Authors Collaborating with Authors
No matter the type of author you are (Indie or Traditionally Published), numerous benefits can come from working together with other authors on projects.
More often than not, we authors are always focused on our current or next storyline, often causing us to forget all the other opportunities in the writing community.
Where do you find them?
I have come to find that the writing community is a vast place, full of wonderfully helpful people. The people I have met along the way so far have been nothing but encouraging and wonderful. No matter what writing platform or social media outlet you use, you can use a variety of options to find these people. Thankfully, we have found one another through groups, hashtags, interviews, and happy accidents.
Unfortunately, I am coming to realize that many writers/ authors are hermits by nature. We do our best writing at strange hours of the day and usually keep to ourselves. (Now, I'm not saying this is every author. I promise, there are some very outgoing ones out there.)
Here are some places to start looking:
Social Media- Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok, and even LinkedIn have writing communities if you look for them. Once I found out how to use hashtags (such as #writingcommunity), I found a whole community I hadn't even known existed. Taking the time to look led me to groups of writers ranging from seasoned to first-time writers and even self-publishing help groups. I was amazed at what I had been missing out on for the first portion of my writing career. Here is a group for New Authors you can check out!
Goodreads- Goodreads is a platform that I am still navigating myself. From what I have learned so far about it, it's not only a useful tool for readers but contains several tools for authors as well! Just create an account and click the portion that says your an author, and you will find you have a small blog section, groups of other authors you can connect with, and ways to set up giveaways. I have been able to connect with several authors this way.
Interviews- I was recently interviewed by another indie author trying to advocate for other indie authors by conducting interviews where they can showcase their work. Doing interviews with other authors for their blogs or even bloggers who one day want to write a book is a great way to make connections in the writing world. It also introduces you not only to readers who follow them but to other authors.
Happy Accidents- When I say happy accidents, that is literally what I mean. I have had other authors see a post on social media and reached out to me to say hello, or ask about my writing. Not only was I flattered, but it was nice to see that someone saw what I was writing about and felt it was worthwhile. I was even invited to join a daily writers chat group on Twitter full of excellent writers who dazzle me daily with their amazing books. There are people you meet where the only way to describe it is as a happy accident.
What are the benefits?
Now that you know how to find other authors, the question is, how can we all benefit one another?
Collaborations- As tricky as it can be, collaborating with other authors is extremely beneficial for numerous reasons.
It allows the readers of the other authors you are collaborating with get a taste of your writing and possibly become a reader of yours.
You and whomever you collaborate with can market each other books.
Reading other authors writing and working with them can help improve your writing.
Editing- I may only speak for myself, but I have found that other authors beta read and edit my writing differently than the regular reader. They find different things than others would because they are also looking for it in their writing.
They can help with grammar, typos, and repetitive phrases.
Give valuable feedback on plot, opening, and good spots to add detail and where to lose it.
Authors who can read your work tend to find more typos and mistakes than others.
They understand how important it is to bring up things that need improvement instead of sugarcoating it like many editors or beta readers may do.
Becoming part of a community- This is one of the most valuable things I have found. Being part of the writing community has shown me how other authors are willing to lift you up simply because they are in the same boat as you.
Other authors can:
Help you market by sharing your posts.
Show you to their readers in newsletters if they feel their readers would like your writing.
Do an interview of you for their site.
Put a chapter of your work at the back of their work.
Help you learn the tricks of the trade.
Paying it forward
With everything you just read, it sounds wonderful, right?
The truth is, all of this can happen for you, but you need to be sure you are paying it forward. As wonderful as it is to receive help from other authors, you know how busy and time consuming all of these tasks are. If you throw writing a book in there, there isn't much time to squeeze it all in.
Every time I ask another author for help, I try to pay it forward.
If they edit something for you, can you edit something for them in return. I always ask or offer my services in return when they should need them.
If they help marketing your next book by sharing a post for you on social media, do they have a pinned post you can retweet to your followers? Can you put their book in your next newsletter?
If they help you learn tricks of the trade, can you ask them if there is anything they're struggling with or point them towards someone who can help?
If you find a group of writers who have helped you with numerous writing questions, can you invite them to the group?
These are the kind of acts that pay it forward. At the end of the day, we authors create adventures for readers, and truth be told, it's challenging and time-consuming. Getting help from people who understand that is huge.
At the end of the day
All in all, we need to be realistic. When you find a good group of writers, everyone is likely working on their projects. Everyone is busy too. As much as they want to help you, time is of the essence with deadlines and people's everyday lives.
I'm trying to say that you have enough authors you can ask periodically for help so that you don't overload the same people with requests.
An author I know started a critique group where authors join and share our work with one another. Whoever is free can offer to look over what we need, and those who can't can pass. This is an easy way to help each other out without asking too much.
I hope you can connect with other authors out there and truly find a group of people to talk to about writing. The people you meet along the way can provide invaluable information and great friendships. Besides that, it's even better when you can collaborate on writing together.