How to Work Well Together in Collaborative Writing

Co-authoring has become an increasingly famous technique for producing more books and increasing a readership. This is specifically best for the indie publishing community. Collaborating with another great mind is a great idea, but it is important to understand the process first.

This is not a relationship you should enter lightly. There are several opportunities for co-writing and conflicts, too. Although working with other writers can be fruitful, a lot of excitement and a distinctive way to boost your craft. It is also a writing procedure that comes with some accountability.

So, how can we ensure that co-authoring is a worthwhile experience? In this article, we will help you learn the following elements:

• Why to co-author a book
• Advantages and disadvantages of working with a co-author
• Choosing the right co-author
• Preparing for co-authorship

There’s a lot more, so just start exploring.

Why Co-Authoring a Book

Co-authoring is not for everyone. To make you understand this we have mentioned some advantages and disadvantages of opting for a book-writing helper:

Pros

• You both have complementary strengths and weaknesses, which means you will help each other write a better story than you would if you wrote it alone.
• It will help complete a book faster. This will depend on how you plan. However, if co-authors already have strong writing routines, you will see an increase in productivity.
• Helps reach a broader audience. When you co-author on a single project, you have a chance to promote and market two pre-existing audiences.
• You will become a better writer and learn new things from co-authors, and they will learn from you. At the time of publishing, you both will be stronger writers.

Cons

• There are a lot of progress updates, communication, occasional apologies, questions, and check-ins. This means you will have to stay in touch with your co-author all the time. This is not a bad thing, but you would not have done it alone when writing.
• You will have to compromise if you are co-authoring. Also, you must be flexible enough with your artistic vision. Because most of the time, partners don’t agree on everything.
• There may be some awkward business conversations. Whether you are opting for traditional or self-publishing, you are in business together now.
• There is a lot that can grow wrong. A project that comes with opportunities also has conflicts. What if the author backs off from their commitment and you are unable to overcome creative differences? Imagine calling off the whole thing after investing your entire month in the project.

Picking the Right Co-Author

The primary thing you should focus on is that your co-author must be from your genre and understand readers. Here, we have mentioned some questions you need to ask yourself before committing to a potential partner:

• Do we have the same professional goals?
• Would writing together take us to the same place where we want to go?
• Do we share the same creative sensibilities?
• What do I know about their working style?
• Can I trust them and feel comfortable sharing my ideas with them?

Preparing For Co-Authorship

Before you jump into plotting and brainstorming, discuss some important factors. There are a lot of things you need to discuss before you begin working on a project, like book printing and binding services, book cover designing, editing and proofreading, etc. The factors you need to discuss include:

1. Defining Your Roles

Who will be responsible for which role in this partnership? Keep in mind that you should think broader than writing, specifically if you are planning to self-publish. Decide the following:

• Communicating with editors, readers, and designers.
• Formatting your novel.
• Setting up listing
• Creating effective marketing techniques
• Designing ads
• Planning and scheduling launch events
• Keeping a record of royalties, budget, and expenses

2. Deciding Goals

Any collaboration will break down if they are not clear about what they are trying to achieve and what they expect from each other. Before starting this project, get on a single page about:

• Your target audience, genre, and sub-genre
• Decide the tone of your book
• Where your book fits the best in the market
• What you want to achieve in your career from this book
• When you will communicate during the writing procedure
• Platform to discuss each other’s work and suggest edits
• Budget and financial investment

3. Create A Schedule

It is important to create a proper schedule to achieve milestones. Below, we have mentioned some points you need to consider before making a schedule.

• Starting with a big deadline, when do you want to finish your first draft?
• How long should the revision procedure take?
• What about the cover designer and editors?
• What is your target publication date?

4. Make An Agreement

Finally, draw up a written agreement. Include details like:

• How author will be credited
• The financial investment of each
• How profit will be distributed and divided
• Penalty if one author decided to step back from the project

Focusing on these problems in writing will make it much simpler to direct conflicts.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do you become a good co-author?

• Begin with a strong and flexible plan.
• Create a safe space in your co-author writing routine.
• Trade off the difficult parts.
• Use Google Docs for co-authoring.
• Schedule a regular meeting with the agenda.
• Ask for help and support.

1. How can I be distinctive from other authors?

Here, we have mentioned some tips for a unique writing style:

• Recognize your writing style.
• Know the types of writing you enjoy.
• Brainstorm ideas for artistic writing projects.
• Practice and read professional writing examples.

1. How to pick a co-author?

You need to consider the following elements before picking an author:

• Sharing other related work along with writing
• Praising each other’s strengths and weaknesses
• Helping each other with career enhancement
• Opportunities to network and create strong relationships for future collaboration.

Final Notes

Co-authoring is a fun-filled journey that offers several benefits. However, it comes up with some challenges as well. Furthermore, when you find the right partner, it is like having a great journey with another artistic mind, which can result in great books. Above all, readers get what they want, like new content from their admired and most liked authors. We hope that after reading this article, you are clear about all the pros, cons, and processes of co-authoring.