Tax Help for the Self-Published Author

Tax help for the Self-Published or Soon to be Self-Published Author


taxespicBefore I begin, let me state that I am not a tax pro, CPA, etc etc. These are just tips I’ve accumulated over the years.

By Daniel Ottalini

Are you a writer? Got a brand new novel out and selling tons of copies! Wonderful! Uncle Sam would like some of your money!

Bummer. Here’s some things to do to ensure you get the most out of your self-publishing career.

1.) Keep records of all your expenditures. Did you have someone edit your book? Format it? Design a cover? A webpage? Did you pay for web hosting services? Great! You can write all that off against the income you made from your book! For example, this year I had Copper Centurion edited, formatted, had a cover made for it and Antioch Burns, along with Roma Aeronautica. All the money I spent on those I can write off against the income I made from the books. Be wary, depending on how much you spent, you may need to send some additional tax forms, but I have yet to have that happen to me.

2.) Don’t file until you have all your information. Make sure you have all your 1098-MISC forms before submitting your taxes, and if you use something like TurboTax, that keeps track from year to year, make sure you check the names on the MISC forms, as some have changed, such as Amazon, which has changed the name of Createspace and some other platforms a few times.

3.) Remember Home Office, Travel, and Professional Dues credits/deductions – This year I traveled to Portland, Oregon as part of the EPIC Convention. I could deduct a lot of the expenses I had there. Some people would say you could deduct everything, and that may be true, but you really need very good receipt tracking and book keeping for that. As far as home office goes, remember that you’re supposed to use the home office only for your ‘official’ work. So your generic home computer really doesn’t fly. BUT postage for kickstarter items, car rental for the convention, that does work! (And when I get a fancy new laptop, hint hint birthday genie, I may be able to write that off as well (provided I purchase it)).

4.) Realize you should have done a much better job of book keeping this year and resolve to do it better next year.

5.) Create a checking account you use just for book-related purchases and such, that way you can keep personal and ‘self-published’ things separate. Then stick to it!

6.) When all else fails, hire a professional.

❤ Ciao!

Do You Need a Glossary?

Do you need a Glossary? – Tips and Tricks for the Self-Published Author on creating a helpful glossary.


Hey there all you self-published writers!

Got a big book you’re about to bring out?

Does it have…

  1. A million characters to keep track of (Ala Robert Jordan, Tolkien, or Martin?)
  2. Words in another language (Real, made up, modified – this is me!)
  3. obscure military, technological, or scientific terms?
  4. a PhD worth of terminology?
  5. A fantasy world of made up locations, animals, magic, etc?

Then you, my dear compatriot, probably need a glossary.

Some simple rules to follow when creating a glossary.

  1. Follow my Significant Other’s rule – if she doesn’t know what it is, the average reader won’t (I.E. Better to leave it in than keep it out of the glossary)
  2. Add the humor or additional backstory – the glossary is a great place to add sneaky extra bits of information, backstory, or other fun, world building tidbits.
  3. But be careful – don’t say it is one thing in book one, then something different in book two.
  4. Find some examples from great fantasy books to help you out.
  5. When in doubt, ask your editor or beta readers to underline or identify the words they didn’t know to help you out!

There you have it! I hope this helped! Glossaries can really make your book much more approachable, and people will love finding those hidden ‘easter eggs’ in the back of your book (but never tell them where to look, it is more fun to find them on your own!)

Will getting a new job help me write more?

Thinking about a change in jobs to help my writing


Hi everyone,

So I’ve been really thinking these last few weeks about looking for a new job, either within my local school system or elsewhere nearby. Part of me simply wants something new, something that I can see with fresh eyes. I would really like something different because I would hopefully be able to write more. In the past few months I have felt very unproductive as I have not typed as much as I wish I could have. School pressures and requirements have been very heavy and constant, so perhaps something different will let me be more creative at home.

What do you all think? Do any of you have experience moving from Teaching into another field? And while I might wish it, I am not in a place to simply rely upon my writing income to support myself. Maybe in a couple of years 🙂

– Daniel

Antioch Burns sent to publisher!


Hi all,

Antioch Burns has been sent to the publisher after several rounds of revisions and checks and what seems like an inordinate amount of time checking for everything. Woo! Now to move on to Iron Tribune. Just wanted to let everyone know :-).

As always, look me up on Facebook and follow me on Twitter for the latest information on the Steam Empire Chronicles. I’ve more active there than here!

– Daniel

Novel/Progress Updates!

Updates for my novels and January’s Writing Goal!


Hi all,

Long time no post! I’ve been really busy (read lazy and unmotivated) in the doldrums of January. I continue to be finishing up the last edits to Antioch Burns, and have found two beta readers to double check the changes :-).

