How to Write a Book With Another Person

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1Choosing a Partner and Topic

2Organizing the Writing Process

3Managing Different Styles and Views

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Tips and Warnings

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References

Writing a book can be a lot of fun. If you're just starting out, working with one of your friends or family can be a great option. Writing with a friend will provide more ideas for the book and can even lead to a better relationship between the two of you. Be careful to choose someone you feel safe and comfortable sharing your ideas with, someone who values your opinions, and someone who respects you as a person. Set firm deadlines, work together, and you’ll be on your way to writing a book together in no time.

Steps

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Choosing a Partner and Topic

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   Decide who you're going to write the book with. It should be someone you get along well with, someone who likes to write, and someone who has a similar writing style to yours. Pick somebody that is open to new ideas and isn't bossy. You need a person you can trust and who you'll want to share your ideas with.

   • Find someone you can discuss ideas with easily and who values your opinion. This is crucial if you want to start a co-authoring project together.
   • Of course, some writing projects (like academic ventures or school projects) often don’t enable you to choose your writing partner. If you are not allowed to choose your partner, try to make the process as enjoyable as possible by being amicable and willing to compromise.
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   Choose someone you can be frank with. One of the most important parts of writing with someone is being able to speak openly about what you like, what you don’t like, what you think should be changed, and what you think should be kept in the writing. You need to choose someone who won’t get their feelings hurt every time you make a recommendation about something they wrote.

   • In the same respect, you need to pick someone from whom you can take criticism. You both need to be able to tell each other honestly what you think about the writing, regardless of who wrote it.
   • If you're working with someone you don't know well, you may want to try a couple trial edits before agreeing to work on your project. Exchange 2-3 sample pieces. Then, contribute to and critique those samples. This will help give you an idea of whether you have compatible creative personalities.
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   Pick someone whose personality complements yours. There’s a lot to be said for working with someone who is similar to you. In many ways, this kind of partnership works well. However, you also want to find someone who excels at things you aren’t so good at so that you can cover more ground with your skillsets combined.

   • Make a list of your strengths and weaknesses so that you know what you can contribute and what, specifically, you need from a partner. If, for example, you have a hard time getting things done on time, try to find a writing partner who is really good at pushing forward to meet deadlines.
   • If you are really good at line-by-line editing, you might want to work with someone who is better at thinking about the bigger picture.
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   Choose a genre. Once you both agree to write something together, decide what the genre will be. There are literally endless possibilities. Pick something that you both are interested in, and a genre that could make the most successful book.

   • Some possible genre options include romance, science fiction, crime/drama, steampunk film noir, fantasy, memoir, or self-help.
   • If you are writing in an academic (or otherwise professional) capacity, choosing a genre may not apply to you. You will, however, need to agree upon the topic to be discussed and a game plan for tackling the project. Your argument will need to be cohesive, so it is important that you agree on the outcome and the process from the start.
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   Create your main character(s). Think about what kind of people you want to write about. What are their physical characteristics? What are some of their personality traits? Provide each main character with a backstory that accounts for the kind of person you want them to be.

   • Spend some time fleshing out the details so that your main characters are well developed. You don’t want flat characters that leave your readers unsatisfied or unconvinced.
   • If you're working on this step collaboratively, try passing character sketches back and forth. Give both partners the opportunity to talk about what they want to see in the book's characters, and why they want to see those particular traits.
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   Decide what the plot will be. Think about the story you want to tell. What kinds of things do you want your characters to experience? What are the main events in the story? What obstacles will your characters need to overcome?

   • Think about what you want the eventual outcome of the story to be and consider what events might occur on the journey to get to that point. Talk to your partner, and listen to their opinions on the matter, too. Work on finding an outcome that matches both of your respective visions for the book.
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   Create the secondary characters. These are characters that aren't as important, but every good story needs them. They help the story along in more minor ways, but still play an essential role in moving the plot forward.

