Ever come across those articles about a mom and son publishing a book? Or maybe father and daughter? No? I have. And I think it’s a little ridiculous.
Now obviously I’m not talking about well known, accomplished authors who can write with whomever they like. But rather the unknowns of the world like me. Imagine if I decided one day to publish a book with one of my parents. It’s crazy for me to even think about. I honestly wouldn’t even consider the thought. I don’t see any positive that would come from that. One is inevitably going to be a better writer than the other. And there will be disagreements.
When two more professional authors collaborate I think it’d be easier to divvy up the work in a more manageable way. They don’t have to worry about hurt feelings or other nonsense.
What do you think of parents now writing books with their kids?
Johnny Reads 
SO I actually got a fun puzzle book for kids once that was written by a father and daughter who had always enjoyed puzzle books and set out to write one of their own. They did a fab job. But I will say the father did the writing, the daughter and he collaborated on the puzzle creation. Maybe that was the difference.
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Puzzle book? Like crosswords or what?
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More like mystery/logic puzzles
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My daughter writes. She’s 11, and she can hold her own with pen & paper. I still wouldn’t write a book with her. I’d support her in the writing of a book. I’m also an editor. I’d find her an editor that wasn’t me if she decided she wanted to publish her works. I have one simple reason for this separation: I want my kids’ accomplishments to stand on their own. I offer support, but as soon as I attach my name to it, the question of “who did what” gets asked. If my kid publishes a book, I want the world to know that *she* did the work… not me.
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I see. I suppose even a decade or two down the line your answer would be the same?
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Dunno… it’s not a decade or two from now đŸ˜‰
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For some people it might be just something fun to do with each other. My dad is always looking for stuff to do with me and my siblings so he can stay connected and active in our lives. (He’s not absent, just always super busy with work.) Not that any of us would publish a book with him, ’cause he hates writing đŸ˜› but maybe that’s a reason? I guess it would be different if the kid is already grown up and living off on their own, though, or if the end goal is to make a profit/get recognized or whatever.
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I guess you wouldn’t be interested in writing a book with a member of your family? I can’t tell. đŸ˜³
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Weeeell, I guess I wouldn’t be opposed to it, but I also wouldn’t actively pursue the idea or anything. It would depend on the kind of book. Like, I wouldn’t want to write any kind of fictional story with anyone else, but if it was a biography or something, maybe. You do have a point, I think I’d get pretty annoyed during the process just from working with a family member. It’s a lot easier to get frustrated with them than with anyone else đŸ˜›
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Hmmm. Yep. I agree. Everyone yells at everyone else in their family. Imagine adding something else to argue about to the mix. đŸ˜‚
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I honestly don’t know. I do know of a few people like this, and while I believe a writer’s inspiration and plot can come from their child, I think most of the work is the adult’s. If they want to credit their kid a bit, that’s fine, but, in the end, everyone knows who did the lion’s share of the work.
For me, personally, I don’t think I’d be able to collaborate with another author. I’m too much of a control freak.
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Well I didn’t mean an actual child. Just a son or daughter. Collaborating is crazy.
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Someone suggested to me a collaboration once, but I coudn’t see how it would work and what he was thinking be asking me. We are VERY different people, different writers – and he’s bone idle, so I know I’d be doing all the work. Ah, hang on, I just worked out why he asked me đŸ™‚
I wouldn’t collaborate with my family, even if they did write, which they don’t – could cause a whole ton of arguments
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LOL I think you just described much of my college experience! “This is a *partner* project? Where’s Shanan….” LMAO
I am kind of collaborating on one project… but it’s just an anthology of short horror stories being published by a friend. She’s “featuring” me in there… basically putting a few of my stories in to break up the flow and give it a little bit of a different voice. Our collaboration basically amounted to me sending her stories. I can totally handle that! haha
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Hi, Shanan. Yes, I know what you mean – my son’s going through that at school right now đŸ˜¦
I took part in a short story anthology with my writing group, which was fantastic as it was picked up by a small independant publisher. But it did end up with a small core of us doing most of the work – proof reading, editing, writing letters etc – and the rest of the collaborators … not.
If I did anything similar again, I’d be very picky about who I did it with
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One of my writer’s groups does an anthology every year. I’ve yet to participate. They said that this year’s was “not as polished” as they’d have hoped, and I really think it’s probably what you’re saying… that a couple people do a lion’s share of the work. They’ve said that for the 2016 anthology, they’re going to make it mandatory to chip in for professional editing. I think I might participate đŸ˜‰ Personally, I think when it comes to artistic collaboration, there needs to be a clear and defined list of duties. And I think, when it comes to writers, peer editing of collaborative works just don’t… work. But I would definitely work with a group that is planning on professional editing and publishing. That’s an entirely different ball o’ wax đŸ™‚
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Well I’m glad we agree.
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My sister and her husband write a blog together. They have different styles and different personalities. They have a blast writing it and it’s enjoyable to read. There is a lot of give and take in their relationship or this venture would not work. My point being, writing together, whether it is child and parent, spouses, or complete strangers, depends on individual personalities. It can work.
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Writing a blog isn’t writing a book. Not even close.
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Depends on what you write… At the SF Writer’s Conference, I met the author of How To Blog a Book (http://howtoblogabook.com/the-book/) When it comes to writing non-fiction, blogging is an excellent way to build a reader base. If you do it right, you can create just enough content to make your readers want to buy the book edition of what you’ve blogged. I met a husband/wife team just last night at my book publishing group.. they blogged/wrote a book that combines both physical and financial fitness into one, cohesive plan. He’s the financial planner, and she’s the personal trainer. It’s pretty cool, actually!
I guess the point is… blogging can lead to books, and couples/families can work together. I guess it really is just all a matter of what-works-best đŸ™‚
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