Hello, I wonder if you could kindly help me. I’ve written a book, but since I’m not a good writer, I wanted to find a co-author (or writer) to help me in getting the book in publishable form. I would like the co-author/writer to review, revise, and edit the material and rewrite much of the content. However, I fear that whoever joins in the project may take the material and, after revising and improving it, publish it on his or her own. Is there anything I can do to ensure that the co-author does not take the material and publish it on his own? Any assistance would be deeply appreciated. Thank you very much for your time and help. John
You would need to create a contractual agreement with your co-author that addresses all the issues you can possibly think of such as: how you're going to be paid what happens if one wants out what happens if one dies who's the primary author timelines for completing the work whose name appears first What roles each of you will play. Who gets the rights/book if one of you decides to opt out or no longer perform Co-authoring can be a very tricky process but that being said it can be done. I'd suggest before even starting the book that you and your partner meet with a literary attorney to draft a contract and discuss who will do what and what will be split.
This sounds like you're looking for a ghost writer or maybe an editor - I don't think a co-writer would likely be interested in just fixing up your writing for you. So if you're hiring a ghost writer or an editor, you'd have a contract with that person. You'd hire someone with experience and a good reputation, and then it would be no more worrisome to trust them with your manuscript than it is to trust your mechanic at the garage with your car.
Do yourself a solid and find a really good editor (which will not be cheap). A co-author is somebody who actually writes the book with you, not so much on the editing and revision end, unless they wrote it with you. So that would be your best bet.
No one wants to rewrite someone else's poorly written story. That's just not fun at all. And there is a reason editors for hire don't come cheap. And I don't think you have to worry about someone steeling your writing if you're also worried it's not very good.
I suppose you're new to the occasional very generous offer of having someone share their one-of-a-kind idea in exchange for you doing all the writing.
I'm willing to take a look at what you've wrote, and give you a couple pointers. Feel free to PM me if you're interested.
