Publishing Options for Story?

I have never published anything on Amazon, so I'm not sure how that works, but if you wish to publish a beta of your story here I think that a lot of people would be really happy to give it read.

On the sketches subject, I think you should be very clear with the artist about the fact that you're planning to use them in a published work. Many artists charge different prices for published work, opposed to privately owned work.

willow wrote: It will probably be January before I feel the story is ready for publication on either Amazon or SuperWomenMania. However, I would be greatly interested in everyone's' thoughts on the idea presented.

If you're not a US citizen you'll need to register with the IRS to get a non-US EIN code first, if you want to sell your work for profit on various on-line platforms. This is simply because most 'app store' style operators (Apple, Google, Amazon, etc.) pay in US dollars, and the seller will deduct 30% tax automatically if you don't tell them that you're not subject to US income tax. To do that you need to get a US Employer Identification Number, which is just a way of getting yourself registered with the IRS (as self-employed) so they can exempt you (yeah, they have to know about you so they can ignore you!)

(Note: Amazon has recently, it seems, introduced a scheme whereby you can register using your own national tax code. See second link below!)

The job can be done with a ten minute phone call to the IRS. When I did it many years ago the operator seemed to be very familiar with the process: as soon as I told her I wanted to sell stuff on the Apple app store but wasn't a US tax payer she seemed to know exactly what do to. I'm guessing they deal with it a lot these days. They ask you your name and address, the nature of your 'company' (computer programming in my case), and then a series of esoteric qualifying questions, like does your company involve gambling, does it require driving trucks that need special licenses(!!!), etc. etc -- even the IRS woman was chuckling at some of them. The operator will read out your new EIN code at the end of the call, so make sure you have a pen and paper handy, but you should wait until you receive written confirmation in the mail a few weeks later before using it. You can then use it with Apple/Google/Amazon/etc to sell 'e-goods' on their stores without getting the full blast of US income tax.

(Btw, the IRS did not ask me about my national tax number or status -- as far as the IRS is concerned you are wholly responsible for paying your local income taxes wherever you live.)

Kindle Direct Publishing: Tax Information Requirements

selfpublishingadventures.com: Tax on US royalties

kindlepreneur.com: 5 Easy Steps to Avoid the 30% Tax Withholding for Non-US Self Publishers

Another publishing option which has apparently become poplar is Wattpad. Wattpad is a community that links amateur writers with readers. People can subscribe to stories, and chapters are automatically delivered to their mobile device when the writer publishes them. Readers can leave comments on the story thus far. Although basically the whole deal is not unlike running a blog, but what makes Wattpad different is that (a) it structures the writer's output into an e-book format (cover, chapters, etc.), and (b) it makes it easy for readers to find writers and stories they might want to follow.

I've not used Wattpad so can't comment on how good it is. I mention it here only because it seems to be the one with the most buzz surrounding it at the moment.

Wattpad

rtbookreviews.com: How Authors Can Use Wattpad To Sell Books And Earn Money (their capitalisation, not mine!)

R5