The Art of Collaboration: Part II

When Susan and I first started our collaborative career, we were happily working "on spec" believing that, like thousands of others before us, "if we could just sell that one book, we would die happy".

Let's just say it's a good thing we've always tempered our dreams with pragmatism because that die-happy thing? It's a crock. You just want more.

So begin as you mean to go on. Keep track of every related expenditure; hold onto your receipts, and be careful to note who paid for what so that when you do start making money, you'll be able to reimburse yourselves accordingly.

After all, writing is a business. And when you have a partner, no matter how close you are or how well you get on, nothing will do you in faster than a squabble over money. Talk to your partner about how you're going to finance your work, share in its ownership and divide the spoils. While it is important to look after your joint interests, don't forget to safeguard your own. And put it in writing.

Partnership agreements needn't be complicated, but they do need to "stand up in court". Check what is relevant for the jurisdiction in which you live, work together to outline what you want on the page, and don't scrimp! If you need legal advice, get it, because you never know where your careers are going to take you.

Another Susan and Anne story: somewhere along the way, we decided we would adapt The Mad Hacker and enter the film business. We formed a company; we set up shop in Toronto, and then we got down to work. Writing the script turned out to be the easy part; navigating the business side without losing our way was far more challenging. We had to "take" meetings, "pitch" our story, and hang on for dear life in an industry where people try to wrest control of your project, your characters, and your rights.

It was a whole new ballgame. So we rehearsed. We coordinated our wardrobes. We decided who would speak to the business side, who would speak to the creative, and where we were prepared to give ground as a means to get what we really wanted. And we got a good lawyer, one who specialized in the entertainment business. In the end, we needn't have worried quite so much about licensing agreements; the Amber & Elliot lunch boxes and line of pre-teen clothing have yet to materialize!

We did, however, have the most excellent adventure imaginable!

Collaboration isn't for everyone; in fact, it's hard work. But no one, and I do mean no one, will ever share your successes, or indeed your failures, with as much joy or as much angst as someone who has a fifty-percent stake in whatever it is you do.


f & f Anne