Local Writers Group: Guest Speaker Bo Folsom, "The Author as a Business"

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For July, our main group meeting addresses business considerations for writers, taking a view of authors as stand-alone sole-proprietorships (or alternate legal entities). Whether self- or traditionally-published, responsibility for managing the financial, legal, and promotional aspects of authorship ultimately remains the domain of the writer.

Among the topics to be discussed:

• Distinctions between "hobby" vs. "business;"

• The timeline for establishing yourself as a "business;"

• The business role(s) of the author, agent, publishing house, CPA, etc.;

• Legal entities available to the author (e.g., sole-proprietorship, LLC, S-Corp., etc.);

• Business licenses, DBAs, fictitious business names;

• Privacy & branding considerations;

• Tax and accounting considerations (including deductions for business use of the home, mileage, dues & donations, technology costs, online presence, etc.);

• Registration options for completed manuscripts (and works-in-progress);

• Copyright ownership across multiple platforms and continents;

• Legal issues associated with intellectual property, plagiarism, libel, slander, etc; and

• [Time permitting] Low-cost, high impact marketing strategies.

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Guest speaker Bo Folsom (http://www.bofolsom.com) (MBA, PMP) brings a wealth of knowledge to the topic, having established three sole-proprietorships himself as well as serving as a consultant and/or board member to a variety of small businesses, non-profits, and aerospace corporations. As the publisher/editor of a monthly newsmagazine covering three states and portions of British Columbia, he managed a direct staff of eight as well as over three dozen contributors. He has also self-published a non-fiction short story (Twenty Years Ago (https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id668446307)) in advance of its inclusion in a collection of original shorts and is collaborating on a manuscript to be published this Fall.

Calling all writers for an opportunity to get together with like-minded others in a casual setting to maintain motivation and productivity.

Our monthly large-group meeting typically convenes on the 1st Saturday morning of each month at the Redondo Beach Main Library. It is free and open to the public, constrained only by room size.

Group organizer Bo Folsom (http://www.bofolsom.com) brings 18-years of aerospace experience in systems engineering and project management to the South Bay Creative Writers Group. Currently, he offers his expertise in editing, web design, and small business consulting on a sliding-scale basis. His weekly supportive writer workshops provide an opportunity to share knowledge as well as fuel his own creative work.