Building a new tool for indie authors to track income/expenses. Would love feedback.

Hey everyone,

I'm a developer and an indie author. I started building a platform called Authorlytics out of frustration with how messy it is to track book income and expenses.

Right now, most authors I've talked to are either:

• using a mix of complicated spreadsheets, or

• trying to force general accounting software to work for publishing

What I'm working on is something that focuses on publishing structure. I've got a few features so far:

• tracks multiple books, formats, and sales channels (including royalty and commission)

• lets you import sales data from different platforms (KDP, B&N, Kobo, etc)

• connects expenses directly to books (so you can see how much profit you are getting at a more detailed level)

• and ultimately tells you: "What do I enter on my taxes?"

It's still early, but I've got a working version and I'm trying to figure out if I'm solving this the right way. If any of you are authors or understand the publishing atmosphere, I'd love to hear from you.

I'd appreciate any thoughts around:

• How are you currently tracking author income/expenses?

• What's the most frustrating part of that process?

• Does something like this sound useful, or am I overthinking it?

If anyone is interested in testing it and giving honest feedback, I'm happy to share access; but no pressure at all.

Thanks!