Co-Authoring Without Getting Frustrated, Lost, or Screwed

This isn't a topic exclusive to erotica, obviously, but it was brought up in the social thread in the NC-17 section, and a few people suggested discussing it out here where it doesn't get lost in the shuffle.

So. Co-authoring.

I'm not an expert on the subject, and YMMV of course, but I've been co-authoring now for the better part of a year with two other authors. Four, if you count a multi-author series. This could be a very lengthy post, so for the sake of not making anyone's eyeballs bleed, I'm going to break it into a few individual posts:

1. How do you get started?
2. How do you co-write?
3. How do you avoid getting screwed?

I am writing those posts now, so they should be up soon, but appropriately enough, I'm a little slow because I'm also in a writing session with one of my co-authors. So give me a little time, but they'll be posted today.

1. How do you get started?

It really depends. Do you have someone in mind? Or do you just want to try co-authoring?

I did both.

Last year, I had the itch to give it a try because I'd been watching my roommate at a conference while she co-wrote with someone else. It sounded like a lot of fun, and the way they were just blowing through that story? I had to give this a go. So I tweeted, "Really feeling the itch to co-write." Cat Grant, who I'd met at that conference, e-mailed me and asked me if I had anyone in mind, or if I just wanted to try it. Long story short, we decided to try writing a military romance together. We just finished that one, and we're about to dive into the sequel as well as another standalone story.

Joining up with Aleks happened a little differently. He'd been my editor before, and we'd worked well together. We'd chatted a little now and then, but beyond that, really didn't know each other. Still, I admired him tremendously as an author, and saw that he was co-writing with a lot of people. I really wanted to approach him about it, but wasn't sure. Then we met at GayRomLit last year, and were pretty much joined at the hip from the first day. So, during lunch one day, I threw it out there and said I'd really like to co-write with him. He said he was game, and here we are.

So there's no one way to join up with someone. It can be a crit partner, a friend, another author you know, anyone. If you want to co-write with someone, it's okay to ask them! They might say no, but it absolutely does not hurt to ask. It took me a couple of days to work up the nerve to ask Aleks, but 7 books later, I'm glad I did!

Just make sure you can be objective about the person. Can you honestly tell yourself this person is a writer you want to work with? Do they walk all over you, bully you, or make you feel like less of a writer? How do they respond to criticism? Are they open to your ideas, and do they contribute ideas as well?

While there's no way to be 100% sure someone won't pull a Jekyll-and-Hyde on you, do everything you can to make sure you're not going to get screwed. Don't co-write with someone who doesn't make you feel like an equal partner or who doesn't do their share.

One thing I learned the hard way: Never, ever, EVER co-write with someone who refuses to sign an agreement stating the rules and expectations of the partnership. You should both be able to state in writing what you want out of the partnership, what you expect, and most importantly, what happens if things go south. More on that shortly, but take it from someone who got screwed: it's very important.

2. How do you co-write?

Again, there is no one way to do it. Cat and I alternate chapters and POVs: I write a chapter in a character's POV, send it to her, and she writes the next in the other's POV. Aleks and I write together real-time in a Google document, watching each other write and switching off every few hundred words, both of us writing in every POV in the story. Basically, do whatever works for everyone involved and gets the words on paper.

Things to consider:

1. Writing style. If you have vastly different styles/voices, it may behoove you to write different POVs/chapters. Again using my own experiences as an example... Cat and I have pretty distinctive voices from each other, but it worked well because it gave each character a very distinctive voice. Aleks and I have different voices when we write alone, but when we co-write, we pick up each other's voices, and the two sort of bleed together to the point most people can't tell them apart. So consider how your voices jive, and whether they work better blended or separate. Neither option is superior to the other.

2. Writing speed. If one of you writes super fast and the other writes slow, that's something to keep in mind. Also, co-writing can affect your writing speed. Aleks and I both write fairly quickly anyway--I write 5K a day, Aleks writes 1-2K if he's worked his day job, 3K or more on a day off--but together, we can write as much as 20,000 words a day. Ditto with the alternating chapters. Cat and I started off a bit slow because we had a bunch of other projects going on, but especially towards the end, we were pounding out chapters ridiculously fast because we were itching to see what the other would do in the next chapter. I thought co-writing would be slower than solo, but so far, it's proven to be quite the opposite.

3. Whether or not you like someone looking over your shoulder. That was a little daunting when Aleks and I started writing together, because he sees every word I write. Every typo, every sentence that takes three tries before I get it right, etc. It works, though, and I know quite a few author pairs who do it. You just have to be able to shake off that self-consciousness and write with someone watching.

And finally...

3. How do you avoid getting screwed?

Quite simply? GET IT IN WRITING.

We've all had friendships and partnerships go sour. Even when you think it's perfect and awesome, you just never know what can happen down the line. I refer you to the divorce rate as proof.

