A Word Please

Today I have the pleasure of introducing Brigitte Thompson, author of a series of financial books. Brigitte tackles the subject of bookkeeping for writers in her book Bookkeeping Basics for Freelance Writers. Writing is not all about the creativity. It’s also a business and should be treated as such. Admittedly, this is an area I need lots of help with!

Brigitte has graciously answered a few questions for us. But, first, let’s get to know her:

Brigitte A. Thompson is the founder and President of Datamaster Accounting Services, LLC. She has been active in the field of accounting since 1986 and is a member of the American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers and the Vermont Tax Practitioners Association.

A prolific writer, Brigitte is the author of several business books, contributing author and freelance writer specializing in accounting topics. Brigitte lives in the Green Mountains of Vermont with her husband and three children.

You can find her online at http://www.BookkeepingforWriters.com, http://www.DatamasterAccounting.com, through her publisher http://www.CrystalPress.org and on Twitter @taxtips4writers.
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A conversation with Brigitte:

Tell us what Bookkeeping Basics for Freelance Writers is about.

Writers have many important questions to ask about income and expenses, but no single source for answers. I created this book, Bookkeeping Basics for Freelance Writers, to be that source. It is an easy-to-understand guide to organizing a writer’s financial life. This book addresses issues writers face daily such as how to deduct travel expenses, determine taxable writing income, and claim home office deductions. Navigating through the recordkeeping required for a small business owner can be difficult. This book is written exclusively for those of us who earn money by writing. Readers will also find that each part of this book works together to assist in forming an overall business plan. The chapters take the writer through a comprehensive process that works as a building block towards a successful writing business.

Have you found that freelance writers require a different set of bookkeeping rules?

Many bookkeeping rules are universal such as the requirement to record income, but there are some areas of the tax law that are of more interest to freelance writers. This includes dealing with royalty payments, bartering, personal property and agent fees. My book addresses the universal tax rules as well as the infrequently discussed rules that apply specifically to freelance writers. Learning how to document expenses and how to track income will give writers the best chance at overall business success.

What are some tax deductions that freelance writers might not be aware of?

There are many tax deductions available to writers. Some expenses are common, such as the cost of purchasing a case of paper or paying for a computer software upgrade. Other costs incurred in the operation of your writing business may not jump out at you as expenses when they could be. For example, consider the following accounts. Mileage: Trips made in your vehicle to pick up office supplies can be counted as a business deduction if you record the proper information to support it. Meals: Treating your agent to a restaurant meal with the discussion focusing on your next book can also generate a tax deduction when properly documented. Shipping: UPS charges and postage used to mail a query or review copy of your book can be a small expense, but it should still be tracked. Those small deductions add up and every penny spent as a qualified business expense will reduce the amount of income tax you owe. Bookkeeping Basics for Freelance Writers devotes an entire chapter to expenses including a comprehensive listing of expenses and detailed information regarding what documentation is required to support each one.

Many people find numbers, especially when related to bookkeeping and taxes, intimidating. Will this book make these things easier to understand?

Yes, my book breaks down complicated number crunching into easy to follow steps. By reading the book, readers will understand why it’s important to keep certain receipts and how those pieces of paper factor into the overall success of their writing business. Sometimes knowing the reasoning behind a task makes it easier to complete. Writers can take advantage of some wonderful tax deductions, but only when they are aware of the possibility and know how to accurately document the expenses. My book explains it all in a reader friendly format.

What are some of the challenges readers face with regards to bookkeeping?

I found the most common challenge writers face revolves around what they can claim as income and what counts as a tax deduction. For example, if their first job is writing the school newsletter, is the money received really income? Do they need to do something with the Internal Revenue Service before they can be considered a business? How do they handle self- employment tax? The second most common concern for the freelance writers is related to proper documentation. What receipts did they need to save? How should they be kept? What information needs to be recorded to prove the expense? These are all great questions and they are addressed in the book.

Why is it important for writers to understand bookkeeping?

