If you're doing a school visit, it's a good idea to agree to a letter of agreement ahead of time.

http://schoolvisitexperts.com/school-visits-letters-of-agreement/ 

Kids' social network Grom has acquired Top Draw Animation, a Philippines service animation studio whose projects include My Little Pony, Mr. Peabody & Sherman, and Tom & Jerry.

The post ‘My Little Pony’ Animation Producer Top Draw Animation Acquired by Grom Social appeared first on Cartoon Brew.

Hasbro has bought the studio that animated "Wander Over Yonder," "Gumball," and "Danger Mouse."

The post Hasbro Gets Serious About Animation With Acquisition Of Ireland’s Boulder Media appeared first on Cartoon Brew.

Should you ever lower your speaking fees?

https://www.nicolamorgan.com/heartsong-blog/why-i-usually-will-not-lower-my-fees/

Your work doesn't end just because your manuscript is accepted.

There are so many business- and marketing-related things to learn as a debut author.

http://maryrobinettekowal.com/series/debut-author/

Here's a checklist of things to consider before you accept an offer.

http://jetreidliterary.blogspot.com/2016/05/between-offer-and-acceptance-checklist.html

Your email query letter should not be formatting the same way as a snail mail one.

http://querytracker.blogspot.com/2014/09/formatting-email-query-letters.html

How does a publisher decide your book is out of print, and what does that mean for you?

http://writerunboxed.com/2016/03/24/when-is-a-book-out-of-print/

Nickelodeon Animation does not currently have a president.

The post Nick Animation President Russell Hicks Steps Down appeared first on Cartoon Brew.

Most children's book authors earn more from their school visits than from sales of their books.

https://larrydanebrimner.com/2016/03/21/what-we-dont-talk-about/

The cost of failure: $10 million.

The post Rainmaker Loses $10 Million on ‘Ratchet & Clank,’ Blames Disney For Failure appeared first on Cartoon Brew.

My Inspired Moments In Cars

Driving cars is one of my favorite hobbies which also give me freedom to explore the world around from my comfort zone. Come rain or shine, driving a car inspires me more than walking or biking. Driving is intuitive and gives you a sense of control whenever you feel down and want to explore the outdoors in a car. In the fast changing world, a car is not only an asset but a necessity that can help you manage everyday tasks. That explains the ever increasing demand for cars just like in the words of Doug Larson, “If all the cars in the United States were placed end to end, it would probably be Labor Day Weekend.”

Learning something new on a regular basis is very inspiring and a great way of overcoming stress. Driving to new environments has helped me see new things and interact with people from diverse backgrounds. Even when visiting other countries, I enjoy self-driving from its flexibility and the opportunities that it offers to enjoy other people’s culture and experience their environment. If it were not for driving, may be I wouldn’t see the good side of life in new places. My love for old cars and trucks started at a young age.  Pictures tell 1,000 words and my love for these vehicles started with those images we saw in car magazines.

Connecting with people who deeply care about you is very inspiring. Whether with your family or friends, finding time for each other helps you connect and find solutions to worries that would otherwise be a burden or managed in bad ways. Carpooling with my family and even friends has improved our social interactions over the years. I clearly understand what

Andrew H. Malcolm meant when he said, “The car trip can draw the family together, as it was in the days before television when parents and children actually talked to each other.”
My love for driving especially in the weekends pushed me to buy an exotic car. My heart always races faster whenever I sit in my Rolls or Porsche and key in the ignition. The unique sound is irresistible and always awakens my driving crave even when I didn’t plan to go out. Who doesn’t like to make heads turn in a positive way? You should see the kind of looks and hear the complements I get whenever I step out of my new relic. I concur with Alexandra Paul that “the cars we drive say a lot about us”. I have had people ask me for a ride while others have asked for my help in getting such a worthy possession. Making people smile and be happy all because of my love for cars inspires me to drive more and always be on the lookout for new car models.

If you are a ‘hands on’ person and get inspired by driving, then you can spice up your love for rolling machines by getting a classic car from Classiccardeals.com. The routine jobs in maintaining your new investment are not only empowering but can be a fun way to get entertained after a hectic week. Cars are dear to my soul and any car enthusiast will agree that the thrilling experience of driving gives them a positive thinking to their destination.

We've got a lot to talk about.

The post My First Thoughts and Questions About This Comcast-Dreamworks Deal appeared first on Cartoon Brew.

Illumination's Chris Meledandri is taking over Dreamworks Animation.

The post It’s A Done Deal! Comcast Buys Dreamworks Animation for $3.8 Billion appeared first on Cartoon Brew.

A Comcast deal could potentially spell the end of Dreamworks' feature animation division.

The post Katzenberg Might Leave Dreamworks: Stunning New Details from Comcast Negotiations appeared first on Cartoon Brew.

Comcast would reportedly pay over $3 billion for the animation studio.

The post Breaking: Comcast in Talks To Buy Dreamworks Animation appeared first on Cartoon Brew.

Jeffrey Katzenberg's pay more than doubled to $13.5 million in 2015.

The post Dreamworks Lost Only $55 Million Last Year: Pay Raises for Everyone! appeared first on Cartoon Brew.

China's visual effects industry will benefit from the expertise of a major American visual effects producer.

The post Rhythm & Hues Co-Founder John Hughes To Launch Major Chinese VFX Studio appeared first on Cartoon Brew.

China's visual effects industry will benefit from the expertise of a major American visual effects producer.

The post Rhythm and Hues Co-Founder John Hughes To Launch Major Chinese VFX Studio appeared first on Cartoon Brew.

Dreamworks Animation CEO recently said his company is "in the toilet," but he seems to be doing fine himself.

