US Authors and Taxes

Did you know that you don't have to make a profit to write off your writing expenses? You don't even have to be published or contracted to publish.

All you have to do is prove that you are a working writer. This can be as simple as having copies of your rejection letters.

An excellent book for writers about taxes is IT'S TAXING: 2008 FEDERAL INCOME TAX FOR AUTHORS. It's available at SleepingBeagleBooks.com  for $3.75 as a PDF download.

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THE BOOK PROPOSAL, FICTION Agent Jessica Faust explains the book proposal, a.k.a. the partial, used to sell your book to an agent or publisher.

http://bookendslitagency.blogspot.com/2009/01/what-is-book-proposal-for-fiction.html


THE BOOK PROPOSAL, NON-FICTION Jessica Faust explains the book proposal for non-fiction.

http://bookendslitagency.blogspot.com/2009/01/what-is-book-proposal-for-nonfiction.html


URBAN FANTASY Carrie Vaughn who writes the KITTY the werewolf series has an insightful series of four blogs about female-based urban fantasy that are a must read for anyone who writes or wants to write urban fantasy. The first blog entry starts here
http://carriev.wordpress.com/2009/01/05/carries-analysis-of-urban-fantasy-part-i-the-formula/


HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE READING?:


From the NEW YORK TIMES


<<The report, “Reading on the Rise: A New Chapter in American Literacy,” being released Monday, is based on data from “The Survey of Public Participation in the Arts” conducted by the United States Census Bureau in 2008. Among its chief findings is that for the first time since 1982, when the bureau began collecting such data, the proportion of adults 18 and older who said they had read at least one novel, short story, poem or play in the previous 12 months has risen. >>


Unfortunately, reading for fun has declined.


To read the rest of the story. Go here
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/12/books/12reading.html?_r=2&scp=3&sq=fiction&st=cse