Writers are earning money and this money needs to be reported as income on their income tax return. If writers do not have any expenses to claim, their taxable income will be higher and they will owe more income tax. Understanding what can be claimed as business expenses when you are a writer and how to properly document these expenses will help ensure the success of your business. The most important thing you can do as a writer is to become organized. There are many books available on how to organize your writing, but this is the best book available about how to organize the financial side of your writing business.

How can we purchase your book?

Bookkeeping Basics for Freelance Writers is available through Amazon.com and my publisher (www.CrystalPress.org). Any local bookstore can order my book by ISBN-10: 0963212389 or ISBN-13: 978-0963212382. List price is $17.95.
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Brigitte does a masterful job of explaining the financial world in terms that all of us can understand. Bookkeeping Basics for Freelance Writers isn’t just for freelance writers. Any author who is self-published, published through a small press, or even those with major publishing companies can benefit from the information in Brigitte’s book. Check out her books and save yourself a lot of headaches, as well as a lot of money!

Do you have any bookkeeping secrets of your own to share?

R.J. McDonnell is the author of the humorous, riveting, Rock & Roll Mystery Series featuring P.I. Jason Duffy. While promoting his books and getting to know his readers, R.J. learned some interesting facts. He put what he learned in practice together with what he learned in theory during his college years and has come to share a few excellent tips with us today.

First, a little about R.J.:

RJ McDonnell is the son of a Pennsylvania State Police Detective. In addition to a traditional education, RJ also had the benefit of seeing every police detective drama on television and in the movies. His father would frequently critique these stories for believability of characters and police procedures.

Instead of becoming the third generation of McDonnell’s to enter the police force, RJ found that his talents lie elsewhere. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree at Penn State University and a Masters at Marywood University. During his college years RJ was a rhythm guitarist and vocalist in two bands. Shortly thereafter, he moved to San Diego where he went to work for a professional writing service. In addition, he wrote a monthly column for the Military Press, and another for a San Diego publication, providing advice to job seekers.

In the 90s, RJ discovered he had a knack for comedy writing. He wrote for a local San Diego cable television show that had a Saturday Night Live-type format. Over its two seasons on the air, 34 of his skits were produced.

While he continued to work as a professional nonfiction writer, his creative juices were now flowing. After college, RJ’s interest in crime stories transitioned from television and movies into novels. He discovered that the lack of detail and intricacies that his father complained about were abundant in the novel format.

“Rock & Roll Homicide” is the first novel in a series featuring private investigator, Jason Duffy. The second novel, “Rock & Roll Rip-Off,” was released 3/29/10. RJ is currently writing the third novel in the series, which will be Jason’s first serial killer case.
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And now an insightful article R.J. has written about his experiences in passing on the love of books to “nonreaders”.

How to Interest Adult Children in Reading Books

Did you ever take a vacation to a place you’ve never visited, and find that your expectations and the reality of the trip were very different? That was my experience when the first novel in my Rock & Roll Mystery Series was published. I anticipated a traditional mystery audience in the 35- to 70 age range, and I was half-right.

Four months after Rock & Roll Homicide was published, The Christian Science Monitor ran an article on how the novel was generating a very unusual demographic phenomenon. By analyzing the social networking profiles of 200 people who purchased the book through a marketing campaign on MySpace they determined that the other half of my audience was comprised of 18- to 35-year-olds who enjoy music, but rarely read books. They made this determination by looking at the “Books” section of their profiles and seeing comments like, “I hate books,” and “I hate to read.”

A few weeks after the article was published I began receiving emails from parents telling me of their experience in passing my book on to their adult children and grandchildren. After receiving several of these, I got one from a wise grandmother who went one step further by initiating a discussion with her grandson about the strained relationship between my detective and his retired police detective father. She said that it didn’t take long before the grandson started noting similarities to the problems he was having with his own father.

I was fortunate to have an amazing behavioral psychology professor as an undergraduate at Penn State. Dr. Alan Kazdin went on to chair the Psychology Department at Yale and was named the president of the American Psychological Association in 2008. I applied what I had learned from Dr. Kazdin and shared it with my readers who were trying to pass their passion for reading on to their adult children.

