trying to recreate your 2011 expenses if you haven’t already done so. Trying to find that receipt on April 14th might be a challenge.

Hobby-Loss Rules

If you are writing as a hobby or for something that only occasionally earns money, then you can only deduct expenses equal to the amount of your revenue. In other words you can’t buy a submarine and claim it was for research for that underwater thriller you’ve been trying to write for years.

But if you have the “intent” to derive a living from your writing you can show a loss (and maybe deduct that submarine!?) Proving intent is something judged case by case. Put it this way, if you show a loss in your writing business for five consecutive years, expect a red flag to appear in the IRS inbox. It is commonly understood that the IRS will accept that you are running a business if your writing work shows a profit in at least three of the last five tax years. But in an audit the IRS can go back many years and determine if your deductions were valid. If disapproved you will end up with a very expensive new tax liability and additional penalties. Here is the official page on the IRS site for their Hobby-Loss Rules.

Separate Your Home from Your Business

As much as possible keep your household income and expenses separate from your income and expenses for writing. It can be as simple as keeping a separate bank account. (This is one way to prove “intent,” see above.) And then keep records separately for the business using Quicken, Mint.com, or a spreadsheet.

If you work out of your home, consider exploring the “home office deduction.” But be careful. If you write occasionally from the home computer and that computer is used by other family members for things other than your writing business, it is likely you will not qualify.

I know of some authors who have a separate phone line (or cell phone) just for their business. That way interviews and publicity inquiries from the Today Show don’t come to the house where your teenager answers the phone and shouts, “Mom! Some dude is on the phone for you!”

Resources

I can recommend the book New Tax Guide for Writers, Artists, Performers and Other Creative People by Peter Jason Riley. This is one of the few annually updated tax guides that helps those in the arts. This 2012 edition is supposed to be available soon.

The other is Carol Topp’s Business Tips and Taxes for Writers. (Amazon link; Kindle link; Direct) It is simple, clear, and specifically intended for the writer.

And last, an excellent book The Money Book for Freelancers, Part-Timers, and the Self-Employed: The Only Personal Finance System for People with Not-So-Regular Jobs by Joseph D’Agnese and Denise Kiernan. It is one of the few books out there that is specifically designed to help those in the arts.

For many of you, numbers are either a toxic topic or the equivalent of hieroglyphics. But take this issue seriously. The writing profession is ultimately a business. Granted a business based in the Creative Arts, but it is still a business. Talk to a qualified tax accountant if you have questions. Never rely on the hearsay of another writers who gives anecdotal information at a writers conference. The IRS won’t accept the excuse that “Sally told me it was okay to write-off my Australian Cruise because I was researching an article about Sydney!”

How Many Critiques Spoil the Broth?

by Tamela Hancock Murray

Today I’ll give my opinion on a question sent to our blog:

When an author is trying to find the right Genre to write in for a particular subject, is it profitable to listen to only one critique? 

Discover

The author who posed this question is in the discovery phase. Writers who read lots of books and have developed a love for many types of stories often have trouble deciding what to write. Often I receive proposals from new authors who tell me they have written, for example, romance, women’s fiction, and romantic suspense and want me to market all three. From a statistical perspective, that makes sense. Isn’t it more likely that three proposals going to thirty places will be more likely for at least one to find success than one proposal going to six places? Well, no. This is because authors are better off finding their writing passion and pursuing that with the best book they can write rather than researching and writing across the board. For instance, romantic suspense and contemporary romance have in common the fact that the story’s main plot point is the relationship between a modern hero and heroine. However, a romantic suspense writer must be willing to learn about police procedure and the law, but contemporary romance authors usually don’t because their books focus on different types of conflicts.

Listen

My advice to the new author is to pursue the story they most want to see published and to see their name tied to forever. To decide that, think about what story you are most eager to write, and what type of research you enjoy. Though you will still want to write to market considerations, I recommend listening to your heart when choosing genres.

