Bookkeeping Services for Publishers

The Giersch Group provides bookkeeping and accounting services for publishers all across the country from our offices in Brookfield, Milwaukee & Madison, WI.

Affordable, professional bookkeeping for publishers, agents and authors

Bookkeeping for publishers and authors in Milwaukee and Madison Wisconsin

Our bookkeeping services for the publishers and authors provide CPA-ready books, insightful financial reporting & online accounting support at affordable rates.

Thanks to the Internet, the publishing world has changed dramatically. Today, publishers aren’t just publishing printed materials, they’re also publishing online content, videos and apps—including apps for publishing—and the big publishing houses aren’t the only game in town anymore.

Independent publishers, small press operations and indie publishers who lack the budget to hire a full-time bookkeeper typically have a difficult time monitoring how their business is doing financially, tracking royalties, and getting their ducks in a row come tax time. Some may even see bookkeeping as a necessary evil, but one so complex it’s best to avoid as much as possible. That’s where the Giersch Group comes in.

We specialize in affordable, scalable accounting and bookkeeping services for small to mid-sized businesses of all kinds. Whether you’re an established publishing company with several agents or a one-person operation, you’ll find the Giersch Group an invaluable resource for keeping your business on track. Our services are 100% online and available nationwide.

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Keep Royalty Payments from Becoming a Royal Pain

Royalties can take many different forms, and calculating them be complex. Often, royalty payments are made in stages—such as an upfront payment when the royalty arrangement is signed, then regular payments on each book sold. Staying on top of royalties with one or two clients is easy enough. It gets much more complicated when you have multiple clients with differing royalty agreements, or if you’re an author receiving royalties from different sources.

The Giersch Group provides as much or as little bookkeeping services as you need. One thing we highly recommend is migrating your accounting records to QuickBooks™ Online, a cloud-based accounting program. There are several versions available, and we can help you choose the one best suited for your needs and budget. We can also assist with transferring your data to QuickBooks.™

As a certified QuickBooks™ Online ProAdvisor, we can also provide you/your staff with training and support on QuickBooks so you can harness the power of the program’s financial statements to improve your business operations. Our services are completely scalable--you can have us set up QuickBooks™ for you and get you acclimated, hire us to clean up your books and/or review them periodically, or have us handle all your bookkeeping.

Our QuickBooks™ Online services for publishers include:

QuickBooks™ installation & setup as a standalone service
A review of your books to ensure accuracy
Organizing your books and fixing any mistakes we find
Training on how to view & interpret your financial statements
Training on how to use QuickBooks™ advanced features
Ongoing support for QuickBooks™ programs including payroll, accounts receivable, accounts payable, job costing, customized reporting and inventory tracking
Complete bookkeeping support and regular reporting in full accrual accounting

Bookkeeping Reporting Packages for Publishers

The Giersch Group offers monthly, quarterly or annual reporting packages in full accrual accounting. The packages include:

Beginning balance sheet for the period
Ending balance sheet for the period
Income statement for the period vs. budget and/or previous period
YTD income statement vs. budget and/or previous period
Cash flow statement for the period
Company dashboard of basic financial ratios

Our reports are a much better read than just numbers on a page. They always include suggestions for how to use the numbers to grow your business and enhance your profitability.

Professional accounting services made affordable

The Giersch Group realizes cost is always a concern for small publishing businesses and authors. As a small business ourselves, we are attuned to the financial realities of limited budgets. What sets us apart is the way we scale our services to the unique needs of each business—enabling them to get corporate-quality bookkeeping services for far less than the cost of hiring a full-time bookkeeper.

Our approach is to get to know your business and the unique challenges you face, then develop a customized plan for your specific needs and budget. Although we primarily offer bookkeeping and online accounting services, we also offer a suite of complementary services, including:

Service area for outsourced & onsite publishing industry bookkeeping services

Our 100% virtual outsourced bookkeeping services for publishers are available anywhere in or outside of Wisconsin. From our offices in Milwaukee, Madison and Brookfield we primarily serve publishing houses, agents & authors located in and around Milwaukee, Dane, Ozaukee, Washington and Waukesha counties.

Milwaukee County bookkeepers serving: Downtown Milwaukee, Shorewood, Whitefish Bay, Glendale, Fox Point, River Hills, Brown Deer, Granville, Butler, Wauwatosa, West Allis, Greenfield, Hales Corners, Greendale, Franklin, Oak Creek, South Milwaukee, Cudahy, St. Francis & everywhere in between.

Dane County bookkeepers serving: Madison, Middleton, Waunakee, Windsor, Sun Prairie, Cottage Grove, McFarland, Fitchburg, Verona, Riley, Pine Bluff, Cross Plains, Springfield Corners, Black Earth, Mazomanie, Mt. Horeb, Belleville, Rutland, Stoughton, Kengosa, Deerfield, Monona & everywhere in between.

Ozaukee County bookkeepers serving: Mequon, Thiensville, Cedarburg, Lakefield, Grafton, Saukville, Port Washington, Knellsville, Newburg, Waubeka, Fredonia, Holy Cross, Belgium, Dacada & everywhere in between.

Waukesha County bookkeepers serving: Waukesha, Brookfield, New Berlin, Muskego, Big Bend, Vernon, Mukwonago, Jericho, Eagle, North Prairie, Saylesville, Genesee Depot, Ottawa, Wales, Dousman, Delafield, Oconomowoc, Monterey, Nashotah, Hartland, Merton, Town of Lisbon, Sussex, Lannon, Menomonee Falls, Butler, Pewaukee & everywhere in between.

Washington County bookkeepers serving: Germantown, Hubertus, Richfield, Thompson, Ackerville, Hartford, Kirchhayn, Jackson, Cedar Creek, Slinger, Cedar Lake, St. Lawrence, Allenton, Addison, St. Anthony, Kohlsville, Wayne, Kewaskum, Boltonville, Fillmore, Cheeseville, Young America, West Bend, Nabob and everywhere in between.

Get a free bookkeeping consultation in Wisconsin

The Giersch Group offers a free, no-obligation consultation for publishers interested in learning more about our services. You won’t be pressured to hire us or to buy anything, and you can meet with us online, or in our Milwaukee, Brookfield or Madison — whichever is most convenient for you. Our services are 100% online and available to companies nationwide.

Contact us online or call to schedule a free 30-minute consultation.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Can a bookkeeper help manage royalties?

Yes! As a business grows, keeping track of royalties becomes increasingly harder. Calculating them can be complex and time-consuming. Our services will assist and teach you how to be more efficient and save time.

Is a software program really better than spreadsheets for publishing?

Absolutely. While spreadsheets certainly work, a software program like QuickBooks™ will save time, create reports faster, automate tasks, provide double entry, generate complex historical analytic reports and catch errors that spreadsheets miss. Our advisors help make the switch and train your staff.

How can small publishers make more money?

The bottom line to generate income is to sell books for more than it costs to make them, then keep the difference. This isn't easy and setting the right prices for profitability is difficult. Our services look at the hard numbers and help create a profitable business plan.