Book Collaborations

I collaborate with experts who want to write a popular book. We work together to plan the book, develop a proposal, find an agent (if necessary), and write the book once we have a contract with a publisher. I also write and speak about collaborative writing.

• Collaboration FAQ
• Previous collaborations
• Book chapter about collaborations
• Events

Previous collaborations

	Quick Fit: The Complete 15-Minute No-Sweat Workout, written with Richard Bradley (Atria, 2004)
	Lung Cancer: Myths, Facts, Choices – and Hope (W.W. Norton, 2002), written with Claudia Henschke, MD, of Cornell University and Peggy McCarthy, founder of the Alliance for Lung Cancer Advocacy, Support, and Education. This book won the 2003 June Roth Memorial Award for Health and Medical Books from the American Society of Journalists and Authors, and was the first place winner for trade books in the 2003 Medical Book Awards Competition of the American Medical Writers Association.
	Strong Women Stay Young (Bantam, 1997 and 2000), written with Miriam Nelson of Tufts University, an international bestseller that has sold more than 500,000 copies in a dozen languages.
	Strong Women, Strong Bones (Putnam, 2000), written with Miriam Nelson of Tufts University, winner of a Books for a Better Life award in 2000.
	Strong Women Stay Slim (Bantam, 1998), written with Miriam Nelson of Tufts University, another bestseller in the Strong Women series.
	Normal Children Have Problems, Too (Bantam, 1994), a collaboration with Stanley Turecki, MD, that was honored by Child magazine as one of the best parenting books of 1994.

Book chapter about collaborations

My chapter about collaborations – subtitled “The Pleasures and Perils of Shared Bylines” – appears in The ASJA Guide to Freelance Writing: A Professional Guide to the Business for Non-Fiction Writers of All Experience Levels, edited by Tim Harper for the American Society of Journalists and Author (St. Martin's Press, 2003).

Events

Hot Tips for Six-Figure Book Collaborations
Teleseminar for Annie Jennings PR

Free. Via telephone, Tuesday May 24, 2005, 1:00 - 2:00 PM EST (begins 10:00 AM PST; 11:00 AM MST; 12 Noon CST)

So what if you're not a celebrity! Who cares if you're not a respected authority with impressive letters after your name! If you're a terrific writer, you can leverage your skills by teaming up with a marketable collaborator - and share a six-figure advance.

In this teleseminar, I explained how to identify potential co-authors who can attract big bucks for both of you - and what to do next:

• How to find and approach potential co-authors
• Sizing up a possible collaborator at your first meeting
• Negotiating that all-important collaboration agreement
• Dealing with overextended schedules, overblown egos, and other common problems

Panel on collaborations and ghostwriting
Authors Guild

New York, NY, November 11, 2004: I participated in a panel titled Strange Bedfellows: The Rewards and Pitfalls of Collaboration.

The event was moderated by Authors Guild President Nick Taylor. He is author of a dozen books, including several collaborations, and is currently working solo on a history of the WPA. Other panelists included:

• Lawrence Malkin, author of The National Debt, who has collaborated on books with Paul Volcker, Anatoly Dobrynin, and a number of other notable public figures. He is writing a book on history's greatest counterfeit.

• Laura Morton, author of seven New York Times bestsellers, who has collaborated on a number of celebrity autobiographies, including those of Joan Lunden, Kathy Ireland, and Melissa Etheridge.

• Peter Petre, senior editor-at-large at Fortune and treasurer of the Authors Guild. He has co-authored books with former IBM chairman Thomas J. Watson, Jr. and General H. Norman Schwarzkopf.

Workshop on collaborations and ghostwriting
Washington Independent Writers

Washington DC, January 20, 2004: I participated in a three-hour workshop on book collaborations and ghostwriting. The moderator was Pat McNees; other speakers were Dan Moldea, John Greenya, and Jeff Stein. Washington Independent Writers was established in 1975 by a group of Washington writers to promote the mutual interests of freelance writers.

Cafe session on collaborations
2003 Nieman Conference on Narrative Journalism

Cambridge, Massachusetts, Friday December 5, 2003: I presented a cafe session on book collaborations. To read a writeup of the session, click here.

Panel on book collaborations
National Writers Union Boston local

Boston, Massachusetts, Sunday October 26, 2003: I moderated a panel discussion on book collaborations, featuring:

• Anne Bernays: Author of eight novels and co-author of three works of non-fiction. A longtime writing instructor, she teaches at Harvard's Nieman Foundation.
• Archie Brodsky: Co-author of fifteen trade and professional books in psychology and health care. He serves as an NWU advisor on book collaboration agreements.
• Jill Kneerim: Literary agent, co-director of Kneerim & Williams at Fish & Richardson. She's also an author and former editor and publisher.
• Zick Rubin: Attorney, Law Office of Zick Rubin. In 2002 he was listed by Boston Magazine as one of Boston's five best intellectual property lawyers.

Topics covered:

• The pros and cons of collaborating
• How to find a co-author
• Collaboration agreements
• Making collaboration work

For more information about the event, click here.

Panel on freelance writing
Columbia University, Graduate School of Journalism

New York, New York, Tuesday September 30, 2003: I participated in a panel discussion about freelance writing for faculty and students at the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University. For more information about the event, click here.

Writers Conference of the
American Society of Journalists and Authors

New York, New York, May 3, 2003: I moderated a panel discussion on book collaborations. Speakers included:

• Nancy Hancock, Executive Editor, McGraw-Hill
• Michael Cader, book packager and creator of Publishers Marketplace
• Kay Murray, General Counsel to the Authors Guild
• Sondra Forsyth, co-author of six books

Tapes of the discussion (panel #10) can be ordered from the American Society of Journalists and Authors.