The Business of Writing

The New Orleans Chapter of the Women’s National Book Association, in cooperation with the Jefferson Parish Library, will present a panel discussion titled “Business Issues for Writers” at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 21, at the East Bank Regional Library, 4747 W. Napoleon, Metairie.

This event is free of charge and is open to the public. There is no registration. Panelists include the following experts.

Banking for Writers – James Schoen

Banking for writers involves separating business/personal finances (separate accounts are key!), managing variable income with stable salaries, using dedicated accounts for tax savings (like for advances), finding no-fee banks or credit unions (even for creatives), and considering services like CashApp for starting out to keep things clean for tax time and budgeting. This helps track income, prevents overspending, and makes taxes much easier. 

James Schoen is Director, Business Development & Senior VP at FB Bancorp, guiding the vision of community involvement. With a background in banking and business development, he has held various leadership roles throughout his career. As area manager, Small Business Banking and senior vice president at FB Bancorp, he oversaw small business banking operations. Prior to this, he served as Business Development Executive at Carr, Riggs & Ingram, focusing on bringing comprehensive advisory services to the market. 

Intellectual Property for Writers – Marie Breaux

Intellectual Property for writers primarily involves copyright, which automatically protects original written works (books, articles, scripts) the moment they're fixed in a tangible form, granting authors exclusive rights to copy, distribute, and adapt them. While copyright protects expression, not ideas, formal registration (like with the U.S. Copyright Office site{Copyright Office}) strengthens legal standing, and trademarks can protect unique book titles or logos. 

Marie Breaux is a lawyer practicing intellectual property, copyrights, intellectual property licensing and eight other areas of law. Marie received an A.B. degree from the University of Chicago in 1982, and has been licensed for 40 years. She practices at Marie Breaux Attorney at Law, LLC in New Orleans, LA.

Advocacy for Writers – Gene Menerary

Gene Menerary is a co-founder of The Ella Project, an acronym for Entertainment Law Legal Assistance. The organization provides proactive, pro bono legal work for low- to moderate-income artists, musicians and related non-profits. 

A native New Orleanian and graduate of Tulane University, Gene Menerary worked for more than a decade as director of Artist Services at the Arts Council of New Orleans. He has also worked for Thomas Mann Design and for Young Aspirations/Young Artists. From 2011-2017, he taught Arts Business in the Graduate School at the University of New Orleans Arts Administration program. He has been a panelist and moderator for events including the World Cultural Economic Forum, American Bar Association Conference on Pro Bono, the Music Cities Summit in Toronto, and the Sociable City Summit. 

Program inquiries should be directed to Chris Smith, Adult Programming, at 504-889-8143 or wcsmith@jefferson.lib.la.us.

Media inquiries should be directed to David Johnson, Marketing and Engagement, at 504-849-8826, or djohnson@jplibrary.net.