How does a book get written by two authors?
I’m thinking, James Patterson (big letters) and Maxine Paetro (tiny letters). I’m thinking Stephen King (top of the cover) and Peter Straub (bottom, somehow less noticeable).
I mean, do the two sit at the computer together, one typing and the other going, “Oooh! Have the main character sleep in the bushes and dream about….”??
Take turns writing?
The second or lesser one maybe just contributes enough ideas to have his or her name on the cover but the other actually does the writing?
Just, writing is such a solo activity, I can’t imagine how the mechanics of it work in a co-authoring situation.
On their website, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (co-authors of The Relic, et. al.) have a pretty good explanation of how they handle long-distance collaboration. I’m sure that not all writers use the same methods, but with P&C it seems to work.
I’d provide a direct link to the explanation but their website seems to be down at the moment. The URL is www.prestonchild.com. To sum it up, it’s usually one of them that writes a first draft of a portion such as a chapter. They e-mail it back and forth a few times until they’re both satisfied with it, them move on. They both have different talents and areas of knowledge and expertise, so bouncing the story off of two brains helps a lot. And it’s hard to argue with the results!
EDIT: P&C’s website is back up. Their explanation of how they collaborate long-distance is in the FAQ section. The link is below. On the page, scroll down to the third or fourth question and there it is. Hope that sheds some light on it for you.
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The 5th Horseman $12.50 When patients mysteriously take a turn for the worse at San Francisco Medical Center, Lieutenant Lindsay Boxer and the Women’s Murder Club must face an unspeakable menace, possibly the most terrifying situation they have encountered. Title: The 5th Horseman Author: Patterson, James/ Paetro, Maxine Publisher: Grand Central Pub Publication Date: 2008/03/01 Number of Pages: 447 Binding Type: PAPERBAC… |
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The 5th Horseman $13.75 When patients mysteriously take a turn for the worse at San Francisco Medical Center, Lieutenant Lindsay Boxer and the Women’s Murder Club must face an unspeakable menace, possibly the most terrifying situation they have encountered. Title: The 5th Horseman Author: Patterson, James/ Paetro, Maxine Publisher: Grand Central Pub Publication Date: 2007/04/17 Number of Pages: 421 Binding Type: PAPERBAC… |
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Private by James Patterson (Hardcover) $16.77 Former Marine and CIA agent Jack Morgan inherits his father`s renowned security and detective business–along with a case load that tests him to the breaking point. Getting to the bottom of an NFL gambling scandal and an unsolved LAPD investigation int… |
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The 9th Judgment (Hardcover) $16.79 After an assailant guns down a mother and her infant at a shopping mall and a cat burglar kills the wife of an A-List actor, Lindsay Boxer and her partner Rich must pick up the pieces, but not before Lindsay`s feelings for Rich threaten her marriage an… |
