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How to Self-Publish a Book with a Co-Author

July 12, 2014 By Shelley Hitz 15 Comments Click here for a FREE book marketing training

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How to self-publish a book with a co-author

I have co-authored several books with different authors over the years.  And I am currently working on two more collaborative projects right now.  I have found co-authoring a book can be powerful.  I first stumbled upon this idea in 2009 when I first met Heather Hart.

Heather contacted me on my website FindYourTrueBeauty.com to ask if I knew of any devotional books specifically for teen girls.  At the time there were none that I knew of or could find.  So I asked her if she would be interested in writing one.  One thing led to another and we published the first volume of “Teen Devotionals…for Girls!”  That book has impacted many lives and sold many copies.  However, it would have never been published had Heather not been willing to co-author it with me.

There is power in collaborating with other authors.

7 Steps to Self-Publishing a Book with a Co-Author

However, just because you can co-author a book, does not necessarily mean you should.  Here are the 7 steps I recommend you take when self-publishing a book with another author.  I encourage you to carefully consider each step before taking the leap.

Choose the right topic

When co-authoring a book, you want to pick the right project.  Some books will be easier to co-author than others.  Non-fiction tends to be easier than fiction.

However, like any book project, you want to choose a topic that is in demand and will meet a need for your target audience.

Find right person

book marketing tipsSometimes this can be the hardest part.  I co-authored a book with S’ambrosia Curtis Wasike.  She had been working for me for a couple of years and I knew she had the expertise to fit the project, we worked well together, and I trusted her.  I found out later that she has amazing editing skills (which I don’t) and so our strengths also complemented each other.

Find someone who:

  • Has the expertise needed for the topic.
  • Works well with you.
  • Someone you trust.
  • Their strengths complement yours.

Decide how to publish it

You pretty much have two choices when you self-publish a book with a co-author.  You can start a new publishing company for your books or one of you can take on the role of publisher.

Obviously, it takes a lot of work to start a brand new publishing company.  However, if you plan on publishing a lot of books together and want to start a new brand that may be the way to go.

Otherwise, I recommend one of the authors taking on the role of publisher.  This is what I have done.  So far, the books I have co-authored have been published by my imprint, Body and Soul Publishing.  They are uploaded in my accounts and I pay the co-authors royalties each month.  It would be nice if KDP or Createspace allowed authors to share royalties with a co-author, but that is not currently possible.

Contract

I highly recommend that you use a contract when publishing a book with a co-author.  Contracts are important in any business relationship as they protect both parties.  A contract also allows for good communication and helps you avoid misunderstandings.

Within the contract outline:

  • How royalties will be split
  • How royalties will be paid
  • Who will be responsible for publishing (i.e. formatting, editing, cover design, etc.)
  • Who will be responsible for marketing
  • What formats of the book will be published (i.e. eBook, print book, audiobook, etc.)
  • Any other details important to this book

It can be as simple or complex as you would want it to be.  In my JV Partnerships Author Forms pack, I share two of the contracts I have used with co-authors.  You can adapt them and use them for your own projects.

Write it

What I like to do is outline the book together.  This can be done via Skype, a Google+ hangout, phone call, or in person.  I personally love using mindmaps to outline my books.  It makes it super easy to move things around during the brainstorming/outlining phase of writing.

Once you have an outline, you can then delegate sections to each author.

And finally, it is important to set deadlines for when the first draft is due.

Publish it

You still have to do all the normal steps of self-publishing.  It is important to stay in good communication throughout the process.  If one of the authors is taking on the role of publisher, they will most likely take on the responsibilities of formatting, cover design, and editing.

In my previous projects, if I was taking on all the responsibilities (and costs) of publishing, I would get a higher percentage of the royalties (i.e. 75/25).  But, in situations where Heather and I have shared the responsibilities and costs of publishing, we share the royalties 50/50.

Everyone is different in what they will determine for a royalty split.  But, if one person is taking on a greater responsibility, both with time and finances, they should most likely receive a higher percentage of the royalties.

Market it

The final step (and ongoing step) is to market your book.  I believe it is important in most cases to share the marketing responsibilities.  You both have invested time into this book and have the opportunity to gain from the profit of book sales.

Do you want to create a new platform for this book or use an existing one?  Most of the time, I have used my existing platforms to market a book I have published with a co-author.  However, there has been one exception.  The book I published with S’ambrosia was in a niche that required its own platform.  And this required a lot more work upfront.  Therefore, if you can use your existing platforms to market the book, it will save you a ton of time.

Thoughts?

