March Workshop:  Bookkeeping for Writers

Instructor: Pepper O’Neal

 This class is for writers who either don’t want to or can’t afford to hire an accountant to keep track of their business finances. The class will deal will accounting practices, basic instructions in Quicken& Excel, how to set up your books, and includes useful tax tips for writers in the US and Canada.

Are you co-mingling your money for writing expenses and personal ones? Did you know that the way you are handling your income and expenses can affect whether all your writing expenses are tax deductible instead of just part of them? Did you know there are legal tax tricks that can save you money on income taxes? Do you know how deal with things like getting a tax ID number? Do you know how to avoid a random audit on your business and/or personal income taxes and how to keep red flags off your tax returns? The class will handle all this and more.

About the Instructor: Pepper O’Neal has a paralegal degree from the University Of San Diego Law School and a doctorate in education from the University of Mexico. She has over twelve years’ experience working with business attorneys in California, Washington, and Oregon. Though she’s self-employed as a full-time researcher, non-fiction and fiction writer, she still freelances for attorneys throughout the US, doing research and preparing legal documents. She’s also worked a number of years with tax attorneys and consultants in helping business clients reduce their tax liabilities. She has also been involved in the initial setup of a number of education-related small businesses from daycare facilities to community educational centers. Over the years, she has taught a great number of adult education classes on many different subjects.  http://www.pepperoneal.com/

Fee: $25 non-members/$20 HCRW and CRWA members