Year-End Tasks by Andy Scheer

There’s still time to get ready.

Typically this is a quiet week in publishing. Many companies are closed or operate with only a skeleton staff. So those of us who work from our homes have a prime opportunity to prepare to begin the new year with a clean slate.

Some of my tasks are perennials. Since Boxing Day I’ve been reviewing my year-end checklist:

__ Update spreadsheet of writing income and expenses

__ Order tax preparation software.

__ Prepare new set of project file folders

__ Sort stacks of old paperwork: file or recycle

__ Back up computer documents

__ Scan computer files

I recently had an idea for a new multi-part session to teach at writers conferences. The next day or two I plan to expand some scribbled notes into descriptions to send to conference directors.

I also need to explore some new technology. On Christmas I received a feature-packed tablet to replace my deceased e-book reader. I need to read the instructions or ask some experts in my family. Likely both.

Then there are all those stacks of mass paperbacks I bought at garage sales. If we’re to have a functioning guest bedroom, I need to place them into boxes. (Even with a new e-reader, I still love old paperbacks. Especially at three for a dollar.) I plan to sort them by sub-genres and keep separate boxes for Robert Parker and Patricia Wentworth.

It’s good to start a year with at least some semblance of organization.