Tax Write-Off?

Most pay-to-publish books lose money.

Most self-pub books do not sell enough copies to pay back the writer's investment to get it printed and shipped.

Giving away copies just puts you more into the red.

That in mind, yes, you can deduct those give away copies from your Schedule C form as "advertisement" along with your printing costs, transportation, utilities, etc.

You better have a day job, because this is a fast way to dig yourself so deeply into debt that you'll never get free.

You CAN try shopping your non-fiction book to appropriate publishers, who will see to nationwide distribution. None of that comes out of your pocket. Instead, they pay you money for your writing.

Or, you self-publish it through Lulu.com, and sell the book at low cost to your various venues. You can certainly buy a box of copies from them at cost to take around to local churches, etc., giving out a sample copy with ordering information.

Lulu is always going to be cheaper than any vanity house, but make sure your book is proof read within an inch of its life!

Glad to have helped.

I am self-employed twice over (writer and my day job) and the long form 1040A, the Self-Employment tax schedule SE, and Schedule C Profit and Loss from Business have been in my life for two decades now.

I tried doing it all with Turbo Tax a few times, but it just wouldn't work for my situation, so I do it old school. More deductions!

Just make sure you get a a receipt for your donation that has the organizations name, address, date of donation, description of what was donated and if they are a not for profit, their ID number.