Collaborationsdrops out. You continue the series, write nine more, and then an
option deal for movie rights to one of them appears.
What sort of cut does your collaborator deserve in that instance?
Fifty percent? Five percent? One percent? Ten books down the road,
it would seem that your collaborator would be entitled to only a
small share, but the "pick-up price" built into movie deals can be
mouth-watering enough to make Mother Teresa feel greedy. If the
collaborators have previously agreed on a simple formula—five per-
cent of all future revenues, say—then there will be no problem. Get
it on paper now.
Another possibility for splits on sequels is to draft a new collab-
oration agreement as each book comes along. That pattern has
some pitfalls, though, one being that if future opportunities to
negotiate fall at times of strain between the partners the negotia-
tions could turn into nasty, no-win fights.
As I said, keep it simple. You may want to agree that either part-
ner may kill the series if there is disagreement about its future direc-
tion. Better to quit while you are both ahead, no?
What about logistics and rules? You would think that in these
days of phone, fax, and e-mail logistics would not be a problem.
Collaborators can live as far away as Anchorage and Atlanta, can
they not? Alas, it is rarely so. High-quality communication is called
for in a collaboration, and that is difficult to achieve unless two peo-
ple are face to face.
Many collaborators live close to each other for another reason: it
is easier to keep track of things, such as which draft is which.
Whether you are close or far away, however, it is wise to agree on
procedures. Who writes what? How much rewriting is allowed? What
are your time limits? (This is not a hobby, after all.) Who will pay the
paper, printing, and manuscript mailing costs?
Also, how will you settle disputes? It does not matter, really, so
long as some procedure is set up; for instance, partner A gets his way
the first time, partner B the next—no exceptions. Alternately, you
could split the project into areas of supremacy. For example, you
have final say in all decisions about plot, while your partner has
final say in some other area, perhaps one that you care little about,
like dialogue.