Following a couple of years of trial and error, I am now doing a library tour where I share what I’ve learned. The highlights are as follows:

Read a fiction novel that should be consistent with your child’s interests. Recommend the book to a few of your friends. Relate a movie trailer-length version of the book to your child and ask for help in understanding certain parts of it. Rock & Roll Homicide is a whodunit were most of the suspects are either in a band or affiliated with the music business. Tell your child that you expect your friends to ask questions you’re not prepared to answer, and ask for help.

After the child has finished the book ask questions that will make your child appear bright and insightful. Watch a few Larry King interviews if you need help in this area. Be generous with your praise. Try to get on a topic that will lead to a heart-to-heart discussion; then ask for a commitment to read a second book. Go with the first and second books in a series if possible.

Avoid topics that could lead to arguments when discussing the first three books. Drugs, religion, and politics are volatile topics that should be deferred until at least the seventh book.

Introduce such topics as themes, subplots, and levels of meaning as subtly as possible. Make sure that your child remains the star of the discussion. Avoid assuming the role of mentor or English teacher.

Transition into nonfiction around the tenth book. Start with something simple and avoid thick books. Be sure you are on target with their interests – give them what they want, not what you think they need.

Keep it positive. If your child stalls at any point in the process, don’t resort to the tactics you used to get him to finish his science project. Conjuring up bad memories from high school will derail the program. Make it his special time with Mom.

Above is the five minute version of my 90 minute presentation. If you opt to initiate a reading program for a family member and get stuck, feel free to send me a brief email. I may be able to put you in touch with someone who succeeded in overcoming the obstacle you are experiencing. I can be reached through my website at www.rjmcdonnell.com. If you have a child with an interest in music, I have a two-chapter excerpt of the first two books in my series on that site.

Initiating a successful reading program can be a bit labor intensive, but the payoff can be immense. Like the vacation that I alluded to in the first paragraph, the reading program can take you down some unexpected paths. If you can ride through the rough spots it can positively impact your family for generations to come.
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R.J.’s books are young adult-friendly. There’s no strong language or graphic sex scenes to deter parents from sharing his books with their young adult and/or adult children. Plus, they are fun reads!

You can find R.J. on his website: http://www.rjmcdonnell.com. He’s a friendly guy. Don’t hesitate to drop a hello his way!

Author Greg Dawe is a fascinating guy. Want to know why? Just read his bio! Greg is here today to talk about his new – and first – book Theta Head. Strange title? You might think so, particularly if you aren’t a science geek. But a glimpse at Greg’s book will tell you that you don’t need to be a science geek to love his book. When asked about the genre Theta Head falls into, Greg puts it this way: Theta Head is a novel which sits somewhere between contemporary fiction, speculative fiction, and present day science fiction. At its heart it is a modern-day mystery, one that explores the theme of how technology can bring people closer to themselves, as opposed to others. The central questions is: Will technology develop a mind of its own, or can it have ours?

Before we move on to his book, let’s get to know Greg:

Born in London, Greg has been writing since he was 12. Just as the web was emerging in ’93 his interest in new technologies led him to study the UK’s first multimedia degree.

He then worked in London for as long as he could before buying a one-way ticket to South East Asia, where the laidback lifestyle gave him the peace, space and time to write more persistently. Drifting in and out of teaching English to sustain this writing habit, always more at home in a foreign country, Greg is still wandering in Asia, slowly learning that wherever he goes, there he is.
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About Greg’s Book:

Stark naked consciousness is exposed like a raw nerve as Georgia’s search for her missing boyfriend, Ben, takes her from London through Asia.

On route she discovers that Ben has been using a neuroscience technology – one that offers the potential of complete liberation to anyone who uses it. It is a technology Georgia must embrace if she is to find Ben, but one that is such an intimate catalyst for change Georgia isn’t sure she can handle the side of herself it uncovers.

It is only her desire to find Ben which drives her on; a force which leads her to the Theta Heads and a choice: continue using the technology to hack away at her layers of mental static and find the real reason he disappeared, or let go and face a future without him.

