Muslim Literary Festival Plotting Profits: Tax Planning for Your Creative Career

Are you an author who has signed your first book deal and suddenly you're thrust into a sea of contracts and worrying about what the tax implications will be on your income? Or an established author who feels like your profits are getting eaten up by taxes? Or perhaps you're just starting your writing career and want to make sure the business side of it starts on the right foot. This workshop is designed to help Canadian writers navigate the complex world of business and taxation in Canada. This session will cover:

• Navigating whether remaining a sole-proprietor or earning your creative income in a corporation is right for you
• How to report writing income, royalties and other literary earnings on your tax return
• Identifying and explaining allowable deductions from your income
• Tax planning strategies and how to optimize your income

About the Facilitator |

Aleena Siddiqi is a Chartered Professional Accountant with 15 years of experience in public practice. After obtaining her Masters degree from the University of Waterloo, she worked for 2 multinational accounting firms until she left to start her own accounting practice in 2016. She specializes in assurance and taxation for small businesses and sole-proprietors across Canada and is particularly passionate about helping women and minority entrepreneurs understand the story behind their numbers. She doesn't believe in gatekeeping information and is skilled at breaking down complex concepts so that professionals, creatives and business owners across all industries can feel confident with their finances. When she's not making sense of numbers, you can find her curled up with a good book or exploring this big beautiful world with her husband.

About Muslim Literary Festival |

Muslim Literary Festival (MLF) is a vibrant community hub for Muslim writers to explore publishing, collaborate, and learn from industry professionals. Our mission is to bridge the gap between Muslim and non-Muslim writers through education, advocacy, and outreach.

Founded in January 2024, MLF addresses barriers that hinder Muslim writers' growth by offering educational resources, and networking opportunities. We challenge biases in the publishing industry, providing resources for exposure and development.

If you have any accomodation requests (including financial assistance), please reach out to Tasneem at tasneemm@muslimliteraryfestival.com.