Writing collaboratively using the net
by: Nick Daws

Many writers will know already that the Internet is a wonderful research resource, and it can also be an invaluable tool for communicating with editors and publicising your work.

A lesser-known benefit, however, is the way it facilitates collaborative writing. For instance, the net enabled me to write guide-books to Germany and Italy without ever having set foot in either country! Allow me to explain...

Around three years ago I was asked by a publisher if I would be interested in writing a book called Living & Working in Germany. My name had been recommended to him by a colleague and he was keen for me to take on the task, even though I had never even been to Germany, let alone lived or worked there.

At first I was hesitant, naturally, but for a full-time freelance it goes against the grain to turn down an offer of work. So I thought carefully about how the task might be accomplished. It occurred to me that with the help of the net I might be able to find English-speaking people who did have direct experience of German life, and pay them a fee (out of the money I was being paid by the publisher) to do the on-the-ground research for me.

Finding collaborators
I advertised in Internet newsgroups, message boards and printed publications both here and in Germany. Soon I had compiled a shortlist of possible candidates, mainly British and American expats. I asked them all to produce a test chapter on shopping in Germany (for which I paid them a small fee) and chose the authors of the best four to complete the rest of the book. (And yes, I wrote the shopping chapter for the final book myself, incorporating the best parts from all the test pieces.)

I assigned each associate – as by now I had decided to call them – a chapter, and waited with fingers crossed for their work to come in. Some members of my team turned out to be more able (and dedicated) than others, but all produced at least serviceable first drafts. I edited these, completed any necessary fill-in research via the web and traditional resources, and produced a final version for submission to the publisher.

Trial and error
I paid my associates at slightly over half the rate I was receiving. I found I could edit the work of my more able helpers in little more than a day or two, making those chapters quite profitable for me. Unfortunately they were counter-balanced by other chapters which required much more editing and research to bring them up to a publishable standard. Still, with the help of my team, and somewhat to my own wry amusement, eventually I completed a definitive-looking book without ever having visited Germany!

Pride comes before a fall, of course. Following this, the same publisher asked if I would like to write Living and Working in Italy (another country I had never visited). Of course, I agreed without thinking. However, the timescale for this one was tighter, and I was also working on a number of other projects at the same time. And with this book, just about everything that could possibly go wrong did.

My worst mistake was to choose writers purely on the basis of their letter of application and a sample of work. Two turned out to be hopeless, unable to follow a brief or write in grammatical English. One of the others wasn't much better, while only the fourth produced work anywhere near the standard required. As soon as I realised the problem I was facing, I tried contacting other writers who had applied ‘too late'. Generally they now had other commissions and no longer wanted to work on L&W Italy.

Eventually, after much hard work, heartache and a six-month delay, the book was finished. By now I was barely on speaking terms with the publisher and several of my associates, and my hair had turned several shades greyer. Amazingly, however, the book still came out well, and has attracted good reviews, not least in Italy!

Writing without borders
Although it was traumatic at times, working this way opened my eyes to the potential of the net for group writing projects. With email, geographical barriers mean nothing – every day I was exchanging messages, queries and draft chapters with my associates in Germany, Italy and France, and my publisher in Spain. With L&W Germany (at least) we became a team working towards a common goal, and I honestly feel that the resulting book was more complete and authoritative than any book written by a single author could be.

Working collaboratively using the net enabled me to produce two substantial books I couldn't otherwise have dreamed of writing, and along the way introduced me to several fellow writers whom I now count as friends. I would certainly recommend this method of working to others (though please see my recommendations for avoiding problems in the box below!).

When I tell friends and colleagues how these books came to be written, the responses I receive vary from amazement through to accusations of cheating. In a way I can sympathise with the latter, but I'm still proud of the books. And if anyone suggests readers are being short-changed by the way they were written, I simply point them to the review posted by a satisfied buyer at Amazon.co.uk: ‘This book seems to be written by someone who had to live in Germany and got all [the] possible problems one after another. After having this kind of experience myself, I could not have better explained how to manage life and work in Germany.'

Conclusion
Here are my suggested guidelines for anyone thinking of working collaboratively with other writers via the net...

1. Make sure the timescale for your project is a generous one. Recruiting suitable writers for your project is likely to be a time-consuming procedure.

2. Don't be unduly influenced by impressive-looking résumés. The best writers I recruited were enthusiastic newbies rather than authors with a string of publishing credits.

3. Be wary of asking friends to assist you, especially if you are not familiar with their writing. If their work proves sub-standard, you could find yourself in an awkward situation.

4. Set your associates a practical test based as closely as possible on the work they will be doing for (or with) you. Be prepared to pay them a small fee if this will be time-consuming.

5. Use only writers who can demonstrate the skills you need. You are unlikely to have time to teach people the basics of grammar and punctuation, even if they are disposed to learn them.

6. If you can't afford to pay your associates a fee, try offering instead a share of the royalties.

7. Prepare a standard agreement detailing the exact terms you are offering. Ask your chosen associates to sign this and return a copy to you – this should prevent any disputes later.

8. Prepare detailed guidelines for your associates, covering such matters as preferred layout, length, word processing format, spelling (US/UK), and so on.

9. If you are paying your associates a fixed fee (e.g. per 1000 words), offer them an additional bonus based on quality of work, meeting deadlines, etc.

10. Ensure that the contribution of your associates is fairly acknowledged in the finished book.

^ back to top