Writing.Com General Discussion

Ok, I've been tossing this idea around for quite some time. As of yesterday, I have three books written that I have thought about publishing. Though I have thought about trying to find a publisher for them, my day job is exhausting and often requires long hours. Case in point, I worked my first ten hour shift of the week and will put in six of those by the time I have a day off. So the easiest route for me would be to self publish in e-book form. My main concerns have to do with taxes and pen names. Christianna Douglas is not my real name, just my pen name. I've tried finding the information on Amazon's website before but couldn't get clarification. So I was hoping that someone on here would have experience with this or have the knowledge I need to move forward. Here are my questions:

1. If I self publish, will Amazon withhold any income tax I should pay? If so, is it automatic or do I have to request it?

2. If I do publish and my book sells, how would I report that income on my return next year? Is it easy or difficult? Do I have to report it even if I just sell one copy at, just for an example, $1.99, or is there a certain amount I would have to go over in order to have to report it?

3. Since Christianna is just a pen name, I know Amazon would need my RL information in order to pay me, but how does that work? Are there separate lines for author name and real name?

Oh, and I have a bonus question:

Bonus: If I do decide to publish, I would need a good cover for my book(s). I would like a cover that would draw people to the book but I don't know how to make one. Is there a service out there where I can request assistance with cover help?

I think that covers most of my questions for the moment. If I think of more, I can add them in the replies. I plan on looking over the first book again for edits before I do anything else, which won't happen until at least next week, so I'm not pressed for time on this.