Flourish

Of course, many successful authors write in several genres. However, most of these authors started in one genre and moved to different types of books as their careers flourished. New authors need to get a foothold before attempting to market several genres. This is one area where a literary agent’s advice is invaluable. Our jobs include offering career advice to authors and helping them not to become overwhelmed with too many contracts. This is a nice problem to have, but one that needs the skill of a good agent to manage.

Critique

Critiques are tricky. Finding a match of partners who will work with your schedule and who are also knowledgeable about and have a passion for your genre is one of the most difficult combinations to find. There is nothing wrong with asking your mother or spouse to critique your work. My husband is not a professional author but he critiqued every novel and Bible trivia book I wrote. He was a tremendous help to me. However, when exchanging critiques with other authors, it makes sense to find those who have enough knowledge about your genre to be helpful with what will and will not work in the marketplace. A book about two people living in different countries but who find love in the last two chapters of a book may be a great read, but it won’t work for all genres. Writers of historical fiction would benefit from listening to authors who know their chosen time period to help with tone, voice, and details. Having author friends get behind your work gives you confidence when you first start writing.

Number

So how many critiques is the right number? Popular authors with deadlines usually reach the point of success where critique groups no longer work well. Submitting a chapter a week doesn’t cut it when your deadline is next month. And you don’t have time to critique other people’s work because you are under deadline. So at this point, you may have one devoted critiquer who can drop everything for you, or you may have no one at all. The bottom line is, critiques and critique partners can be a valuable piece of your writing career puzzle, but they should not and cannot be the end-all and be-all of your career. Even the most experienced and well-meaning critiquer is only offering an opinion. Over time you must develop the confidence in yourself and your work to submit your best to your editor.

 

Let Creativity Flow (Part One)

by Karen Ball

Creativity.

There are days when it flows as free as the Rogue River (and anyone who’s ever been to Oregon knows that’s free indeed!) When ideas come so hard and fast you can scarcely keep up. When the words fly from your fingers, through the keyboard, and onto the page. When creativity happens, it’s electric, exciting, energizing.

And then there are other days.

Days when you sit at the keyboard, staring at a blank screen. When you type…delete…type…delete…and on and on. Every word is a struggle, every character wooden, every plot point contrived. And you ask yourself, for the 110th time, “Why?”

Why did you ever think you could be a writer??

So what’s a writer to do when creativity seems a thing of the past? Well, I’ve got a few ideas. But first I’d like to hear from you.

What sparks your creativity? Where do you go, what do you do, when you need to refill those creative wells deep within?

Can’t wait to read your thoughts!

The Perils of Social Media

Guest Blog by Tosca Lee

Our guest today is Tosca Lee, author of Demon: A Memoir and Havah: The Story of Eve. She is also the co-author with Ted Dekker of the NYTimes bestseller Forbidden. The next book in that series will be out this Summer. A sought-after speaker and former Mrs. Nebraska, Tosca was a senior consultant for a global consulting firm until turning to writing full-time. She holds a degree in English and International Relations from Smith College and also studied at Oxford University. Please visit her web site at www.toscalee.com.

_______________

Facebook. Twitter. Shoutlife. LinkedIn. Dopplr. Google+. Plaxo. Blogger. WordPress. Shelfari. Goodreads. Writer’s loops. Conference loops. Endless loops.

By the time I finish updating my status, writing my blogs, tweeting, pasting my bulletins, my newest pictures, my URLs and YouTube links, recruiting friends, recommending friends, sharing reads, rating reads, ranking reads, ranking friends, tagging friends, responding to posts, responding to friends, responding to blogs, ranting, reblogging, re-bulleting, re-accepting (plants, gifts, pinches, bits o’ karma, flowers, flare, tickles, candy, drinks, siege warfare by angry goats and lil green patches–what the heck is a lil green patch anyway??) it’s time to repost my status–and respond to those responding to my status who are reading their walls, shuffling friends, organizing bookshelves, recommending contacts and waging mob wars.