In addition, I’ve continued to work in a tiny amount on Iron Tribune, so here’s a tiny bit of what I’ve worked on!

“Oenipons Central Station! Oenipons Central Station! Train will depart in two hours.”

The young tribune shambled to his feet, shaking the sleep from his system. The cold air smelled of oil and grease, but still felt wondrous after enduring hours in the stuffy train car.

“Shoulda opened th’ darned window earlier.” Senior Centurion Gwendyrn grumbled as the noise of their arrival finally woke him. Legionnaires crowded into the passageway, making their way towards the platform. Voices raised in complaint in the passage provided early warning of a visitor.

“Sir, Tribune Caesar, sir?” The youthful voice announced the arrival of the XIII Germania’s newest officer, Nicephorus Theophilus. The junior tribune saluted briskly, unaware of the annoyed stares leveled at him as he blocked the hallway. His loud voice was especially unwelcome to the centurion, who was always slow to wake. Julius sighed inwardly as he set about soothing the youngest son of the Governor of Noricum.

So you can see I have been hard at work (sort of, maybe?)

Anywho, here’s the goal for the rest of January.

Finish edits to Antioch Burns.

Finish Chapter One of Iron Tribune.

I plan to create writing goals all year long. If I follow all my goals, I should have many more completed novels by the end, right?

Right?

New Author Tools Available for Amazon Authors!

A quick look at Amazon’s author tools, and whether or not you should go with KDP Select.


By Daniel Ottalini

Hi everyone, today I’ll be talking a bit about some new author tools available for Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (Also called Amazon KDP). First, let me introduce to you….

Kindle Countdown Deals! – Essentially an easier way to manage a sale of your novel, at the cost of being able to only publish the novel on Amazon. This is a big cornerstone of their new push to make authors exclusive on their platform. What do I think? Great idea! (If only they could allow it while being on other platforms.) I think they would make more sales IF you would see that they have it cheaper on Amazon as opposed to elsewhere, rather than just being a lower price on Amazon and not shown anywhere else.

Kindle Lending Library– Want to earn free money for letting people borrow your book? This is the way to go! Alternatively, you could encourage people to buy your book, but hey, some people would rather save precious MBs on their kindle Fires I suppose. You earn a changing fee every month based on the total number of lends/borrows and the total number for the planet out of a set amount of millions of dollars. In essence, you earn a fraction of what the entire world is given, but it can end up being more than the price of the book. Good for those novellas or side novels you’re willing to sell for 99 cents, because you could end up making $2 or more off each borrow.

Free Book Promotion Tool – So, want to offer a great big promotional ‘free day’ without the hassle of having to change the price on multiple sites? Amazon’s got the tool for you. Tell them when you want it free, send people the links, and there ya go! You only get five days of this, so use them wisely!

Overall Thoughts – Amazon’s got some great tools. I read somewhere that they are willing to sell Kindle Fires and E-Readers at a loss to gather market share, and these are definite supporters of that plan. KDP Select is a great tool, but it may not be the best for you. With only one publishing platform, you limit yourself and your slice of the market.

Yes, most to many people use Amazon’s services, but not all. Barnes and Noble & the i-Store for apple may be the strongest competitors, but neither have similar promotional tools. Barnes and Noble matches the ease for uploading that Amazon has, but I have yet to figure out how to upload stuff to the iStore. (Even with directions). That being said, I encourage you to use all the platforms available. Amazon has shown a willingness to ‘change the rules’ before, and thus we should not be surprised if they do it again. If allowed to completely dominate the market, authors will be getting the shaft at the end as Amazon will be allowed to control all aspects of the payment and royalties without our ability to say no.

What do you think? Should authors go with KDP Select, or should they diversify?

Black Friday Sale!

BLACK FRIDAY SALE – ON NOW! CHECK OUT THE POSTING FOR MORE DETAILS!


Are you getting your loved one an e-reader for the holidays? You’ll need some great books to go with it!Roma-Aeronautica-2500x1563

Right now I’m offering my newest book, Roma Aeronautica, at half off, for this weekend only! This deal is only available on Amazon Kindle and Nook eBook.

But as they say…But Wait, There’s More!

2013_EBook_WINNER-smGet my award-winning début novel, Brass Legionnaire, at 33% off! Yes, you can now get the novel that started it all for only $1.99. This weekend only, so you better move quickly! This sale is available at Amazon and Barnes & Nobel.

Click here for the Paperback Version!

Happy Mechanical Turkey Day!

Happy Thanksgiving! (Plus a Black Friday Announcement!)