When a writing partnership goes sour, it can get ugly. Crit partnerships falling apart are bad enough. When you're actually writing something together? Things can get sticky, and there can even be legal issues.

1. Custody issues. In the event of a divorce, who gets which book? Does either author own a particular character? When the rights expire or a book goes out of print, to whom do those rights revert?

2. Publication. I know it can seem like putting the cart before the horse, but when it comes to co-writing, you need to figure out your publication plans before writing the book. Disagreeing over where to send it, whether to self-pub it vs submitting to a publisher, ebook vs an agent, etc., can turn things sour in a big hurry. Get it figured out first so you're both on the same page.

3. Unfinished works. If things fall apart before the book is finished, who owns the world? Who owns the characters? Do they go with Mom or Dad in the divorce, or do both people agree to abandon them? What about an unfinished series? Does one author have permission to continue the series? Is the other author entitled to royalties and credit for additional books in the series?

It doesn't hurt to have actual legal agreements drawn up. The authors involved in the Tucker Springs series (a multi-author universe wherein we write separately but within the same town with loosely connected stories) had an agreement drawn up explicitly stating the rights, responsibilities, and expectations of everyone involved.

If a potential co-author sees this as a sign of distrust, don't co-write. Period. Just don't. Trust me on this one. Once bitten and all of that.

Bottom line: You have to protect your interests. While there's no predicting if egos might suddenly clash, or if friendships might fall apart, at least you can have some peace of mind where the writing is concerned. Remember that co-writing is a business arrangement, and should be treated as such. COVER. YOUR. ASS.

Phew. Okay. Those are the points I could think of offhand.

Questions? Comments? Personal experiences?

elindsen said:

What do you do when you both want something strongly? (plot point kind of deal)

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So far, knock on wood, I haven't butted heads with either co-author about a plot point. If we do have differing thoughts or opinions, we'll brainstorm both options. This means both authors need to be willing to consider each other's ideas fully. i.e., don't just humor your co-author. Brainstorm together how his or her idea would work, and then do the same for yours. You should be able to figure out from there which will work better for the story.

It's also a good idea to stop and regroup regularly. My co-authors and I will usually write three or four chapters, then stop and discuss where we think things will go from there. Neither of my co-authors is an outliner, so we don't outline our stuff, but I recommend this step even for those who do outline. Stories evolve. It's easy to adjust an outline for your own story, but when there are two people involved, communication is absolutely essential. So just make sure you're discussing the direction of the story with your co-author on a regular basis.

c.m.n. said:

*Raises hand*

I know there are some publishers that don't take multi-author anthologies, but are there any publishers that don't cater to co-authored stories?

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None that I've encountered. If you have a publisher in mind and their submission guidelines don't say anything about it, you might peruse their listings and see if they have any co-authored titles. If they don't, you can always e-mail them and ask, even if you don't have a co-author already.

I can't imagine why they wouldn't, TBH. In fact, most contracts I've received for my solo work has had a clause already included regarding how royalties will be split if it's a co-written, so I think a lot of them anticipate at least some co-written submissions.

elindsen said:

Who and how do you do the submitting?

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One of us submits it to the publisher, and CCs the other on the e-mail. So far, I've not cold-queried any co-written material. All of my co-authored work has been contracted by either Riptide or Samhain, so they were submitted directly to my/our existing editors. I would assume the process would be the same as querying a solo piece, except the query would include publishing credentials from both authors and of course the co-author would be CC'd on the e-mail.

Ann_Mayburn said:

Because of this post Rebecca Royce and I are going to co-author a book together. Thanks L.A.!

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Exxxcellent. Have fun!

elindsen said:

Well it's official. Cmn and I are co-authoring!

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Good luck!

Satori1977 said:

Lori, what really got me is the fact that you and your co-authors don't outline. I would think that would be a must. Do you at least go over the story before you start writing? What you both want out of it, where you think the story will end up? How do you not start going off in two totally different directions?

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We discuss it, but don't have an outline. Like right now, Cat and I don't have much of a plan for The Only One Who Matters. Just a basic premise, and some loose ends from the prequel. We're feeling out the characters right now, and once she finishes her chapter, we'll touch base about where we think things should go next. Once we get past the next major plot point (or if one of us suddenly feels like it should veer in another direction) we'll check in again.

Aleks and I pretty much do the same thing. We have a premise/inciting incident, we have our characters, and we just wing it from there, but we usually know what direction we're going at least up to the next major scene. Like right now, we're moving into a very significant scene in If It Drives. Once we're past that scene, we'll discuss what happens in the next scene. Once that one's done, the next one. As of right now, I have a vague idea what might happen in the next scene, but no clue after that.

It sounds a lot more terrifying than it actually is, and it scared the hell out of me the first time Aleks and I wrote together. Usually whatever scene we're working on naturally sets up the next one, so we just let them segue into each other. Before we know it, we're done.