Business Expenses for Writers by Brigitte Thompson

It's tax season which, for most people, is about as welcome as a migraine. With some planning and organization, filing your tax return can become less painful.

I've compiled a list of common business expenses for writers. Of course, this does not include every possible deduction, but it offers suggestions that will help you reduce your taxable income.

The article is an excerpt from my book, Bookkeeping Basics for Freelance Writers.

Expenses Related to the Business of Writing

Legal Expert Linda Tancs on Copyrights & Trademarks

Today we welcome Linda Tancs from Hillsborough, New Jersey. Linda is an attorney and the author of Understanding Copyright Law: A Beginner's Guide and her new book, Understanding Trademark Law: A Beginner's Guide.

She has extensive experience as a transactional attorney in both corporate and private practice, concentrating in intellectual property, entertainment, information technology, e-commerce and general business matters. She also teaches legal courses on the college level and has authored several articles for legal periodicals.

~ I understand your new book published by Oxford University Press provides an overview of intellectual property law as it relates to trademarks. This is such an important topic. Will the information shared in your book eliminate the need for readers to hire a lawyer to complete the trademark process or does this complement legal services?

Given the complexities of trademark law (particularly in the areas of trademark clearance searching and trademark examining procedure), it’s unlikely that a trademark applicant would go through the process in its entirety without a qualified professional. My hope is that my book will better educate those interested or involved in the trademark process so that they are better able to partner with their chosen professional during the pendency of an application. Post registration, the information on insurance, monetization and Internet usage will surely help trademark registrants increase the asset value of their marks.
~ What inspired you to create this book? Was there a pivotal moment where you realized this information would be ideal for a book or was the transition from idea to paper a longer process?

I was recommended for the series by an editor with whom I had become acquainted, so they actually inspired me to write the book (as well as the next two—on copyrights and patents). My 13 years’ experience in trademark law certainly gave me enough insights into what a reader should know about the field.

~ In addition to your legal work and this book, you have started Get S.M.A.R.T. GetSmartConsulting.com which is a brand consulting business and Jurismart Jurismart.com which provides management consulting, coaching and writing services. Can you tell us briefly about each business?

Get S.M.A.R.T. is a workshop and consultancy designed to teach business owners and marketers how to define, promote and protect their brand message. Too often, a trademark is just a label rather than an asset. I teach clients how to be S.M.A.R.T. (Strategic, Memorable, Aligned, Resourceful and Timely) with respect to their brands to increase a brand’s asset value. This involves aligning stakeholders (inside and outside the business), targeted messaging and reputation audits, among other things.

Jurismart is the coaching, management consulting, writing and editing arm of my business. As the name suggests, the business was started as a coaching service for lawyers. It has since taken on a wider reach, with coaching clients coming from industries like finance and healthcare. I also offer mediation, conflict management consulting and a wide range of writing, ghostwriting, and editorial services for personal and professional projects.

Linda, I appreciate you stopping by to visit with us at Writers In Business. Please visit Linda’s web sites to learn more about her businesses. Her books are available through Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.

Award-winning copywriter, communications specialist and editor, Amy Forstadt

Award-winning copywriter, communications specialist and editor, Amy Forstadt is joining us today from Los Angeles, CA. Amy has worked with Walt Disney, Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, Stonyfield Yogurt, and Intermix Media. She has done work both in business writing (corporate communications and marketing) and the entertainment industry (mostly television).

~In reviewing your resume’ and LinkedIn profile, I’m amazed at how much you have accomplished with your career in such a short period of time. How did you get your first freelance project? What skills were your greatest asset in securing that position?

Like most breakthrough opportunities, I got my first freelancing project through a combination of luck and hard work. It was way back in 1995 and I was working as a receptionist, but I knew I wanted to be a freelance writer. At that time, I was also taking a screenwriting class, and the teacher of the class asked me to work the booth representing his writing services at an upcoming media convention in Chicago.

I agreed to work at the convention, and decided that I would take advantage of the opportunity to market myself. I had business cards made and passed them to everyone who came by, telling them I was a writer for hire (after I gave the schpiel about the class, of course!).

It turned out that another woman working in the booth with me was employed in the communications department of GE Capital Railcar. She told me that she might need a freelancer and we set up an appointment for the following week.

I was looking forward to the appointment, but I wasn’t expecting too much. I knew how it worked – my contact would have to talk to her boss, who would probably have to talk to his boss, and there would be all sorts of approval processes before anyone was hired. Well, when I got to the office, it turned out my new friend was the boss! She had a corner office with a big window and pretty much hired me on the spot. I was at GE for over a year, and my contact became a really good friend and regular client.

