Category: Storytelling

Co-written books can be exciting and fun to write, if you’re with the right partner. They can also be a challenging and rewarding experience, as long as you follow some basic co-authoring guidelines. With writing, some people prefer to work alone, while others would rather get in the same room with other authors and start the collaborative process right away.

In this blog post, I’ll discuss the most common types of co-written books and how they benefit both authors and their readers. I’ll also look at some of the most successful co-written books ever written, to give you some ideas about what works best. If you’re an author who wants to learn how to co-write a book and make it a rewarding experience, this guide will help you make the most of your experience and craft something you can be proud of that your readers will love as well.

Examples of Books That Were Co-Written

The best co-written books are those where the authors complement each other’s strengths.

Two of my favorite collaborators have always been Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. They collaborated on Good Omens with outstanding success. Their writing styles differ from one another, but they work so well together. Though their storytelling approaches are different, reading a book by them feels like one succinct package. It’s really cool to see how they’ve grown as writers through their collaborations.

Other famous co-authored books include The Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub, Relic by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, and The Norby Series by Issac and Janet Asimov. Each is an exceptional example of why collaborating can be rewarding. I highly recommend reading some of these amazing books if you’re looking for something new. Consider how concise these stories feel when you read them. Also, it’s interesting to see how successful these novels were because of the collaboration between two talented authors.

Series Finished by Another Author

Though it’s not always the case, sometimes an author will die before they’re able to finish a series. Sometimes, another author finishes the series. This can be a daunting task, but it can also be very rewarding. The Wheel of Time series was finished by Brandon Sanderson after the death of the original author, Robert Jordan. The Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny was completed prior to his death. Still, we were treated to a prequel series (The Dawn of Amber Series) written by John Gregory Betancourt after Zelazny passed away. With proper respect paid to the original author and their work, writing a series that someone else has started can lead to success. It takes hard work and dedication, but it pays off in the end!

Benefits

There are many benefits to co-writing a book. For one, it can help to divide up the workload so that each author is only responsible for a portion of the book. This can make the writing process more manageable and less daunting. When you co-write a book, you bounce ideas off of another person and get feedback in real-time. This can help improve the quality of your work. Collaborating with someone else can help you stay motivated and on track. It’s easy to get sidetracked when you’re working on a project alone, but having someone to hold you accountable can make a big difference.

Co-writing can also help you learn new things. If you’re collaborating with someone who has different strengths than you, they can teach you things that you wouldn’t have known otherwise. You’ll also have the chance to make new friends or business connections when you co-write a book. You may be surprised by how much you learn from other people about their knowledge and experience.

Don’t Wait For Perfect

We’ve all been there. You have this great idea for a book, but you can’t seem to get started because it’s not perfect yet. And so you wait. And wait. But no book is ever going to be perfect. At some point, you just have to write. You know the saying. Don’t wait for perfect, because it will never happen. It applies to co-writing too. You and your co-writer will never agree on everything, so don’t wait for that to happen before you write. Just dive in and see what develops. More often than not, you’ll work with a partner who isn’t exactly like you but still has things they are great at.

Choose Your Partner Carefully

When you decide to co-write a book, you’re essentially getting married. You’re committing to spending a lot of time with this person, sharing your innermost thoughts and feelings, and working towards a common goal. So, it’s important that you choose your partner carefully. You need someone you can trust, who shares your vision for the project, and who you can work well with. When co-writing goes well, it’s like magic. The finished product is better than either of you could have accomplished on your own. Plus, the process is incredibly rewarding. Whether it be collaborating or just trading ideas back and forth, each author brings something unique to the table. And when two people bring their individual strengths together, they are much more powerful than they would be alone.

You want someone who shares your vision for the project and who you can trust to see it through. Ideally, you should also choose someone with complementary skill sets to yours. That way, you can divide up the work and make the most of each other’s strengths.

