LLCs are great to limit your liability, but vary from state to state. In CA for instance, they are very expensive ~$800, but in WI, they are ~$150, and can be done online in less than hour. I believe some states let you create an LLC even if you do not have residency there.
LLCs are passthrough entities, so you are taxed the same as 1099 work. You are not an employee, but an owner. All profit is considered income for you. You have to file one extra form denoting the (profit - deductions) for your business, and then you take that net profit in the form a K1, and pay taxes.
If you make no money in 2017, you don't need to file anything extra for the LLC (though a crafty CPA might find a good reason to do so for deductions).
Once you have an LLC, open a dedicated business bank account and get a business CC. Capital One offers one w/ 2% rewards which is nice. More importantly, all your business income/deductions are well documented and separate from your personal. You will be happy you did this come tax time, and mostly eliminates the need for bookkeeping.