I think my greatest asset in getting that position was my willingness to really put myself out there at the convention and market myself to anybody and everybody – kind of like a mid 90s version of an e-mail blast – combined with the confidence I felt that I really could do the job.

~Working as a freelance Communication Specialist since 1995, you must have gained a tremendous amount of experience. Can you share with us a few of the important skills you have honed during this time that have helped you advance as a writer?

Being a successful freelancer is about so much more than just being a good writer (although that’s essential). The most important skill to develop is an ability to just jump in and get to work. People often hire freelancers because they are in a crisis situation – there’s lots of work to be done and their staff is just too busy to do it. So it’s not like being a new employee where you get training and introductions, and no one expects you to learn everything the very first day. When you come on as a freelancer, you’ve got no learning curve. You have to start being productive in the first hour.

As far as writing skills go, it’s important to be very adaptable to the different personalities of your clients, and the various corporate “voices” you’ll need to adopt. As with any sort of writing, you can’t take criticism personally. You need to satisfy the client, and if he/she thinks your project needs another draft or, occasionally, to be started again, you’ve got to be able to listen and make the changes they’ve requested.

At the same time, freelancers are often called in to be experts on a subject. So you may be in a situation where everyone is looking to you for answers, usually on a project you’ve just learned about. It can be a delicate balance that involves both taking suggestions and giving them.

~Can you tell us what is involved in entering the Drama Garage screenwriting contest which you won in 2005? How do you recommend people break into this market? Is it a highly competitive field?

I think screenwriting, or anything in the entertainment business, may be the most competitive field there is. I’d say that if you’re interested in working in entertainment, break in by doing everything you possibly can. Call all your contacts. Enter all the contests. Go to the networking events.

And most importantly, write, write, write. Success in this field can take years, and even after you do break in, there are no guarantees. A lot of people keep their day jobs for quite a while after they’ve had their first success. As someone once said to me, “It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon.” You’ve got to be in it for the long haul if you want to see results.

~Your educational background (B.A. in English from The University of Iowa, Technical Editing courses at Harvard University and a Copywriting and design course at AdEd in Chicago) is impressive. Is there one course you recommend all writers complete to enhance their marketability as freelancers?

I do think there’s one course every writer should take, and that it’s a different one for each writer. Aspiring freelancers should find a course about what interests them, whether it’s business writing, copywriting, digital content creation, etc and take that. You can usually find classes like these offered at your local community college or even online. And if you’re interested in more than one subject, you should take more than one class.

Not only will taking these classes look good on a resume and give you the confidence to start a project in that area, they will give you a taste about what it’s like to work in that field. I think most writers are naturally curious people, so there should be no shortage of potential writing careers that seem interesting. And you never know, you just may meet someone in one of these classes who will give you a great freelance project!

Amy's writing has been included in several books: Pieces of Me – Voices of WriteGirl, WriteGirl 2004, Honku – A Zen Antidote to Road Rage, Random House 2003, and Bold Ink – Collected Voices of Women and Girls, WriteGirl 2003. You can find Amy on LinkedIn.

Carma Haley Shoemaker, Writer

Coming to us from Mansfield, Ohio, Carma Haley Shoemaker is our featured writer this week. Shoemaker is the author of "A Cut Above," "Marriage vs Parenthood," "A Woman Alone," as well as hundreds of other articles, essays and poems in print and online. She is also the Senior Administrator & Moderator at Momwriters.com, one of the oldest and largest online writing communities.
- You have been quoted saying you “can’t remember a time” when you didn’t write. Can you tell us about your first written piece? How old were you?

My first written piece was a poem I had written for my eighth grade English class. I was maybe 12 or 13 years old at the time. I had written many, many things before this, but nothing that I had shared with anyone. The assignment was to collect poems that "touched us, reached out to us, or stated something we felt or believed." The teacher stated if we couldn't find all the required poems we could write one or two of our own to include. Of course, I wrote and included two of my own even though I found all those required for the assignment.

After getting my graded assignment back, the teacher asked me if I would allow him to enter one of my poems into a contest for young poets. I don't even think I let him tell me everything about the contest before screaming out my answer! "Yes!! Enter it!" While I didn't win, I felt at that moment that if my teacher thought that I was good enough to enter a contest, then, well, maybe I was actually good enough. I still have that assignment paper book, even now. Every time I'll be looking through my papers and I run across it, I can't help but smile.