By then, the day is over. I have missed my hair appointment, my deadline and a conference call, needed to go to the bathroom three hours ago, blown off dinner, ticked off my friends (who live in town and did not check my wall to see why I never showed up), neglected my Significant Other, alienated my family, and defaulted on my mortgage.

I’m already grossly behind on an article and some reading, on projects for friends and the synopsis I owe my agent… and yet I cannot tear myself from Facebook because I might miss something important–say, another lil green patch–and then I will have gone from being behind with writing, reading and work, to being behind with the relational fiber of my life that is supposed to make the reading, the writing, the work all meaningful.

***
Bouncing back and forth between the social, networking and professional sites I signed up for to catch up with friends, connect with readers and promote my work, it’s plausible that I might never have time to write another book–or if I do, it’ll be 360 pages of 140-character one-liners.

I don’t know half the people in my extended network, but they came highly recommended. And even though I may not actually know Marlene in Dekalb, I’m fascinated by how white her teeth are in her picture and the fact that her relationship status just changed from “In a relationship” to “Single.” I’m wondering if they broke up or she forgot to change it before her last boyfriend. And if I know any friends of friends willing to dish.

I’m fascinated by hub friends, who seem to know and be on everyone’s page, horrified at how many colleagues know schoolmates who have seen me do stupid things, appalled friends’ exes who never had the decency to settle down more than one degree away.

It gets a bit uncomfortable–I worry if raucous friends will offend the straight-laced among my network (or vice versa). I wonder whether I’ll say something dumb that will haunt me forever–or at least until it scrolls off the new bulletin list, pushed down by the newest rants, requests, ramblings or reciprocal idiocy of others.

The only way to know, of course, is to stay pasted to the screen. I find that trolling for feedback is an especially convenient time to spy on high school friends and frenemies, the real lives of people I only see in suits, my exes, my readers (it seems only fair), my colleagues, my neighbors. And I am at peace with my virtual social life, holed up like a voyeuristic hermit, my picture neatly made up in the window as I sit stinky and unkempt at home in my sweats.

One of these days, God willing, I’ll start a new project. Crickets will chirp from the void that was my blog. The status line of my Facebook page will stare blankly at no one. Invites will turn kudzu on my homepage, and my Shelfari shelves will grow dust. Concerned friends will send notes like morose pings into the ether as I wrestle with metaphors and confront the empty page, wishing I could trade my Roget’s for the tiniest lil green patch or bit o’ karma.

***

Tosca just sent you a lil green patch.

[Accept] [Decline] [Ignore] [Wage Mob War Instead]

#caffiene

 

 

2011 – The Year in Review

by Steve Laube

It is a good exercise to reflect on the past year. Count the blessings, reflect on the hard lessons, and remember the good times.

The highlight was bringing both Tamela Hancock Murray and Karen Ball into the agency in late May. I was and continue to be very excited about the talent and work these two are doing on behalf of our clients.

That hard work had visible results as we secured sixty-four (64) new book contracts that will cover 113 new books. That works out to a new contract every four business days.

There were some challenges with three authors having their contracts cancelled for a variety of reasons. This is never easy, but it can happen.

Keeping track of the blistering changes in the industry would give any sane person whiplash. Amazon’s surge and Border’s demise gave many of us pause. I read over 150 pages of industry related material each week in an attempt to keep up. I like to joke that an agent’s job is to keep track 24/7 because the industry can change on Tuesday. This was proven last month when two major personnel changes were announced on the same day at two different firms…and that day was Tuesday.

The biggest publishing news event was the sale of Thomas Nelson to HarperCollins. (click here for my thoughts on that event.)

Our client list grew exponentially with the addition of Tamela and Karen. We now represent over 150 authors. It is an honor and a privilege to serve such a talented group.

We redesigned the web site early in the year which created the infrastructure to ramp up our blogging efforts. Having three agents allows us to share the blogging load so each person takes one day while I also collect weekly news articles and find something lighthearted to share each Friday. The number of regular readers has tripled since mid-year.

