We all use a team when we self-publish – editors and cover designers, in particular. But co-writing a book is something quite different.

I've just co-written Risen Gods with J. Thorn and in today's interview/discussion, we talk about how the process worked, the challenges and what we learned along the way.

In the intro, I talk about an update on my writing, plus my thoughts on an event with Seth Godin this week and Amazon's new physical bookstore. I announce that I'll be speaking in Denver at Digital Commerce Summit next Oct, which I am super excited about!

The corporate sponsorship for this show pays for hosting and transcription. This podcast episode is sponsored by 99 Designs, where you can get all kinds of designs for your author business including book covers, merchandising, branding and business cards, illustrations and artwork and much more. You can get a Powerpack upgrade which gives your project more chance of getting noticed by going to: 99Designs.com/joanna
J. Thorn is a bestselling horror writer and creator of Dark Arts Theater and the Horror Writers Podcast. J is also my co-author of Risen Gods, a dark fantasy/supernatural thriller.

You can listen above or on iTunes or Stitcher, watch the video here or read the notes and links below. Here are the highlights and full transcript below.

* On J's beginnings as a writer and his first few collaborative writing projects.

* The benefits of accountability in co-writing.

* The advantages of outlining when working with a collaborative partner. We both recommend The Story Grid by Shawn Coyne. Here's an interview with Shawn.

* The challenges of co-writing including the need to compromise, which might not work for artists with a very specific vision, and the importance of working with a personality that is a good fit.

* Knowing when to assert oneself in the partnership and when to pull back.

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The issues of trust and copyright that come up in a collaboration, including royalty splits.

* Why writing experience matters when entering a collaborative project, as well as already having an established voice.

* The importance of brand in a co-writing project and why it matters for each author that the co-written book be on-brand.

* J's experience of the differences between working with men and women.

* Leaning on the strengths of your co-writer.

* The legal and practical decisions that need to be made before the project begins, including time-line, frequency and methods of communication. [Collaboration Agreement. Disclaimer: example only. This is not any kind of legal advice!]