I noticed that quite a number of books that I acquired have multiple authors. Whether they’re longtime business partners penning their first book or previously published authors sharing a byline for the first time, coauthors can do the following to make the process easier on them and the publisher.

• Have a clear, joint vision for their book: Successful books have a clear audience, message, and cohesive voice. Before submitting their proposals, coauthors should discuss and agree on these elements.
• Know how they will split royalties: It is not a given that all parties will split royalties equally. If one is contributing more in terms of authorship, research, marketing, or celebrity, it is okay for that person to get a larger percentage of the royalties if coauthors agree. Or coauthors may want all royalties to be paid to a single entity like a charity or institution. Either way, they must notify their acquisitions editor, so she can add the proper designations to the contract.
• Choose one party to be the primary contact: Especially if there are three or more authors involved, it will make for a more cohesive publishing process for editorial, design, and production if the managing editor or acquisition staff can contact one person to respond to questions or assign tasks. This does not mean all parties can’t be copied on all email correspondence. It is just more time efficient to have one person compiling and then communicating cover design considerations, for example, instead of the publisher receiving multiple emails that may state very different desires. That leads to the next point.
• Designate collaboration time and assign tasks: Coauthors should create a schedule that gives them time to discuss their writing strategy, promotion and sales information from their publisher, deadlines, and so on. Along those lines, considerations when designating work include asking who will:
  • Solicit or compile endorsements
  • Review the copyedit and respond to editor queries
  • Review page proofs
  • Proofread the draft before sending it to their publisher

This is by no means an exhaustive list but does help coauthors plan for a smooth publishing process.