The Blogger's Simple Guide to Taxes

by Sarah Korhnak

[Hillary]

I first saw this book on a Modern Mrs. Darcy Kindle Deal, and I thought I better get it before the tax fiasco of last year repeated itself. Long time readers of this blog will know that I have Bipolar Disorder and that for a long time I was on disability. I started this blog after a therapist suggested I have a "hobby" that would be like a "job" so I would have a reason to get up in the morning. So in my throzaine ( hey this was way back in 2007) induced state I came up with Adventures in Never Never Land and by the time I realized I could make money off of this blog the name was stuck.

So then yes I started making money off of this blog, but I did even really think of it as a "real" job, so I never kept track of anything. That was Mistake number 1. Mistake number two came when I failed to let the evil overlords at the disability office know I was making income. To be fair, I had no idea I was making as much as I was until they totaled it up and sent me a letter. I mean not even the good ole IRS caught me until I was flagged by the people in the SSI office. So began a months long, convoluted attempt to figure out exactly how much I had made and how much owed everyone and blah blah. It was not pretty.

Needless to say, I no longer get SSI, and I make a pretty good living writing. I am still clueless when it comes to taxes, though. I had put it out of my head until I saw this little book on a Daily Kindle Deal and thought hmmm maybe this will explain in terms I can understand what I need to know. And it did! Finally, a little book that explained what I wanted to know and in terms my writerly brain could comprehend.

If you ae looking for just the basics, so you won't feel stupid, or you just want to know HOW MUCH you need to make before you have to pay that dreaded self-employment tax then this is the book for you. It is a short book at 59 pages so you can whip it out and refresh yourself whenever you need too. For me, it helped me know what to look for when I go and buy a tax software thingie and to get Quickbooks and WHAT to track. There is a lot of information packed into this little book. I would recommend that all bloggers get it, so they know exactly where they stand, and so there are no unpleasant surprises come tax time.

 This review was originally posted on Adventures in Never Never Land