Pitching to Potential Partners

When you’re ready to write a book with someone, it’s important to have a clear idea of what you want to write, why you want to write it, and what your writing partner’s strengths are. Once you’ve found a potential co-writer, the next step is to pitch your idea. Someone can do informally this, over email, or even in person. How ever you do it, make sure you’re clear about what the book will be about, what each of your roles will be, and how much time you’re willing to commit.

Remember, co-writing is a partnership, so communication is key. You’ll need to work out where the responsibility for various tasks lies, who’ll own copyright for any material created jointly, and how decisions will be made. The first decision is usually whether one or both authors will take on the role of lead writer (the one who writes most of the text). This is an intensely personal choice which should reflect not only skills but also preferred working style. Some people like to plan every detail before they put pen to paper. Others prefer just getting on with things.

It’s important to have a clear idea of what you’re looking for in a partner. Do you want someone who shares your sense of humor? Who has experience in the genre you’re writing in? Once you know what you want, reach out to potential partners and pitch your idea. If they’re interested, great! If not, don’t take it personally. Just keep looking until you find the perfect fit. In the meantime, though, continue drafting chapters on your own or with other writers you meet online. You never know when that perfect person will show up. Plus, while you wait for them to come along, you can still hone your skills and enjoy creating something new.

Share the Load

Writing a book is no easy feat. But when you have a co-writer, you can share the load (and the glory). Perhaps you’re not the best at outlining or structure, but your friend has an excellent sense of pacing. Or maybe you know more about plot than dialogue, but your writing partner has remarkable characters to bring to life. What’s more, there are other advantages. You’ll always have someone to brainstorm with, and it will be much easier to get through that inevitable rough patch because there’s always someone there for you.

If one of you is too busy to work on the story, then it won’t stall as long as both parties take a break and come back later. If you live in different parts of the world, time zones don’t matter either. Each partner can continue to write from their own perspective without constantly updating each other. The only downside is not being able to collaborate in person, but with all the advances in technology, this really isn’t a problem anymore. If you meet up physically now and then, make sure you’ve got plenty of snacks handy.

Get Involved In Each Other’s Projects

Once you start, be sure to give each other regular feedback. That feedback should be on their other projects as well. Reading your partner’s other ongoing work serves two benefits. First, it helps keep the creative juices flowing for both of you. Second, reading someone else’s project is a great way to get an outside perspective on what they are doing and how they approach storytelling. It can also be helpful when deciding which projects are more promising than others. For example, if one person has a really cool idea but doesn’t know where to go with it, you might suggest that they write up a synopsis or outline and send it over to the other person. You could provide suggestions or even take a crack at coming up with something yourself.

Know When To Let Go

In order to make a co-written book work, let go of some control. You can’t be precious about every single word, because chances are, your co-writer will want to change some of them. It’s important to be open to suggestions and willing to compromise. That way, you can create a book that’s even better than either of you could have written on your own. If this is your first time working with someone else, remember that it might take a while for the two of you to get into the groove. Be patient and don’t expect everything to happen right away. The more you work together, the easier it will become. Remember too, that if something isn’t working out, don’t be afraid to ask your co-writer if they’d like to take over in an area where they excel.

There May Be Turbulence

There are some challenges involved as well. Your relationship has the potential to suffer if there are any major disagreements in opinion. If one author seems to want all the power in a partnership or if one feels like they were treated unfairly, that could lead to problems down the line. However, if you choose your co-writer wisely and respect each other’s opinions and contributions, it can be an incredibly rewarding experience. You’ll get input from someone who understands the nuances of storytelling and who will give you feedback on plot points and ideas that may have otherwise gone unnoticed. It’ll also help ease the workload by having someone share responsibility for tasks such as plotting out scenes, editing, or deciding about art direction. You will not be lonely in this process either!

Try Co-Writing

Writing a book with another person can be a very rewarding experience. You get to bounce ideas off of each other, help each other stay on track, and learn from each other. Plus, it’s just plain fun! Try your hand at co-writing with a trusted collaborator today and see for yourself how rewarding it can be.

-R.E.