Remembering All the Administrative Tasks - Tips for Authors

Writing is a business, and with that comes a lot of administrative tasks that you need to keep up with, along with your writing, revising, and book marketing work. Make sure that you take care of the tasks before they get out of control.

Mileage and Receipts - After an event, I record the mileage, tolls, and expenses in my yearly spreadsheet. I do it as part of my unpacking routine. If I purchase something, I print the receipt and file it. By doing these as they happen, I don’t have to spend time at the end of the year trying to remember what I did and how much I spent. And I don’t have to scramble to find receipts.

Sales Tax - My state requires that I collect and file sales tax on all book sales that I do. During an event where I’m selling books, I keep a list of what books sell and the cost. I record all sales in my spreadsheet, so I have the information when I file my quarterly sales tax.

Filing - Filing is not my favorite thing to do, but I’ve learned over the years to keep up with it (or it’s a mess at tax time).

Contacts - When I get a new contact, I added it to my electronic contact’s database with a description of who/what it is. It takes some time, but it helps me remember later. If it is a service or a person for book marketing, I also keep a spreadsheet with a lot of metadata (like name, business name, specialty, who recommended them, etc.), so I can find the information later (in case I forget the person’s name). Make sure that you back up your favorites and contacts in case your computer or phone is lost or damaged.

Minimize the Clutter - I acquire hundreds of postcards, bookmarks, flyers, and business cards throughout the year. I put all of the contact information in my electronic contacts database or my spreadsheet, and then I recycle the business cards and flyers. If it’s an event that I attended, then I keep the souvenir for my scrapbook. I donate a lot of books to the Friends of the Library, and I’ve started putting bookmarks that I don’t use in a plastic baggie to go with the donation. You can also slide them in the book for the next reader.

Organizing Your Photos - I download my photos to my computer after an event. I file them by event with enough information that I can find them again, especially if it something that I want to use for book marketing. I go through my pictures and delete the ones I don’t want to keep. Cloud or hard drive storage can add up with thousands of pictures after time. At the end of the year, I move all of the previous year’s photos to an external hard drive.

If I do the admin-y tasks throughout the year, then it’s not such a big hassle at tax time. Best wishes for your writing and book marketing!