Tax Deductions A to Z for Writers, Artists and Performers

With 2007 coming to a close, I'm already thinking about tax time again. So when I happened across this book — Tax Deductions A to Z for Writers, Artists and Performers — in my library's online catalog, I went ahead and placed a hold.

Anne Skalka's book is a great overview of the tax deductions you can take as a writer. Unless you have something specific in mind that you want to look up, I think it's best just to skim the entire book to get an idea of what deductions are available. Remember, as a freelance writer you are self-employed — even if you still maintain an hourly or salary "day job" — so your business expenses are deducted from your self-employment income on 1040 Schedule C.

As a side note on this book, it's great as an overview, but isn't incredibly detailed. When you actually sit down to do your taxes, you will probably want a book that goes into a little more detail about things like the home office deduction, amortizing home office equipment, and other more complex expenses.