I spoke at seven different writer’s events around the country and also attended my 30th consecutive ICRS convention in July.

On a personal note my wife and I celebrated our 30th Anniversary and we took an Alaskan cruise along with my brothers and their wives. What made it even greater was being able to watch our daughter perform 14 times in 10 days since she was one of the dancers on board the Sea Princess. We topped off our trip by visiting my parents to celebrate my father’s 90th birthday. Then later in the year we celebrated the 100th birthday of my wife’s grandmother.

Here is wishing you all a happy new year!

Before You Say “I Do”

by Karen Ball

Thirty-two years ago today I said those very words to my darling hubby, Don, in a candlelit service, surrounded by friends and family. Ours was a whirlwind courtship and marriage. From the time we met to the wedding was a total of 8 months—and we were apart for 3 of those months. Yes, we were young. And yes, in many ways, we were incredibly foolish. But now, 32 years later, I can tell you that though our journey has not been smooth or easy, it’s taught us more than I ever thought possible about love, about faith, about obedience, about grace. God has used two imperfect people to forge a strong, lasting bond, and He’s knit our hearts and spirits together as I once thought impossible.

As I thought about all this today, and about all it’s taken for us to not just survive as a couple but to thrive, it confirmed something I’ve heard and experienced: the author/agent relationship is very much like a marriage. There’s the wooing and courting, often on both parts. There’s trying to figure out how to win the heart of the desired. There’s that flush of excitement when you discover your interest is reciprocal. There’s the proposal, and the happy “I do.”

And then there’s the freakin’ hard work of the relationship.

An author’s relationship with an agent is a close and intimate thing. You share dreams and passions, callings and needs, you work close together to make those things come true. For many authors, me included, you share not just your writing life but your personal life with your agent. They become, for all intents and purposes, as much a part of your life as family. And there’s another similarity between marriage and the author/agent relationship…

Expectations.

Don and I came from diverse childhoods. I mean…DIVERSE. Our experiences growing up were polar opposites. Our understanding of family and marriage and love were as far apart as the east is from the west! You’ve heard of folks bringing baggage into a relationship? Well, we had steamer trunks. Big ones. As a result, we hit a lot of snags. By God’s grace, our relationship endured some very turbulent times. Time that ended up, again, by God’s grace alone, making us stronger individually and together. But I won’t deny I wish, wish, wish we’d understood more about the potentially devastating effect expectations can have on a relationship.

Again, it’s similar with authors and agents. Whether you’ve had a number of agents, or are in the process of finding your first agent, the best counsel I can give you is what I tell young couples contemplating marriage: Know your expectations. Each of you must determine what you want from the person and the relationship. Be honest about your strengths and weaknesses, and understand that no one person can ever meet all your needs. No, I’m not saying get more than one agent. Heaven forbid! All I mean is make sure you are aligning yourself with an agent who is a good fit in personality, ability, and passion.

How can you know that? Well, there are hosts of places online to find business questions to ask a potential agent. But I encourage you to consider this relationship in light of some self-examination, understanding there’s no right or wrong to your answers. There’s just understanding yourself and the expectations you bring to the relationship.

  • Do you want someone who will get to know you and your family as well as your work, or are you looking more for a business partner?
  • Are you someone who needs to hear from the agent on a regular basis, even if it’s just to say “hi”, or are you content only to hear when there’s something happening on the career front?
  • Do you state your needs easily or find yourself wanting the other person to “read” you and know what you need?
  • How do you handle conflict? Do you pull back and get silent, letting things simmer, or do you explode and then everything’s okay. Are you willing to address issues right away, or do you shy away from difficult conversations?
  • How do you respond when you fall behind or miss a deadline? Do you let guilt eat you up and make you even less able to work, or do you keep the nose to the grindstone and work until it’s done? What do you need from your agent when this happens? Encouragement? A pep talk? A kick in the pants?
  • What is the worst thing an agent could do? The best?

