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Publishing Imprint Via POD

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primitivus

Junior Member
What is the name of your state? Washington (the Evergreen State!)

I am preparing to publish a couple of books via a Publish on Demand (POD) publisher such as Lulu.com and I am wondering what legal arrangements I need to follow to do so in Washington. I intend to utilize my own "imprint" (as in a press name) and I don't know if this must somehow be registered. I do not intend to sell any books from home, nor to declare my home partially tax exempt as a home-based business.

If someone requests purchasing a book from me directly (e.g. to have it autographed), I assume that I would need to collect sales tax if they are Washington residents? And, if so, I suppose it would be necessary to get some sort of business license? If so, could I avoid this requirement by not accepting an order from Washington, and only mailing a book to someone from out of state (assuming the "order" was placed over the internet)?

Thank you very much for your assistance with this!

Rob Stroud
 


clueless3

Member
If someone requests purchasing a book from me directly (e.g. to have it autographed), I assume that I would need to collect sales tax if they are Washington residents?
Yes, you need to collect sales tax for in-state purchases. Get a resale certificate from your state board of equilization (or whatever they call it in WA).

I suppose it would be necessary to get some sort of business license?
Yes, you should get a business license from your city.

If so, could I avoid this requirement by not accepting an order from Washington, and only mailing a book to someone from out of state (assuming the "order" was placed over the internet)?
It'd be FOOLISH (from a business standpoint) to deny sales simply because you don't want to collect the sales tax!! The GAIN from additional sales (from in-state sales) justifies the extra work needed to collect the sales tax and pay it back to the state!!
 

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