How to Co-Author a Book: 7 Tips for a Productive Partnership

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When it comes to writing, does it really take two to make a thing go right? While many writers have their dream collaboration in mind—whether it’s with their favorite author or their best friend—co-authoring comes with important considerations.

In this post, we’ll walk you through everything you should consider before partnering up for a book, as well as tips for ensuring a smoother collaboration process.

How to Co-Author a Book

Here are 7 tips that will help make your co-author collaboration more productive, efficient, and pleasant for both parties.

1. Make sure co-authoring is right for you.

If you want to co-author a book because you think it will make the process easier or lighten your load, think again.

Collaboration on such a large project is not for the faint of heart, so you need to be honest with yourself about whether or not this partnership can succeed.

Writing a book with your bestie may have seemed like a great idea at happy hour last week, but does your co-author-to-be really have the time, skills, and discipline to commit to the book? Do you? Will you both be able to handle potential disagreements maturely and effectively?

Before you go any further, you and your co-author need to honestly answer those questions and consider those that follow in the next steps.

2. Set clear expectations.

Once you’re confident that you and your co-author can trust each other and actually collaborate productively and effectively, it’s time to set some clear expectations.

You absolutely need to agree on the following before you start any work on the manuscript:

  • Your vision for the book
  • Each person’s responsibilities
  • Each person’s communication needs
  • The projected timeline
  • Quality standards

You should also consider a system for how how you’ll handle disagreements when they arise. By being clear from the start, you’ll both save each other a lot of time in the long run and hopefully avoid any awkward tension or friction.

3. Divvy up your skills.

When it comes to how you’ll actually divvy up the workload, you have several options.

Here are some ways you could potentially split the work:

  • One author outlines, the other writes.
  • Split the work chapter by chapter, based on expertise or interest.
  • Write together, collaborating in real time.
  • Both authors write, but only one edits.
  • Both authors edit each other’s work.

Whichever method you choose, the important thing is that you each consider your own strengths and weaknesses.

If you’re great at character development but your co-author is a better editor and wordsmith, then maybe you should let them hold the red pen.

At this stage, you should create an outline of your book (if you haven’t already). This can help you to divide the workload more efficiently, and also help to ensure that you both agree on the

4. Set deadlines and honor your commitments.

Writing a book is a long, multi-phase project. For each step of the way, make sure you and your co-author agree on a reasonable deadline.

This will not only help both of you stay on track, but also ensure that you each respect each other’s time and effort.

Of course, life does happen, and it’s very possible you each have regular day jobs, families, and other commitments. If something comes up, communicate it clearly to your partner as early as possible.

5. Develop a workflow.

It can be helpful to agree on your standard workflow and preferred methods of communication before starting your collaboration.

Do you live close enough to meet in person once a week? Will you discuss edits via video conference? Will you use any special software to work, collaborate, and share your progress?

Again, these may seem like minor details, but ironing them out early on will make the whole process run smoother in the long run.

And if you find that something isn’t working, fix it! Don’t be afraid to update your process once you’ve started if either of you find that the workflow isn’t flowing.

6. Write now, edit later.

Whether you’re working on your own part or collaborating in real time with your co-author, try to resist self-editing (or reworking every line your partner suggests a million times!).

For your first round or two of writing and editing, focus only on the big picture stuff—the plot, characters, pacing, etc.

Only when those elements are settled should you start digging into sentence-level edits. This is true for any type of writing, but especially so for co-author collaborations.

You’ll each likely have your own opinions of how something should sound, but if you focus on that in the early stages, you’ll take twice as long to get anywhere with the content.

7. Check your ego.

And finally, perhaps the most basic but no less important rule for any collaboration: check your ego at the door.

Even if you’re objectively a better writer or editor, that doesn’t mean your partner will never have an idea that’s better than yours.

So keep an open mind, acknowledge your own weaknesses, and think about what’s best for your readers. And if you really can’t move past an agreement, leave it up to a third-party, professional editor.

How Much Do Co-Authors Get Paid?

The difference between a ghostwriter and a co-author is that ghostwriters are paid upfront; co-authors are not.

Ghostwriters write a book for the credited author, and can be paid tens to hundreds of thousands for their work. Because co-authors collaborate throughout the entire creative process, they generally split royalties (either 50/50, or some other predetermined rate based on their roles in the project).

If you’d like to learn more about co-authoring, check out these 10 examples of books by two authors.

Did you find this post helpful? Let us know in the comments below!

 

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