The post Dreamworks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg Spent $353,000 On Dinner Yesterday appeared first on Cartoon Brew.

Here are some tips on how to treat your writing as a professional career.

https://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/2016/02/29/want-to-be-a-successful-writer-ten-ways-to-go-pro/

The Finnish game maker has invested over $100 million into making the "Angry Birds" movie.

The post Rovio’s Future Depends On Success of ‘Angry Birds Movie’ appeared first on Cartoon Brew.

Ahhhh! Tax day is coming! Yes, once again April 15 is almost upon us. Hopefully you’ve already filed your taxes for 2015 by now, or you’re about to. And if you’re a writer (or are otherwise self-employed), hopefully you’re also deducting your writing expenses.

OK, so I’m no tax expert, but I have been filing my own taxes for my entire working life. And I only started using TurboTax when things got a little more complicated — namely, when I started treating writing like a business.

What does that mean? How do you distinguish writing as a hobby from writing as a business? Look deep within yourself for the answer: Are you trying to make a go of a full-time professional writing career? Or are you writing for fun and an occasional story sale?

If you want to write for a living, writing is your business, even if you have a day job that helps pay the bills. If you are starting to sell stories or novels and getting paid for your work, it is definitely a business. In either of these situations, you should consider keeping track of all your writing-related expenses and claiming them as deductions on your tax form, typically using Schedule C (Form 1040) Profit or Loss from Business. In the early years, possibly longer, this is probably going to be more losses than profits, but that’s okay, as long as its not from lack of trying to earn money and you can demonstrate your intentions.

What writing-related expenses can you deduct? You’d be surprised. If you’re attending workshops, conferences, or conventions, you can deduct some or all of your travel and meal expenses. If you’re a writer, you’d better be a reader, so deduct those books, especially the ones you buy for research. (Warning: This may lead to an increase in the number of books you own, because once you know you can claim that purchase as a deduction…) Meals and drinks with other writers can also be deducted, as well as entertainment expenses! Did you buy a new laptop that is exclusively (or mainly) used for writing? Go ahead and deduct all or part of that purchase.

Look, don’t be shady about it. Only you know if these are legitimate writing-related purchases, and you should hold onto receipts and documentation to justify it, should you ever be unfortunate enough to face an audit. But don’t be nervous about it either; you’re entitled to these credits for the considerable time, work, and money you’re investing in your career. Because once you start selling stories and books, the IRS will most certainly be happy to shave off a significant portion of your earnings in income tax. Filing your self-employment taxes can seem intimidating, but Writer’s Digest has a good overview, and you can find lots of information online or consult with a tax professional.

But here’s my one big tip if you’re deducting your writing expenses regularly, which I wish I had thought of years ago: If you can, dedicate one of your credit cards to only writing-related purchases and activities. My wife suggested it to me last year, and this is the first full year in which I’ve implemented it, and wow, it made tracking my expenses so much easier! Everything is in one place and nearly itemized and organized by categories, such as travel, meals, purchases, etc. in the yearly report.

Having this system cut my tax preparation time by more than half, because I wasn’t digging around multiple credit card statements, receipts, and e-mails to account for everything. I typically also maintain an Excel spreadsheet throughout the year, which I forget to update until tax time, and the credit card statement more or less replaced that because I made a habit of charging everything. No fuss, no muss.

Do you have any tax “hacks” like this that work for you? Other tips or suggestions? Drop them in the comments below. And I wish you many happy returns!

How I Lost My Novel And Discovered Free Data Recovery

One of the amazing things that I will always be grateful about in my 10 years of writing experience is free data recovery software that rescued my already complete novel that I almost lost after my computer crashed. I didn’t begin writing from a young age until later when I developed interest for reading novels. The twist, suspense and outcome of most fiction stories I read really fascinated me.

Juggling between family life, paying bills and writing my novel were real challenges for me when my writing career was in its budding years. The burning desire to write really pushed me to overcome all odds over the years. I started with publications that paid me quite well to meet my basic needs. I also wrote for several travel magazines. As the passion for writing developed I discovered that I could actually write stories that most people could relate to and put them in novels. My love for novels and life experience keeps my writing passion alive which is a hobby that I favor most. The time I lost one of my complete novels that I had saved in my PC is however fresh in my mind.

It was an ordinary morning when I settled in my study with a cup of coffee to begin my day’s work. I started my computer and it just send me a string of error messages. I knew that my computer had crashed and that my hard drive was dead. This was a big frustration because my latest complete novel that I had not published was right in there. I frantically checked for any loose cables but everything seemed fine. I booted my computer into a safe Mode and amazingly gained access to the system. My joy was however short-lived because I couldn’t find even a paragraph of my novel. The thoughts of losing my novel that I had painstakingly written were racing in my mind and I panicked. I had heard about free data recovery tools but I didn’t know any credible source that could help me.

My best friend Tim recommended me to use a free data recovery program and directed me on finding one that had once saved him when he had lost his thesis paper before his final examination in college. I navigated through the software’s website at binarybiz  and found out that the software could recover lost files from hard drives, memory cards, mobile phones and other storage media. I checked for an option to get the software and found the downloading option which I quickly used.

The first thing I did after downloading the free data software was to specify the file I was looking for to get precise search results and then activated the scanning process. This was through after a few seconds. With the software, I could preview the details of the file that I wanted to recover. I then went ahead and followed the simple instructions on the interface to help me recover the file containing my novel. This was through soon than I had expected. The software did not overwrite data and was very brief and easy to use.

I recovered my novel and successfully published it which would have been impossible without the free data recovery software. I have so far attended and hosted numerous book talks. I am currently working on another novel and on my website. I also find time to write for other websites and recommend the data recovery software for users looking for solutions to recover lost files.