These are just a few thoughts to get you started. The key here is to not just know yourself, but to understand how you need to work with an agent, and how an agent needs to work with you. And then, when you have that figured out, to make those needs and expectations clear at the outset. Especially that last one. And I encourage you to ask the agent the same thing: What is the worst thing I could do as your client? What’s the best thing I can do?

If Don and I have learned nothing else through all these years, we’ve learned the importance of knowing and communicating as clearly (and unemotionally!) as possible our needs and expectations. Doing this with an agent will help avoid unneeded problems down the road, and will help you deal with problems when they come. No blame or shame needed. Just honest communication, steeped in kindness and truth.

There’s no better basis for any relationship.

Writers Give to Others

by Steve Laube

My hope is that this headline is true. While the writing profession (or obsession as some describe it) is a solitary one, it is in giving to others where its impact can be felt.

Time

The gift of time is precious as we are given a finite amount in this life. To mentor another writer. To blog freely. To teach at a conference or school setting. All are example of a beautiful way to both give and receive.

Talent

To use your talent to its fullest is a gift to others. To hone that talent so that it crescendos into the heart of a reader should be the goal of every writer. This talent must be shared. To hoard it for oneself would be a travesty and tantamount to the deadly sin of greed.

Treasure

I am talking about the things you treasure, like your money. One of my favorite epigrams is from Ellie Kay who wrote The sweetest dollar you ever make is the one you give away.” That is so true! In a December article Cynthia Ruchti wrote about a number of novelists who have tied the revenue of their work to various charities. One example from the article is novelist Loree Lough who consistently donates a portion of her proceeds to causes like autism research, the Wolf Sanctuary of Pennsylvania, Special Olympics, and breast cancer research. There are dozens of writers who do the same or tie content in their books to specific charities or causes. And I suspect that many others do similar work but have not made that knowledge public. The point is to consider making your work have monetary benefit to others other than yourself.

How have you benefitted from the gift of another writer?
How do you plan to give back to others?

 

 

 

 

What Role Do Influencers Play?

by Tamela Hancock Murray

One of the services a traditional publisher provides is working with authors in regard to getting publicity about books through word of mouth. This piece of the publicity puzzle is more important for trade books than for mass market books because they fit into an established line and are less author-focused than trade books. Trade books rely more on author identity and brand recognition to be successful. This is why traditional publishers ask writers to provide lists of influencers for their books.

Who Might Be Influencers?

Often after you are contracted, the publisher will ask the author for a list of influencers. In return for spreading the word about your book, many publishers will provide a copy to the influencer free of charge. Already your agent has insisted that you include a list of potential endorsers in your proposal. Chances are good that not all of your potential endorsers were asked for formal endorsements, so begin with the remaining friends who already know you, like your writing, and support you in your career. When asked for a larger list, choose wisely. Most likely you’re a member of a writers’ organization such as The American Christian Fiction Writers, Christian Authors Network, Romance Writers of Amerca, or other organizations that offer you a network of potential readers. Choose people who will be willing to post reviews on Amazon, ChristianBook.com, Barnes and Noble, and other sites to get visitors excited about your book. Also consider popular bloggers and book reviewers who have demonstrated an interest in and love for the type of book you write and include them as well.

What If I Am Asked to Be An Influencer?

If an author asks you to be an influencer, don’t accept unless you have a proclivity to like the type of story the author writes and you can really get behind the author’s work. One author I know asked people not to post a review of her work unless they could give it five stars. Sometimes this is not an option and you are asked to review the book regardless. If you must review a book you thought you would love, but turned out to be disappointing, be sure not to trash the book, the editor, the publisher, or the author. Even if you never intend to write books yourself or ask a return of favor, trashing anyone’s work is simply bad form. Every book is published because a group of people found the work meritorious. Do your best to find something positive to say about the book. But don’t lie!

In our publishing industry, we are all striving to serve the Lord with our best. By agreeing to be inflluencers for the work of others, and by taking the responsibility seriously and with kindness, God’s kingdom will be glorified. Happy reading!

