★ The author has over 30 years of experience in the creative industry, with dual backgrounds in theatre production and professional accounting, ensuring the content is professional and tailored to industry needs.
★ Custom-designed for creative practitioners, it covers core financial issues such as taxation, budgeting and company formation, with strong practical value.
★ Equipped with handy checklists, a glossary of terms and exclusive online updates, it serves as a portable financial guide for creatives.
★ As part of The Compact Guides series, it features a complete framework and concise content, helping readers master financial knowledge efficiently.

The Compact Guides series includes 8 titles: Breaking Down Your Script: The Compact Guide, Developing Your Emotional Health: The Compact Guide, Getting into Drama School: The Compact Guide, Getting, Keeping & Working with Your Acting Agent, Learning Your Lines: The Compact Guide,Making Your Solo Show: The Compact Guide, Managing Your Money: The Compact Guide and Mastering an American Accent: The Compact Guide

Whether you're just embarking on your career or already juggling the many demands of life as a creative freelancer, you need clear and targeted strategies for organising your finances, to eliminate confusion and minimise stress. This essential, practical guide shows you how to manage your money – so you can focus on your creative work.

Written by Jon Harris, a theatre producer turned specialist accountant with over thirty years' experience in the creative and cultural industries, this book offers a tailored approach to tax and personal finance in straightforward and highly accessible terms.

Inside, you'll find clear guidance on:

·Tackling your taxes: keeping accurate records, what expenses you can claim, and how – and when – to prepare and submit your tax return
·Budgeting and planning: strategies for making your money work for you, with tips for balancing the books when you're just starting out
·Approaching major milestones: when to register for VAT, form a Partnership or Limited Company, and what to consider if you're producing your own work
·Building long-term security: making best use of pensions, mortgages, insurance, savings, benefits and more

With handy checklists to ensure you've covered all the bases, a glossary of key terms, and dedicated online updates to keep you informed, this is your expert pocket mentor for staying financially afloat and in control at every stage of your professional life.

The Compact Guides are pocket-sized introductions for actors and creatives, each tackling a key topic in a clear and comprehensive way. Written by industry professionals with extensive hands-on experience of their subject, they provide you with maximum information in minimum time.

Jon Harris

Jon Harris is a Director of Accounting4Actors Ltd, a private specialist accountancy practice for creative industry professionals. He is a fully qualified Chartered Management Accountant. He is a graduate of Cambridge University and holds a Masters in Organisational Psychology from the Tavistock Centre.

He started his career in the arts, first as a director, then producing and managing the finances of theatre shows in the West End and on tour all over the world. He was Producer at Shared Experience and was the founding Director of Stratford Circus arts centre.

He is a qualified Adult Education teacher, and was an Associate Tutor at Goldsmiths' University Institute for Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship.

He is a Fellow of the RSA and a Trustee and Treasurer of Disability Arts Online.

He is the author of Managing Your Money: The Compact Guide (Nick Hern Books, 2026).