Theta Head – technology doesn’t need a mind of its own, it can have ours.
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Greg has written an article to share with us, on his publishing experience with a small press in the U.K.

The benefits of being published by a raptor among lumbering herbivores.

As a recently published debut novelist, I’ve worked much more closely than I’d anticipated with Caffeine Nights Publishing, both in the editing process and in shaping a promotional strategy for my novel, Theta Head. It’s been very much a two way exchange of ideas and information and that strategy is evolving even as I type. Really, it is; as I write this I’ve pinged a few emails back and forth with my publisher discussing the creative side of editing Theta Head’s book trailer/author interview video. I couldn’t ask for a closer, more creative relationship than that.

So what exactly does my publisher do for me?

To begin with all I have is my book, which I wrote for a reason. That reason was because I hadn’t seen many contemporary novels which dealt with technology and character in an intimate way before. The theme of Theta Head – technology bringing people closer to themselves as well as to other people – was one I was keen to explore. So I researched who else was interested in this topic and gradually built up a picture of my target demographic. That’s great, I thought, but what do I do with that list?

This is where a small publisher is so invaluable. As a professional media company Caffeine Nights has the contacts, the press lists and press kits, which I do not. They are able to take my information and then directly target this group of potential book buyers. And they have the experience to get the most out of those contacts, something, as a non-professional media person, I would more than likely make a blubbering mess of.

Author/Publisher Intimacy

Working this closely has given me invaluable insight into how publishing works, how much leg work is involved in getting things off the ground – especially promotion – how much persistence is needed, and how being with a small publisher has many advantages, the main one being author/agent intimacy. Small publishers are dynamic, able to react quickly to get reviews or interview requests out. Above all, they listen. They want to know what my opinions are. They take into consideration my strengths and weaknesses when it comes to marketing. And last but not least, they don’t laugh at me when I look puzzled when they say things like ‘you need to develop a platform.’ Plat… what? Form… of plats? So now I know what a platform is and I’m slowly developing one. But like I said, it’s a two way dynamic exchange if ideas and information, one which is evolving as I type, and one which I genuinely hope other authors have the benefit of experiencing.

Caffeine Nights Publishing Response:

(What do they bring to the table for marketing and promoting?)

The Internet has rapidly changed the way publishers work. It is easier for a smaller publisher with a sustainable roster of authors to work on a one to one level and make them part of the whole process of publishing from collaboration on artwork and editing to gearing a specific marketing/public relations plan for the book and author. Publishers need to remember that each book and author is different. What worked for one author may not suit or work for another so building a relationship of trust and collaboration is vital. Greg has been very proactive and conducted lots of research into areas he wishes to influence. By working closely together we can target those areas with greater effect. We are constantly looking at new tools and ways to reach people with our books and also to make the process of working with an author easier. We have a good grounding in public relations so we have had success on all media with our books and authors and that includes TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, blogs, and specialist websites. Where possible we will also make films with our authors and distribute them through our own website (cnpublishing.co.uk) , YouTube channel (Caffeine Nights Films) video distribution services and importantly social media.

(What guidance do they lend after the book has been released?)

Small publishers do not have the advertising or marketing budgets of the mainstream publishers – nowhere near it. So we have to be smart, we also have to be realistic and tell our authors the chance of their book flying off the shelf from day one is low and then some. It is more a case of building a profile for the book and author. Our investment is pretty much long term and we aim to sustain interest in titles for as long as we can. We don’t have 30 to 40 titles out a week and it’s not a case of pumping the title out there and moving on. We will publish only 8 to 10 titles in a year so we can concentrate on each author. For us a key word is sustainable, everything has to be sustainable. The book industry is one of the dirtiest in terms of waste and carbon footprint and our environmental ethos is reflected in the way we work with authors. Authors ask will my book be in the book shops, the question should be “Will it sell in the book shops?” . We could go down the route of printing thousands of copies (like the mainstream publishers) flooding the stores and then passing the remainders on to supermarkets to be sold for £1.99 or returned to landfill but we want to be different. We will do our best to create the demand, we will support authors, we will arrange books signing, we will send books for review, we will run good PR campaigns for each and every author. The public decide if it will sell.