Your Turn:

Did a negative review ever keep you from buying a book? Have you ever been an influencer?

Writers Expect Good News

by Steve Laube

Writers expect good news…any day now. Is it the curse of eternal optimism?There is this hope within each writer that it will be their manuscript that is chosen for publication. And the money will rain on them like a spring shower.

Despite the odds.

Despite the competition.

Despite the cynical, horrible, no-good, very-bad agents who review them.

Expectations

Are these expectations realistic? Of course they are. It is the essence of hope. For without hope there is no reason to continue the pursuit of the craft. You have to believe that you have what it takes.

Are these expectations practical? Of course not. Who said the writing profession was “practical?” I had one client calculate their per hour earnings and discovered her wage was less than half of the current minimum wage. It is like nearly every aspect of the Arts (music, dance, design, painting, theater and writing) monetary compensation can be elusive.

Anticipation

I prefer the word anticipation instead of expectation. The difference is that if we anticipate good news we are happy to receive it. But if we expect good news and don’t get it, then the disappointment can be terrible. It is a subtle difference but one of the keys to surviving the soul crushing writing profession is to manage your expectations and instead focus on the joy of anticipation.

Encouragement

My encouragement to you is to  keep working hard. This industry can be tough, but if you learn to wait (click here) and  prepare properly (click here) you will have earned the right to allow for the anticipation of good news coming your way.

 

The Superiority of Christian Romance Novels

by Tamela Hancock Murray

A dedicated reader of the blog (Thank you!) posed an excellent question in response to a recent post:

 Recently, I heard a female Christian marriage counselor/speaker say that women should avoid Christian romance books. She stated there was no such thing as Christian romance. Since she was speaking on the topic of pornography, I assumed she was referring to fiction that leads the reader’s mind where it ought not to go. In my opinion, most romantic Christian fiction does not fall into that category.

My question for you: How would you respond if someone told you Christian romance was sinful, or that there was no such thing? Has that happened to you before?

Last week I responded to the idea that there is no such thing as Christian romance. ”Christian Romance – Fact or Fiction?

Objection!

I am aware of a small cadre of people who are quite critical of Christian romance novels. A few years ago I was on faculty at a writers’ conference and had the displeasure of hearing a speaker demean Christian romance novels in front of the entire group of attendees. The conference in question catered to nonfiction book and magazine writers, so the speaker obviously felt he would face no disagreement. Steve Laube told me that I should have asked the speaker in private for clarification. I wish I had.

Vibrant Relationships

When not challenged as a teenager to read the classics at my college preparatory school, for leisure I indulged in romance novels. Unfortunately, as our culture has coarsened, clean romance novels are difficult to find. I refuse to blame publishers. They respond to what their audience buys. But pity the reader seeking an uplifting, life and love-affirming story with a happy ending for a godly couple. Christian publishers have seen this need and have been more than happy to fill the gap. In fact, Christian romance novels are far superior to the stories I grew up reading because God is front and center. If the couple starts out unequally yoked, they won’t be by story’s end.  Sexual tension is present, but Christian romance writers must be creative in expressing the couple’s attraction for one another, making for a rich, rewarding read. Because of the Christian foundation, the couple’s love for one another, and the holistic strength of their relationship, readers are left with the feeling that the marriage will last. Isn’t that what we all want?

Alternatives

Christian romance offers an alternative to ribald tales. I give Christian books to my family and church library, knowing they will not cause anyone to blush.

Recreate!

Perhaps some objectors feel that readers should be studying the Word instead of Christian romance. I will not argue that Bible study trumps all other forms of reading. But if you take away Christian books, then you must condemn all forms of leisure. That means you must study your Bible instead of going to a ball game, playing video games, surfing the web, reading this blog, or anything else that could be considered leisure. But I believe the Lord wants us to recreate. That is why He set aside the Sabbath.

Your turn:

Has anyone ever condemned your reading material? How did you respond? What are some of your favorite books?

 

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