issue : October 2005

Team writing has been good to me over the years. Three of my four best-sellers of 300,000 copies each were coauthored with someone else. Of course I am happy about those. Some other not-so-happy team efforts--I try to learn from them and then forget.

In my successful cases, I really did all the writing, but based it heavily on transcriptions of the coauthors' speaking engagements. Since it was essentially their messages, I tried hard to keep their "voice," and they felt I did. I also challenged their weak places, organized their material, and argued for my own views. My coauthors also provided their feedback on all that I wrote. I honored their concerns, and we worked out mutually acceptable copy. We not only became coauthors but long term friends, greatly respecting each other.

In one case, when a coauthor attempt of mine failed, it was because we were just too far apart in our views. That experience was traumatic, and I determined that in the future I would make sure we were compatible before I entered a writing "marriage" with anyone else.

Team writing always complicates matters even when partners are compatible and congenial. Solo writing must please the author and an editor. Team writing must please an author, a coauthor, and an editor, three people rather than two. When it works, it's great.

No matter how carefully one chooses a writing partner or partners, an agreement between them should be executed in writing. That agreement must then be reflected in the contract with the publisher. It will spell out how royalties will be apportioned (in my case 50-50),
and all other important specifics of the agreement between the parties.

The View of SIMON KAHOKO MUREU - ICW Member - Kikuyu, Kenya:
I didn't know that collaborative writing could be interesting and risk-taking until I found myself in it.
The nearest I had come to collaborative writing was in early 1990 when a Nairobi-based editor assigned me a magazine article. That never developed as the writer I was to collaborate with was very busy and I therefore had to work all alone.
My second experience was in April 2004 when during African Christian Writers Association's yearly retreat a collaborative book was planned and assignments sent out. This idea didn't work and it brought a near breaking of the writer's forum. I wondered why this could happen and where we went wrong. I conducted a brief research and one year later I presented my ideas to ACWA members.
From an African overview, team-working is not new. We dig, plant and harvest together. No one can feast alone. The community is one in social matters.
Team working has existed since creation. GENESIS 1:26 gives a good example of God's collaboration: "Let us make man in our image, in likeness of ourselves."
World over, people are still working together in feasting, politics, education, church ministries, business and industry. Writing cannot be left out.
Many writers and authors are good collaborators. A good example is the book titled Holy Blood - Holy Grail. This interesting book took three authors more than twelve years to research and write.
Some writers produce copy SEQUENTIALLY, others SIMULTANEOUSLY. Although collaboration writing has much value, many writers tend to shy away from it. They fear they are not a match for their coauthors and they worry about disagreement.
Social or political differences may crop up and disrupt or divide your team. Disagreement on how to undertake a specific task may arise, followed by other procedural conflicts.
It's not bad to disagree while one is collaborating. Be silent and you will contribute nothing. Without disagreements on various opinions, the coauthors may ignore good and available alternatives.
Here are some other important hints a new collaborator would need to understand before taking up a project:
Outline your project, bringing out its purpose in STRATEGIC PLANNING.
Create relationship. Unless you learn to communicate well you will find teamwork hard.
Learn to swallow your pride and disagree in civilized manner, to listen and dialogue.
Trust yourself and other team members. You may know very little while others are experienced. It's the "very little" you must develop.
Understand the project! Does it need research? Learn how to conduct it.
Listen to the editor and publisher, remember where the project's funding is coming from.
Keep all deadlines. All aspects of the work have dates when to be completed.
In the Gospel according to St. Mark, chapter 3:13-19, after moving up to the hills, Jesus summoned those he wanted to work with and appointed the twelve. They collaborated as they went out to preach.
If ACWA members had the principles given here in place, I believe our yet-to-be- completed project could be realized. I believe each one would learn more and more while working together.
BE PRAYING FOR YOUR PROJECT
(Note: Simon tells ICW his tree planted last year in recognition of International Christian Writers Day is doing well. November 15 is the date. Let us know how you observe it.)

The View of KRISTEN INGRAM and LINDA CLARE
Can two successful writers collaborate without strife or an end to friendship? Linda Clare and Kristen Johnson Ingram, both noted writers but a generation apart in age, responded to an editor's idea about a book and discovered that they loved writing together, that God's blessing was evident every time they both had the same idea, and that they could support each other's writing with love.

The result was Revealed: Spiritual Reality in a Makeover World, which was sent from Revell/Baker to bookstores on August 1. Their next book, Making Peace with a Dangerous God is completed and scheduled for April 2006. Neither of them was the editor, nor did one ghostwrite for the other; they wrote as equals and contributed the same amount in each book. Linda is the author of two books, and Kristen has written
twenty-one.

Now they want to teach and encourage potential writing teams to work together in a variety of ways:
using multiple contributors with one or more main authors
writing side-by-side, as in the dialogues of Revealed and Making Peace with A Dangerous God
writing alternate chapters or essays
contributing to a multi-author group;
and always being each other's brother or sister in Christ, helper, and spiritual counselor.

Both Linda and Kristen are well-known writing teachers and conference presenters, and Kristen directed the Oregon Christian Writer's Conference for four years. Linda Clare teaches writing classes at Lane Community College in Eugene, Oregon, and Kristen teaches online for Writers Online Workshops, a Writer's Digest school

Reach Kristen Johnson Ingram at kristen.ingram@comcast.net

Reach Linda Clare at lindas352@comcast.net

2. SINCE YOU ASKED-SUBSIDY PUBLISHERS
Q. I don't understand subsidy publishing. I understand royalties, and I understand self-publishing , but what is subsidy publishing? (Kim Davidson, ICW Website manager)
A. Subsidy is kind of like half way between royalty and self-publishing. Supposedly. The publisher prints, distributes, and pays royalty on your book, but asks you to buy x number of copies at an author-discounted price.
I have to tell you that while you can consider that option, some subsidy publishers just use that as a ruse to get you to pay for a printing of the book, for which they charge unconscionably high prices and do little if any marketing.
It boils down to whether or not the publisher is strictly on the up and up. You need to check it out. Ask for references of several authors who have published with them in the last year. Then contact some who published six months to a year ago and get their evaluation of the experience.
When considering publishers, you also want to know if they are a "fit" for you. In other words, are the products they have in the stores (if they have any!) books with which you'd comfortably be associated?
In my case, InterVarsity Press has the highest reputation both for quality books and author relations. That's important. There are many other good publishers too, and I have published with half a dozen of them. I am simply saying to do your homework so there are no unpleasant surprises down the road.
Your book is too important to compromise it with publishers who lack standing or integrity. And so are you.

3. PRINT MINISTRY IN KENYA
to ICW from Samuel Kahura Chege, Editor, Today in Africa magazine, Kenya.
Early this year, we distributed free old copies of our magazines to prisons through a Christian organization that evangelizes in prisons in Kenya. I was baffled by the quick response from the hungry prisoners.
Souls in the prisons have been converted to Christ. One prisoner wrote: "I am a prisoner who is serving life sentence since the year 2000. I became sick and diagnosed to be HIV positive. Fortunately, I came across your October 2004 issue that challenged me to re-inspect my life. Am also blessed and uplifted when perusing the whole magazine. I kindly request you to send me materials that will assist me to rededicate my life to Christ. I need to grow spiritually. I understand you provide free gospel tracts, which can help unsaved people. I want to carry out the evangelistic ministry to my fellow prisoners. Please assist and send me some tracts. My prayer is that God will continue to grant you and your staff more knowledge as you continue writing this encouraging issue to us in prisons."
This and other letters from prisoners jerked the hearts of Today in Africa staff to start a Prison Ministry. We have now published 11 titles, each title 25,000 copies, specifically edited to suit prisoners. Three Christian organizations that are allowed to visit prisons throughout the country are collecting the tracts and old copies of our magazine and distributing them in 93 prisons in Kenya!
Moreover, it has been encouraging to see Today in Africa magazine going into our high schools. This is an unusual opportunity to reach these outstanding young Africans. Many of them are lonesome and homesick, and a monthly magazine makes a real impact in their lives. Our goal is to start a special edition for high school students and put 50 copies after every vacation into every high school in East Africa. What a better way is there to reach the high schools with the Gospel? There are 4,000 high schools in Kenya.
Pray with us that God will provide finances.

4. LETTERS 'N STUFF
Jane Sara Thompson (ICW Communications Coordinator) writes
That was a very interesting discussion of the bookselling market. I used to get all my books online - saving money from CBD. When I realized my local store might not be there when I needed it if we all do that, I decided to start shopping locally. They have sales and monthly mailings with coupons, so in the end I don't think I'm really spending much more - and I get to browse the shelves, which is a treat in itself for book lovers.
Wish I could go to Glorieta. At the moment we are making plans for a trip to Honduras (to support the mission we started) and that is the week we are considering. If somehow it becomes possible to make it out to New Mexico, I'd love to share a lunch with you!
Blessings, Jane

Dr. Annie Barksdale writes:
Good article this month. The information was very helpful.

Pam Vincent writes:
Thank you so much for the opportunity to share my thoughts on Newspaper Column Writing in last month's Report. The article was well received by several people. I sold it to The Christian Communicator because Lin Johnson saw it in the Report. We also spoke of several topics and I was able to sell a second article to her. The Report was also seen by a woman in the mid-west who asked about my devotional book and her desire to use it in her Bible study, which produced another sale.
There was delightful communication from a woman in Brazil, from Africa, and from a pastor in Minnesota. I was also contacted by two other writing organizations, one who asked me to speak at their conference and the second one who asked me to write a similar article with the focus on breaking into the newspaper writing business.
When you are called to write, although writing isn't always about selling pieces, it is about getting the word out to as many people as you can. The networking of ICW readers has afforded me several opportunities that I would not have thought to pursue and some wonderful penpals. Thank you again for allowing me to place my article with you and your readers and for expanding my territory.
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