- Having graduated with a nursing degree from North Central State College, I like your statement about “being a nurse by trade and a writer by nature”. How much of what you write is based on inspiration?

Because of what I do, what I have done in my past work experience, as well as what I've seen, witnessed and the people I've had the pleasure to know, I find that I am inspired to write quite often -- usually on a daily basis. I may find myself jotting down notes on the back of a napkin while out to eat with my family after talking to them about someone I knew while working at the nursing home; I may type up a story in-between checking my email when a message I receive reminds me of a person I treated at the hospital; or I may sit at the dining room table, scribbling in my notebook after watching a movie that made me remember someone I lost long, long ago.

Do I think that a person is born a writer? Of course -- I think I was. However, even if a person wasn't born a writer that doesn't mean that they can't learn to love it, to want to live the life of a writer, to do it for a living, or learn to be a damn good one. No one is born knowing how to ride a bike, play football, bowl, type, or flip pancakes. You learn how to do these things by doing them, practicing them, and then doing them again. Then one day, before you know it, someone looks at you and says, "Hey! You're pretty good at [that]!" The same can be said for writing, too.

- As a busy mom of three, can you give us an example of how you structure your day or week in order to make time for writing?

The only good advice I can give for making time for writing, is: to make time for your writing. I know -- doesn't sound like that makes sense, does it? But if you think about it, just as one size blue jeans won't fit every person's body, one way of making time for your writing isn't going to work for every writer, either.

What worked for me was thinking of it just as if I was going to work outside my home. Depending on the time of year (whether it was summer break or the school year for he boys), I would have a set work schedule. During those set hours, I worked -- period. I didn't answer the phone (unless it was my husband or the school calling for one of my boys), I didn't answer the door, and I didn't run errands. Some days I was very productive and wrote like crazy. Other days, I was lucky if I wrote an opening line or an email. But I stuck to it.

Now while this worked for me, it might not work for someone else. They need to find something that will work for them. It doesn't matter what it is, as long as they are making time for their writing.
- I have been a member of MomWriters.com for many years and have been impressed with the support and encouragement provided within the group. In your role as Senior Administrator, do you feel it is important to reach out to new member as well as support existing?

I can't express to you in the words I can offer here how important I feel it is to reach out to new members, as well as for the "veteran" members to continue to support each other. It is SO important.

There are writers out there who don't have support in any aspect in their life when it comes to their writing. They want to write -- it pains them they want it so badly. They do it in secret if they have to. They have tried to share it with their family and friends but have received feedback such as, "Why would you want to do something stupid like that?" or "You can't write -- you're not a real writer!" or maybe even, "Who do you think you are? J.K. Rowling?" Their efforts may be met with laughter, or anger, and it makes them feel that writing is not worth all of "this," so they quit, they don't write anymore.

Momwriters gives these writers a place to turn for support when no one else will support them. We offer them a place to say, "I want to write but my family says ..." and we listen, we hear them, and we know how they feel because more than one of the 1700+ of us have been there. We let them know that it is okay to write and that they CAN do it. We help them see that if they want to write -- if writing is what they really want to do -- then a nonsupportive family of friends who don't understand should not stop them.

We have all been "beginners" at one time in our lives and we all know how scary it is. By offering each other support, Momwriters helps to make the whole process a little less scary.

- As we wrap up our interview, I’d like to ask you to share something about the business side of your writing profession. What have you found to be helpful?

One of the things that I have found to be the most helpful in my writing career is the types of contacts I have made. I do a lot of medical and writing related to woman's issues, so naturally, I have made contacts in the medical field. By keeping in touch with these people, communicating them, keeping the lines open, and letting them know where I am writing needs, I am able to keep up to date on any new trends, phases, policy changes, latest crazes, etc. Often times, I get new leads and article ideas as a result. It's always a good idea to make contacts in the area of writing you specialize in, as you never know when one of these contacts can lead you in the direction of something very exciting and new.

You can visit Carma at her blog, CarmicWords.blog.com . To learn more about Mom Writers, visit MomWriters.

Automobile Business Expenses

by Brigitte Thompson

When you drive to interview someone for an article, to the library to do research, to an appointment with your publisher, to the store to get office supplies, or to the bookstore to purchase a book related to a project, you can track your mileage and produce a business deduction.

The miles that you drive which are in any way related to the operation of your writing business, or the actual expenses required to maintain your automobile can be deducted from your income at tax time. This is one of the most overlooked tax deductions for writers.

Want to learn how to take advantage of this deduction? Chapter 5 of my book, Bookkeeping Basics for Freelance Writers, is devoted to it. Order your copy today!