Make Books A Priority

There's been a lot of buzz around my blogroll lately about the depressing state of publishing, and about ways we can all work to help (or even save) the world we work in.

Things are bad. No amount of sugarcoating can change that. I won't go into how it got that way or why I think some of this is a vicious circle that feeds on itself. I will talk today about things we can do to help the industry, and maybe ourselves, out a bit.

A few ideas I've heard and that I have:

- Buy a book - any book. If each writer bought one book this week, it wouldn't save the industry but it would go a long way toward showing the industry that books aren't dead (and never should be).

- Skimp a little to buy that book if you have to. Around here a standard paperback runs about $8 at the grocery store (sometimes if I'm lucky $7). Bigger paperbacks run around $16. Big hardcovers are about $30. I know that most of you already know what books cost in your own area, but I'm working up to a point here. The point is that most people spend at least $8 on lunch for themselves. If you're into fastfood, it's $8 easy. If you're more into a sit-down experience, you're looking at $16 - after the tax and tip. If you're dining with friends, $30. If you miss one meal, you'll have enough and if you just cut back to tuna, you'll probably be able to make up the cost of one book in two or three days. A little skimping goes a long way.

- Make books and reading a priority, not just for you but for those around you. Try to get other people as excited about a new book as they would be about a new movie. If you've got kids, take the Wii controller out of their hands, and shove a book in. Take a book to grandma and read it to her if you have to.

- Find ways to infuse your own enthusiasm about the industry into other people. Write a blog encouraging people to read a new book. If you know someone whose book is about to release, shout it up. (BTW, Karin Tabke's latest: Have Yourself a Naughty Little Santa just released! Know any women? Sure you do. Buy them a copy. Better yet, show them yours, say 'neener neener neener' and tell them to get their own.) If you've recently read a really great book, chat it up with store clerks and neighbors and strangers in the park. I've sold more books to the cashiers at my grocery store than I can count. I read 'em, I chat 'em up, they go to the rack and buy them.

- Read. No matter how busy you are, approach reading like you do writing. Set aside a certain amount of time to read every day. (I'm guilty of not doing this lately, but I really need to get back to it.) Shut off that sitcom, and spend the half hour reading instead. Put the kids down for a nap and instead of picking up a living room that's just going to be a disaster again when they wake up, read. Brown bag it, and read on your lunch hour. Take a book to your next doctor's appointment instead of thumbing through their ancient magazines. (Which works two-fold. You read, and other people see you reading which might give them the idea to get a book themselves.)

Anyway, no matter what you do, do something. If you want to see new authors on the shelves next year, or the year after, or ever... If you value the printed word... If you're a writer and are worried about ever getting published (or ever getting published again)... DO SOMETHING TO HELP.

Just to put my money where my mouth is, I bought two books yesterday. Night Secrets by Cherry Adair for my daughter and Crossfire by JoAnn Ross for myself. (Cost me about $17 - which means no Pizza Hut tonight. I'll live. In fact, my ever-widening ass will thank me for it later.)

What are you doing to help the industry (and yourself, if you're a writer)? Have you bought any books this week? Help a writer along and leave the titles in the comments.

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The Business Side

I know it's Valentine's Day, but I'm doing taxes. Ummm... Ya.

So, I thought I'd take a minute from sorting my receipts to talk about this important aspect of the business side of writing.

If you're like me - unpublished or even if you're semi-published (small things in lit journals, etc.), you probably can't afford to pay someone to do your taxes for you. For this, I recommend TurboTax Online. Takes me much less time and doesn't cost all that much. This means, however, sorting receipts and plugging them in. It means also, figuring the deduction for your workspace, your supplies, your computer and printer and fax and whatever else you need to create your work or query or network. Whatever you pay for to do your work, you should be deducting. (Please note, I'm not a tax professional, so please consult one before deducting anything. You don't want to be audited, and if you are, please don't point to me and say "Well, SHE told me it was okay!" The IRS man will just look at you funny and cheerfully tally up your bill.)

Another thing. Something I learned from working in the business sector. Keep all your receipts. If you're mailing queries, you should have receipts for postage, envelopes, stamps (from your SASEs), etc. You should also have receipts for your printer paper, cartridges, etc. If you take your agent out to lunch... Keep the receipts and claim it. If you attend a workshop or conference... Keep the receipts and claim it. Mr. TaxMan is going to want to see those suckers if the two of you ever meet.

Now, if you're also like me and your computer, etc., is also used for personal stuff or for another business' stuff (like my bookstore), you should calculate what percentage of time the space is used for your writing. (For me, it's about 80-90%.) And figure accordingly - something TurboTax does automatically.

I'm not a big fan of taxes - who is - so I claim everything I can possibly claim. But LEGALLY. If you sent a package to your Mom, don't claim it as a business expense, even if your mother lives in NYC and you can pass it off as a query. I'm sitting here looking at a USPS receipt for just such a thing - although Mom lives in Michigan - and if I really wanted to, I could claim she was a bookstore customer. It wouldn't be honest, so it's not going in the tally. If you aren't worried about the honesty part of it, though, look at it this way - Mr. TaxMan is watching, and is a $5.30 postage receipt worth getting smacked for tax evasion?

And for godsakes, don't pad. If anything, if you have to estimate any costs, round down. I figure, that way if I ever do get audited, I'll look stupid but stupid to the good side.

Okay, enough stalling. Back to my receipts. Good luck with your taxes, and I hope you get a big refund this year. Or at the very least a small tax bill.

(CYA statement: I am not a tax professional, and this post in no way should be considered expert advice. Check with an actual accountant or tax guy or whoever you use before using any of the above suggestions.)