Working With Fellow Authors

Just Between Us—Inspiring Stories by Women was authored by Janice Ross, Tina Brown, Adrienne Thompson, Nicole Dunlap, and Tamika Christy and I. Our interview on The Anthony & B. Fly Show (see media section) was fun, encouraging, and motivating. We were asked how we were able to come together as women to write a book, without having a competitive nature that most women tend to have. Our response was, “We are mature women who work together as a team and focus on the results.”

When it comes to working with other authors, there are lots of things to consider. I wanted to share some pointers with you that helped us with our book, Just Between Us.

First, ask yourself if your co-authors are familiar with the topic you have chosen. Do they have the knowledge, experience, or education on the subject matter? Be sure that you are familiar with your co-authors’ works, and consider if their writing style and voice will fit with your book. Set a deadline and make sure each author can meet it. If your book will be self-published, think about who will edit, design and format it. Consider the costs involved and who will pay for the book’s expenses. Will the book be offered for free? If not, how will the profits be shared? Will there be a collective copyright or individual copyrights for each story? Whose DBA publishing company will produce the book?

Most authors are used to working independently, but when you’re working on a book with fellow authors, you have to be willing to work as a team. This will require patience, reasonableness, and flexibility on your part because each author will have their own opinions and ideas.

My experience with working with the authors of Just Between Us taught me many things about myself, the publishing industry, and I got to know my fellow authors on a deeper level. These women were not only talented, but goal-driven and willing to work together as a team. I would definitely work with them again in the future!