Have you co-authored a book?  If so, what advice do you have to share?  What would you do differently next time?  Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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Filed Under: Publishing Tips, Self-Publishing, Writing Tips

About Shelley Hitz

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Together, CJ and Shelley Hitz are passionate about equipping and empowering Christian writers of all genres to share their unique gifts with the world. This website is filled with spiritual encouragement as well as prayers to help you overcome the resistance you face as a writer. Your story matters! Our online community, Christian Book Academy, is where we help you write, self-publish and market your books. We invite you to join our community of Kingdom Writers! 

  
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Comments

  1. Kristen Steele says

    August 29, 2014 at 12:44 pm

    A contract is a must! No matter how close you are with the other person, you need to understand it is a business deal. Both parties must carry their weight!

    Reply
  2. Jennifer Getts says

    September 3, 2014 at 1:35 pm

    I have a friend who is looking in to self publishing, and this article has a lot of really great info! I recently came across a book by Helen Sedwick called “Self-Publisher’s Legal Handbook” that also has a lot of great information and I’ve found that her website, http://www.helensedwick.com is a helpful resource as well. I’m going to compile a list of things for her to look at, including this article. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Shelley Hitz says

      September 3, 2014 at 1:49 pm

      You’re welcome! I’m glad you found it helpful 🙂

      Reply
  3. S'ambrosia says

    February 14, 2015 at 12:37 pm

    So I just googled my name and came across this post. Thanks for your kind words. It was truly an honor to get to publish that book with you, Shelley. 🙂 Wishing you all the best!

    Reply
    • Shelley Hitz says

      February 14, 2015 at 1:51 pm

      You’re welcome S’ambrosia! Thankful for you too 🙂

      Reply
  4. Stephanie says

    March 21, 2015 at 7:38 pm

    Hi –
    Very helpful article and resources. I’m wondering, when you take on the publishing role and then split royalties 75/25, do you first take out the costs of producing the book (marketing, printing, design, etc) out of the profits before you pay out royalties?

    Reply
    • Shelley Hitz says

      March 24, 2015 at 3:48 pm

      You can choose either way. Personally, I pay for the expenses and then split the royalties.

      Reply
  5. Renee Alter says

    August 5, 2015 at 2:54 pm

    “It would be nice if KDP or Createspace allowed authors to share royalties with a co-author, but that is not currently possible.” You can generate a discount code for each title on CreateSpace to give to co-authors. For the anthologies I did, I gave each of the contributing authors a 40% discount (I did all the work).

    Reply
    • Shelley Hitz says

      August 5, 2015 at 4:35 pm

      That’s a great tip Renee! It still wouldn’t split royalties generated other places but would give them a way to get the book at a discounted rate to sell.

      Reply
  6. Sumayah Kabeer says

    July 23, 2016 at 12:00 pm

    Respected Madam
    I and my friend are planning to publish our first story. I am just thirteen and she is fourteen. As we are beginners, we do not know how or where to go and start to look for publishing. Can u please show us a way or help us in doing it.
    We tried to get in direct contact with a publishing company but as we are young and are beginners, they don’t show much interest. We are 90% sure that our story is a good one. It is about the power of friendship.
    If you would help us, we will be very grateful to you. It is a great dream of ours to get this story published. Hope that you would help us.
    Sumayah Kabeer on behalf of Mubeena Fatima.

    Reply
    • Shelley Hitz says

      July 23, 2016 at 12:13 pm

      We offer our book, “Self-Publishing Books 101” for free in eBook formats. The links are here: https://www.trainingauthors.com/books/self-publishing-books-101/

      Reply
  7. Jacques Ferreira says

    December 5, 2017 at 2:50 am

    Splitting and paying royalties are fine, but how do you handle the Tax aspect?

    Reply
    • Shelley Hitz says

      January 3, 2018 at 12:54 pm

      For this, I would recommend consulting an accountant or tax expert.

      Reply
  8. L.Cole says

    December 13, 2017 at 11:08 am

    Hi,

    I’m helping my sister with her project to publish her first writing project – she is publishing an anthology with three other co-authors to amazon KDP. She has the role and responsibility of publishing ( although an equal share of the profits), so the work is going to be published under her account on KDP. We’re both about confused about taxes. How did you ensure that you didnt end up being taxed on the total amount of profits while the other authors received tax free profit?

    Any help from someone who has already done this would be greatly appreciated.

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Shelley Hitz says

      January 3, 2018 at 12:53 pm

      I would recommend consulting an accountant or tax expert.

      Reply

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