Profit Vs. Pleasure: IRS Rules Strict on Losses

By Julian Block Those obliging folks at the IRS allow write-offs to ease the pain for losses you suffer in ventures entered into make “profits.” But long-standing rules disallow deductions for losses incurred in pursuing “hobbies.” Because of that distinction, the feds program their computers to bounce returns that show full-time salaries and other sources … Read more

Contract Basics: Read This Before You Sign on the Dotted Line!

By Jodi Brandon Hurrah — your book proposal or your magazine query has been accepted, and a contract is on its way. “Great,” you say enthusiastically to your agent or editor, even though you’re thinking, I don’t know how the heck to read a contract! Don’t panic. Perhaps the most common misconception among writers—especially new writers—is … Read more

Writers’ Resolutions for the Newly-Published—and the Yet-To-Be Published Alike

By Karyn Langhorne  It’s that time of year again: the time of reassessment and reevaluation, renewal and revision.  In short, it’s time to resolve. Since we’re all writers here, it seems appropriate to use this space to make some writing resolutions for 2005, resolutions that are true for me—and might also resonate for you as … Read more

Review: Ask the Pros: Screenwriting 101 Questions Answered by Industry Professionals

Ask the Pros: Screenwriting 101 Questions Answered by Industry Professionals Edited by Howard Meibach and Paul Duran Lone Eagle Publishing Company 2004 205 pp. Amazon.com price: $12.57 Review by Patrick Beltran  Ask the Pros: Screenwriting is not your typical screenwriting book. Edited by Howard Meibach (of Hollywoodlitsales.com fame) and writer-director Paul Duran, this book does … Read more

Can you Really Write a Book in Two Weeks?

By Magdalena Ball “You can write a novel in 14 days or less!” Sound familiar? I’ve seen a number of advertisements recently selling “how-to” guides on speedwriting. They offer some tempting promises, including that you will be able to (guaranteed!) write a fabulous book, either fiction or nonfiction, within a very short space of time, … Read more