(Do they work with authors as a team or send them out into the world on their own?’)

We work as a team, though many aspects are daunting for authors, such as the first public engagement or book signing. We brief our authors for media and what to expect. Most will have had some form of experience in front of our cameras to help them prepare for interviews. We try to be as pro-active as possible and look for new ideas. Working with an author is paramount to any success the book will have to not do so would be a wasted investment.
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You can learn more about Greg and his work in the following places:
http://gregdawe.com/
http://www.cnpublishing.co.uk/

Here in the U.S., you can find Theta Head on Amazon:

Intrigued? I know I am! I haven’t had a chance to read this one, yet, but it’s high up on my list!

Today I have the pleasure of introducing everyone to author Terri Weeding, whose dark comedy To Kill An Armchair Husband: a dark comedy (Volume 1) had me laughing out loud.

About Terri:

Terri Weeding is a writer of humorous women’s fiction. She lives in Phoenix with a houseful of girls and one very tolerant husband. She is currently working on her second novel, Maddy and The Double Buzz. Terri is a former Peace Corps Volunteer. She enjoys skydiving, micro-brews and red wine, Zumba, and working with kids.

About her book:

Once upon a time there lived a happy and satisfied wife named Charlene Score. Her husband Billy was the perfect prince: kind, loving, and very lusty. But then one day, POOF! He morphed into a big, old lump. To make matters worse, he started torrid affairs with not one, but three sexy mistresses: a leather armchair, a big screen TV, and ESPN.

Charlie is heartbroken and growing angrier by the minute. She’s tried everything, but her husband refuses to change back. What’s a wife to do? Divorce won’t cut it, too messy and expensive. Besides, how will she ever get him out of the arms of THAT chair?

Only one drastic option remains–Murder.

But she’s having a little trouble . . . Billy just won’t die.

A Chat With Terri:

1. What prompted the idea for this book?

My husband’s former, beloved brown leather recliner. One day he and I were watching a “game” on TV when it occurred to me that THE CHAIR was a major presence (character) in the room.

2. Billy, the Armchair Husband is glued to his TV, watching sports with the remote in his hand. You and your husband both enjoy sports. Do either of you have Armchair issues of your own?

Yes! Both of us! We have three armchairs in the house right now. He has a brown suede model in the family room and I have two petite brown leather armchairs in the bedroom. Did I mention our couch reclines at both ends as well? And yes we do like watching sports on TV, but we have lives and a DVR thank goodness. A three hour baseball game can be viewed in a half-hour.

3. Why does Charlie (Charlene) feel that killing Billy is a better option than divorce?

Here’s the complicated multi-part answer. Charlie wants a clean break. Billy’s not really living anyway since he spends all his free time watching sports! Part of her worries she wouldn’t have the strength to divorce Billy because underneath all of her pain and anger she still loves him. Plus there’s all those divorce horror stories. I don’t know anybody who has experienced a “good” divorce. Most are costly, prolonged, and often nasty.

4. Your humor and dialogue appear effortless in your writing. Do you have favorite comedians that inspire you?

Thanks for the compliment! Humor writers I enjoy include: Janet Evanovich, Laurie Notaro, Dave Barry, David Sedaris, and Erma Bombeck. I love comedy clubs too. Nothing beats uncontrolled, gut-aching laughter. It’s a natural high!

5. You’re working on your second novel. Can you tell us about it?

It’s titled Maddy and The Double Buzz and it will be out in 2011. The main character, Maddy, is a feisty widow, who is trained as a brewmaster. Teenage daughter in tow, she’s moves to the small town of Redemption and opens a tavern, The Double Buzz. To the chagrin of some of the more conservative residents, The Double Buzz becomes a hotbed of discourse, dancing, and wild romance.
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You can learn more about Terri and her books on her website: www.terriweeding.com
To Kill An Armchair Husband is available on Amazon:

and Barnes and Noble.