IsaacSteampunk From Our Family to yours, Happy mechanical turkey day! (Or Thanksgiving, in your neck of the woods!)

Check back tomorrow for a Black Friday Sale! It is going to be huge!

Check out my Facebook or Twitter for more information! (And be sure to like/Follow me while you’re there!)

Ciao!

– Daniel, Julius, Constantine, Octavia, and the whole gang

Future Plans for My Novellas

Putting my novellas on Smashwords for all to read! – Learn more inside this blog post!


 

 

Hi everyone,

 

 

I recently got an email from an avid reader the other day, asking if I planned to release Roma Aeronautica into print. I’ll let you read the email below.

 

Hey my name is Kody (Last name withheld to protect privacy). I really enjoy you’re first 2 books Brass Legionnaire and Copper Centurion, but I don’t have a e-reader or anything like that. So I was wondering you were planning on releasing Roma Aeronautica on paperback? Along with the rest of the books you’re planning on writing.

 

I’m very glad Kody asked me about this. In my recent posting talking about novellas, you may have noticed a comment I made in response to another author, talking about what I was planning with my novellas.

 

1.) I will eventually publish my novellas, Roma Aeronautica and Antioch Burns, along with additional unpublished novellas, as an ebook and print book once I reach a number that I consider economical to create a print book for. In essence, I need at least four to five novellas, perhaps even six, to make a print book viable, at least to my standards (note, my standards include illustrations for every book, a different cover, plus possibly maps or additional commentary.)

 

2.) As it stands, for the entire Steam Empire Series & associated novellas, there will be at least five novellas, one for each novel, providing me with a ready base of material to create a printed book.

 

3.) As a stopgap for my readers who do not have e-readers, I am putting my novellas onto Smashwords, where you can download them as a PDF, which will work on any computer. I understand that this is not the best manner, but you can also download nook and kindle readers onto any computer as well in order to buy your ebooks that way.

 

 

So thanks, Kody, for emailing me to ask! I understand completely that not everyone has access to an ereader, and I will strive to make my novellas as accessible as possible for all my followers.

Until then, Roma Nike!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Novellas & The Self-Published Author

My thoughts on Novellas & The Self Published Author


child with piles of books forest

 

By Daniel Ottalini

A novella is a written, fictional, prose narrative normally longer than a short story but shorter than a novel. A novella is a written, fictional, prose narrative normally longer than a short story but shorter than a novel.

There is undeniably something instinctively attractive about novellas for the self-published or small-published author. Think of it this way, a novella is faster to type, edit, format, and requires only an ebook cover, reducing costs and time in multiple areas, even with multiple checks and reviews.

So why novellas? Well, for one thing, exposure in this industry is key. You are more likely to catch more ‘browsing’ readers with five books out, even short novellas, than with two novels out. By reading one, you have a good chance of them reading more, especially if they are well done. You charge less, so people may be more willing to take a chance, especially on a 99 cent or free loss leader than on a $3.99 100,000 word novel. And they do work exceptionally well as loss leaders, bringing in new readers who, having identified the quality of your work, are willing to lay out money for your other written works.

But are they really worth it for a beginning author to write? As a self-published author, I’m struggling with this situation. First, time spent on novellas is time NOT spent on novel number three. Second, I am having a hard time mustering the effort to finish up the last leg of Antioch Burns. Having the cover ready (wow, that came faster than I thought!) has helped, but still, this hill seems extraordinarily difficult to climb. My first novella is only doing mediocre in sales. In some ways, I attribute this to the higher cost – $1.99 – rather than the more traditional $0.99 cents. I’ve also been forced to cut back on what little promotion I do, due to some other issues. I suppose that you must be prepared to offer your novella for a reduced price, or provide some other tantalizing tid-bit for readers in addition. Now these may be more personal components in some ways, but they are, in fact, a factor for many others. Burnout, exhaustion, weak story lines, all can reduce the effectiveness of a novella.
For example, the delay in Antioch Burns is actually a good thing at this point. This is the first I’m sharing with you, but the novella will be delayed until Spring, 2014. My publisher has some personal things to attend too, and currently I’m not quite happy with the novella. But this is good. Why? Because I can add that extra tid-bit into the novella, like the first chapter of Iron Tribune. Yes, exciting, isn’t it? Already, this is getting me into the mood.

So in the end, what’s my final opinion? Novellas are great, if you can commit to them and pump them out completely. In some ways, the smartest self-published author waits to publish book one until they have novella one or even book two. Just a thought, as I certainly didn’t begin that way.

What do you think? Novellas & Novels together? Novellas first? Or are they a waste of time?