   • Think about how your main characters will react in certain plot situations. This may help you come up with some essential secondary characters for your story.
   • For example, if one of your main characters has to go on a journey, some secondary characters could be people your main character meets along the way – the bellhop at a hotel, a fellow passenger on an airplane, etc.
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Organizing the Writing Process

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   Assign responsibilities. In order to complete a writing project together, you’ll need to be clear from the get-go about who is responsible for what pieces. You don’t want to accidentally be working on the same parts as your partner, or be the only one working at all. Make your expectations clear so that each partner can move forward with a good understanding of what needs to be done.

   • For example, perhaps you’ll begin working on the outline for the first chapter while your partner starts working on some of the dialogue that will appear in a particular scene in that chapter.
   • The work should be divided fairly evenly when possible.
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   Decide how you'll write the book. Different people work different ways. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to complete a writing project in today’s technological world. Whatever method you choose, make sure it is a way that you can both contribute to changes being made.

   • Consider typing chapters up on the computer that you email to each other for review.
   • You could also create a Google document that you each simultaneously edit.
   • Or you may want to do it the old-fashioned way in a notebook that you pass back and forth between the two of you.
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   Create deadlines. When you begin undertaking a large writing project, it’s easy to get lost in the enormity of the thing – especially in the beginning stages. Try breaking the writing up into manageable parts with clear deadlines for each part.

   • Focus on one smaller piece at a time instead of get freaked out by the entire project as a whole.
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   Make a schedule. Create a writing schedule, and then stick to it. If you're serious about writing this thing together, try to write at a set time at least once a week. Talk to your co-author about when you plan to be writing and what your writing schedule will be.

   • Be honest with each other about your productivity and keep each other in the loop if something comes up.
   • Try to have (at least) weekly meetings, even if it is just by email or by phone, to keep each other updated on your progress.
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   Hold each other accountable. When you set deadlines, try to meet them by adhering to your planned writing schedule. If one person begins falling behind, offer encouragement and support to help get them back on track. Ask your writing partner to do the same for you.

   • It is often easier to stick to schedules when the pressure of letting down another person is factored into the situation.
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Managing Different Styles and Views

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   Create a single voice. One of the biggest challenges in creating a single text between two or more writers is merging the work into a consistent, shared voice. This can be complicated due to varying writing styles among the writing partners. The best way to do this is to actually work on the writing together. However, when this isn’t possible, you’ll need to merge your separate work into one document and smooth out the differences together as a team.

   • Watch out for things like varying tone, word choice, and sentence structure. Designate someone to go through and fix things like shifts in verb tense and inconsistent terms.
   • Work together to construct careful transitions between sections. Transitions are critical, and they should bring both voices together to make the flow between styles more consistent.
   • If you are working on smoothing out pieces that were written separately, it may be helpful to designate one person to blend the styles. This person should aim to keep as much of the other partner's integrity as possible while still making the piece sound cohesive.
   • Alternatively, you could consider bringing in a third party editor to help you merge the pieces together. This helps avoid personal biases about what is altered.
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   Mediate differences. When two people work closely together on a single project, it’s inevitable that differences will arise. You need to figure out a way to navigate these instances together in a way that doesn’t upset either party and ends in a result both people can agree on.

   • When a dispute arises, try to honestly communicate with your writing partner in a respectful manner, and strive to find a compromise rather than to simply prove your point. Since you both have the same end goal (completing the project), this is often an effective method.
   • If you just can’t seem to agree on something, try getting a neutral third party to listen to both sides and help you determine a course of action that is acceptable to both of you.
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   Have a written contract drawn up. If you are co-writing a book with another person, it’s possible that costs will be incurred and that profits could potentially be made. You both need to have a clear understanding about how these costs and profits will be divided among you so that these expectations are clear from the beginning.

   • Additionally, since you are co-creating something with another person, you’ll need to establish in what ways both partners are permitted to use the work in the future. Can you publish or quote from the piece in separate forums? These are things you need to agree on ahead of time and establish in a written contract. This will protect you both in the end.
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Tips

• Google Docs is a great option, especially if you and your co-writer don't live near each other.
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Warnings

• Working on a creative venture with another person can be very stressful. Try to stay calm and discuss any problems that may arise.
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