Creative & production services
Books and taxes for illustrators.
A commissioned piece for a client, a print-on-demand royalty payout, an advance against a children's book, and gallery print sales at a weekend market. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
November came in at $6,500. Your Redbubble and Society6 payouts both landed this month, so I kept that royalty income separate from the commission work you invoiced directly.
- Client commission, Ferro StudioCommission income
- Redbubble royalty payoutPrint-on-demand royalties
- Society6 royalty payoutPrint-on-demand royalties
- Print run, art marketPrint production
- Procreate and Clip StudioSoftware
Why your books are different
Illustrator books go wrong at the royalty payout and the licensing deal.
A generalist sees a freelancer with occasional invoices. Your business is direct commission work, small recurring royalty payouts from print-on-demand sites, a book advance that gets earned back over time through royalties, and gallery print sales at markets and shows. When the books blend those, you cannot see what your art is actually worth.
-
1
Print-on-demand royalties get mistaken for commission income
A handful of small payouts from Redbubble or Society6 landing the same week as a $1,200 client commission can make it hard to tell how much of your income is steady passive royalties versus one-off client work.
What we doKeeps print-on-demand royalty income in its own line so you can see what your existing designs earn without new work. -
2
A book advance looks like a lump sum win
An advance against future royalties for a children's book or graphic novel gets paid up front but is really borrowed against sales that have not happened yet, and treating it as a windfall hides that future royalties may just be paying the advance back.
What we doTracks advances separately from earned royalties so you can see when a book has actually started paying beyond what was advanced. -
3
Licensing usage terms get missed after a commission ships
A commissioned illustration licensed for one use, like a single social post, that a client then reuses in an ad campaign without an extended license is real lost income if nobody is tracking usage terms.
What we doKeeps licensing terms visible by project so extended reuse gets caught and billed. -
4
Market and gallery print sales get treated like a hobby
Cash and card sales from a weekend art market or a gallery show are real business income, but if they never make it into the books because there is no invoice, they can go untracked entirely.
What we doKeeps market and print sales in their own income line so cash and card sales from shows count the same as invoiced work. -
5
Print production costs get lumped with art supplies
Running prints for a market or a client order is a real cost tied to that batch of prints, different from the pens, tablets, and paper you use for daily work.
What we doKeeps print production costs separate from general art supplies so you know what each print run actually costs.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for an illustrator.
Set up once for how you get paid and what you spend. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Commission incomeDirect client work, billed per project.
- Print-on-demand royaltiesRedbubble, Society6, and similar payouts.
- Book advances and royaltiesPublishing advances and the royalties that follow.
- Market and print salesCash and card sales from markets, shows, and your own print shop.
- Licensing and usage feesWhen a client wants extended rights beyond the original agreement.
Money out
- Print productionCosts to run prints for a market, show, or client order.
- SoftwareProcreate, Clip Studio Paint, and other illustration tools.
- Art suppliesPens, paper, and tablets used for daily illustration work.
- Market and show feesBooth fees and travel for in-person sales events.
- Portfolio and shop hostingSite hosting for your portfolio and online print shop.
What we watch for you
- Royalty income
What print-on-demand and book royalties earn on their own, separate from commission work.
- Commission rate trend
What client work actually pays over time, worth knowing before you raise your rates.
- Advance balance
How much of a book advance has been earned back through royalties so far.
- The set-aside
What you will owe across royalties and commission income, tracked monthly so April holds no surprise.
Ask Gus
Things illustrators ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
Yes, print-on-demand royalties stay in their own line, so you can see what your existing designs earn on their own, separate from new commission work.
Yes, it is taxable when received, but I track it separately from future royalties so you can see when the book has actually earned beyond that advance.
Yes, cash and card sales from markets count the same as invoiced work. Keep whatever record you have of it and I will sort it into your market sales line.
The tax side
The tax side of an illustrator's business.
Most of what goes wrong here is royalties mixed with commission income and cash sales left out of the books.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- The pass-through deductionMost solo illustrators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income when the books are right all year.
- Self-employment tax on solo incomeAn illustrator working alone pays 15.3 percent self-employment tax on top of income tax, so the set-aside has to cover both.
- Quarterly estimated taxesCommission and royalty income rarely has anything withheld, so estimated payments are due April 15, June 15, September 15, and January 15.
- Equipment as a deductionA new drawing tablet, monitor, or computer used for client work can usually be written off the year it is bought.
Deductions illustrators miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Drawing tablets and styluses
- Procreate and Clip Studio licenses
- Print production costs
- Market and show booth fees
- Portfolio and shop site hosting
- Art supplies and paper
- Continuing education courses
- Home studio share of rent
- Shipping for print orders
- Business cards and marketing
- Professional illustrator association dues
- Travel to conventions and markets
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
An illustrator's year, kept every month.
Commission work, royalties, and market sales all move on different clocks. Your books stay current no matter the mix, and the return follows. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, royalties and commissions included, and a monthly set-aside means April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed, royalties, commissions, and market sales all accounted for. The set-aside covered it since January, so the bill is not a surprise.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and how royalty and commission income have moved since January.
- October
Before the holiday market season
Print and market sales often pick up before the holidays. Gus looks at print stock or equipment worth buying and moves worth making before December.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for illustrators. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions illustrators ask first.
I get small royalty payouts from a few different print-on-demand sites. Is that a lot to track?
No, Gus keeps all of that royalty income in one line, separate from commission work, so you can see what your existing designs earn without extra effort from you.
I got a book advance but have not earned any royalties yet. How is that taxed?
The advance is taxable income when you receive it. Gus tracks it separately from future royalties so you can see clearly when the book starts earning beyond what was advanced.
I sell prints for cash at markets and never get a receipt system going. Is that a problem?
It is fine to start wherever you are. Whatever record you keep, even a simple tally, gets sorted into your market sales line so that income is not left out of your books.
A client reused an illustration I only licensed for one post. Does that change anything?
It usually means an extended usage fee is owed. Gus keeps licensing terms visible by project so a reuse like that gets caught and billed.
My books are a mix of royalties, commissions, and cash sales I have never organized. Where do we start?
Wherever you are. Send whatever mix of royalties, commissions, and cash sales you have. Gus sorts it out, and most owners know where they stand within a week.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
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What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever