5 Things to Consider When Publishing a Collaboration Book
In this article Porsché Mysticque Steele—a renowned book coach and independent publishing expert—centers on five crucial considerations for curating a successful collaboration book, emphasizing a shift from profit-driven ventures to those focused on impact and quality
Curating a successful collaboration book is a complex endeavor that requires a significant shift in focus from mere financial gain to a deep commitment to impact, quality, and purposeful collaboration. The speaker emphasizes the critical role of the "curator" – the individual responsible for assembling the anthology – likening it to the meticulous work of a TEDx event organizer who brings diverse voices together for a cohesive and high-quality outcome.
The Pivotal Role of the Curator
The term "curator" is advocated for its intentional connotation, distinguishing it from a "facilitator". While a facilitator simply manages moving parts, a curator possesses an artistic vision, looking at the whole picture and bringing different pieces together to create something beautiful. This role demands ensuring that the voices assembled are cohesive, collaborative, and contribute to a high-quality product. The success of contributors, in turn, is largely determined by the curator's effectiveness.
Five Crucial Considerations for Curating a Collaboration Book
To achieve a successful and impactful collaboration book, the following five considerations are paramount:
1. Be Intentional About Your Authors:
◦ Focus on Fit, Not Just Payment: A common pitfall for curators is prioritizing authors who can pay over those who are a good fit for the book's vision. This can lead to books with poor writing, misaligned stories, or uncoachable contributors.
◦ Scouting and Qualification: Curators should "scout" for specific types of authors, not just market for paying participants. A thorough qualification process, potentially involving three steps, is recommended:
1. Assess story/expertise fit.
2. Review writing samples to gauge skill level.
3. Conduct personal-level checks, including social media perusal, to ensure alignment with the book's and curator's brand, as the curator is essentially endorsing these individuals.
◦ Optimal Number of Authors: The number of authors should be determined by the book's vision and desired impact, not solely by profit goals. Too many authors can lead to an excessively large and expensive book, potentially diluting its message. The focus should always be on impact, not cost.
2. Get a Coach and a Manager:
◦ Author Manager: A dedicated author manager is crucial for handling administrative tasks such as managing deadlines, submissions, reviews, and event coordination. This allows the curator to remain focused on the overarching vision and creative elements of the book.
◦ Writing Coaches: Authors often have varying writing skills. A writing coach can train contributors to write powerfully and to meet the curator's standards, potentially reducing the need for extensive developmental or copy editing later.
◦ Marketing Coaches: Successful collaboration books thrive on the collective promotional efforts of their authors. A marketing coach can equip authors with the skills to effectively market and promote the book to their respective audiences, amplifying its reach.
◦ Consider a Ghostwriter: For authors with compelling stories or significant influence but who struggle with writing, hiring a ghostwriter can ensure their content is polished and aligns with the book's quality standards. A good ghostwriter mimics the author's voice and style through close collaboration.
3. What Will Revenue Share Look Like?:
◦ Breaking Bread with Contributors: While collaboration books can generate substantial upfront revenue from author contributions, a truly "beautiful" book requires sharing subsequent revenue with all contributors, including editors, formatters, designers, authors, managers, and coaches.
◦ Solid Contracts are Essential: A well-structured contract from the outset is vital, outlining what authors can and cannot do with their chapters and detailing the revenue-sharing model.
◦ Revenue Share Models: Common models include:
▪ Curators publishing on Amazon and selling author copies at a profit, which authors then resell at their desired price.
▪ Curators creating individual KDP accounts for each author, allowing contributors to directly sell their versions of the book from their own Amazon listings with unique ISBNs, thus generating their own revenue without purchasing from the curator. This model is considered more authentic and genuine.
▪ Setting up landing pages for contributors where they receive a percentage or royalty from each book sold.
◦ The goal should be to empower authors to generate revenue from their investment in the book.
4. Plan a Launch Event Focused on Amplification:
◦ Beyond Internal Celebration: Many collaboration book launches often devolve into mere celebrations for the authors and their immediate supporters, failing to reach a wider audience or drive sales.
◦ TEDx Style Event: Curators should consider transforming their launch into a TEDx-style event. This approach focuses on promoting the book as a solution to a real-world problem and inviting the public to learn from the contributors' expertise, amplifying the book's theme and impact. This provides a platform for contributors to truly shine and reach new audiences.
5. Commit to Investing in Production Costs:
◦ Stellar Production Team: A high-quality book requires investment in a "stellar" production team, including a first-class book designer, an awesome interior designer/formatter, and even better editors. Cutting corners on production often results in books riddled with errors or poor design, leading to author dissatisfaction.
◦ Calculating Costs Upfront: Curators must calculate all production costs at the beginning, as these expenses should determine the fees charged to authors. The authors' investment should cover the costs of production, publishing, and promotion, not just line the curator's pockets.
◦ Value Proposition: For authors to justify their investment, especially if charged thousands, the curator must offer significant value beyond just inclusion in a book, such as a strong platform for promotion or speaking opportunities.
Ultimately, the overarching message is that a well-curated collaboration book prioritizes its theme, topic, and purpose. By intentionally selecting authors, providing professional support, ensuring fair revenue sharing, executing strategic launches, and committing to high-quality production, curators can create books that truly serve their readers, amplify important messages, and leave a lasting legacy, much like timeless anthologies such as Chicken Soup for the Soul
Frequently Asked Questions about a Collaboration Book
What are the main pitfalls to avoid when creating a collaboration book (anthology)?
When curating a collaboration book, the primary pitfall is prioritizing financial gain over producing a high-quality, cohesive book. Many curators focus on finding authors who can pay to contribute, rather than selecting individuals whose writing quality, story, or expertise genuinely align with the book's vision. This often leads to a collection of disparate chapters, some poorly written or designed, that even the contributing authors are reluctant to promote. Additionally, having too many authors (e.g., 20 or more) can dilute the book's focus, make it overly long and expensive to produce, and potentially lead to issues if an author's personal or online conduct negatively impacts the book's reputation.
How can a "curator" ensure the success and quality of a collaboration book?
A curator, defined as someone who meticulously brings together different voices for a specific purpose to ensure cohesion and high-quality production, plays a crucial role. To ensure success, a curator should:
Be Intentional About Authors: Scout for specific types of authors who fit the book's vision, story, and expertise, rather than just those who can pay. Implement a multi-step qualification process including story fit, writing samples, and personal compatibility checks (even social media vetting). Determine the optimal number of authors needed based on impact, not just potential profit.
Assemble a Professional Team: Hire a coach and a manager to handle logistical details like deadlines, submissions, and event planning, allowing the curator to focus on the overall vision. Writing coaches are essential to ensure consistent writing quality across diverse authors, and marketing coaches can train authors on effective promotion strategies. A ghostwriter can be considered for high-value authors who struggle with writing.
Establish Clear Revenue Share: Define the revenue-sharing model from the outset with a solid contract. Options include authors purchasing copies from the curator to resell, or authors having their own KDP accounts to sell their version directly and retain all revenue. The goal is to ensure contributors can also profit, demonstrating the curator's focus on impact beyond personal gain.
Strategize the Launch Event: Instead of a self-congratulatory celebration, design a launch event that promotes the book to a wider audience, focusing on the book's theme as a solution to a real problem. A TEDx-style event, where contributors share their expertise related to the book's theme, can amplify awareness and impact.
Invest in Production Quality: Allocate a significant budget for a stellar production team, including a first-class book designer, interior designer/formatter, and editor. Poor production quality (e.g., typos, bad cover design) can undermine the book's value, regardless of the individual chapters' quality. The author fees should reflect these calculated production costs, emphasizing value over just lining the curator's pockets.
What is the distinction between copyrighting and trademarking a book?
Copyright protects the original expression of ideas within your book, encompassing the written words, illustrations, and unique creative elements. Registering your book with the U.S. Copyright Office (copyright.gov) provides legal proof of ownership, allowing you to sue for damages if someone steals or copies your content. However, copyright does not protect general ideas, concepts, or book titles. If your book includes content from other sources (e.g., quotes, song lyrics), you must disclose and exclude that content from your copyright claim unless you have the necessary licenses or permissions.
Trademark protects your brand, including your book's title (if it's part of a series or a broader brand), publishing company name, logos, taglines, or any distinctive phrases or symbols tied to your business. Trademarking prevents others from using these specific brand elements. For authors building a business around their book (e.g., courses, speaking engagements), trademarking a signature phrase or book title is crucial for long-term protection and brand identity. While copyrighting is relatively inexpensive ($65), trademarking can cost hundreds of dollars per category (class) and is often best handled by a lawyer due to its complexity.
What are the key trends and challenges in book publishing for 2025 and beyond?
In 2025, several significant trends and challenges impact authors:
Non-Fiction Dominance: Non-fiction books, especially those offering solutions to problems (business development, personal development, self-help), are at an all-time high. Books that provide actionable frameworks and wisdom combined with personal stories resonate most with readers seeking transformation.
Rise of Independent Publishing: The stigma associated with self-published books has significantly decreased. Self-publishing now offers authors credibility and full control over their work, royalties, and rights, without the gatekeeping or slow processes of traditional publishing. However, this has led to steep competition, requiring books to be exceptionally well-written and marketed to stand out.
Increased Author Numbers: The percentage of adults actually writing and publishing books is growing, leading to a crowded market. Authors who delay publishing risk having similar ideas released by others, emphasizing the need for prompt action (e.g., aiming to publish within 3-6 months).
AI Regulation and Usage Concerns: Regulatory bodies are cracking down on the use of AI in books. While AI can be a useful tool for brainstorming and outlining, using it to generate substantial portions of text can prevent copyright protection. Platforms like KDP and Ingram Spark can detect AI usage and may pull books that don't disclose it. There are ongoing lawsuits (e.g., against Meta and Anthropic) concerning AI training on copyrighted material without permission or compensation, raising ethical and legal questions about content ownership and fair use.
Reader Selectivity: Readers are becoming more selective, driven by economic factors and information overload. They seek books that offer a clear return on investment (ROI) by solving specific problems or providing tangible benefits. Authors must clearly articulate "what's in it for them" to entice readers beyond their immediate circle of friends and family.
Why is having a "framework" essential for a non-fiction book?
For non-fiction books, particularly those aiming to be impactful, having a clear framework is essential because it allows readers to understand, follow, and repeat the solution being offered. While a compelling personal story can inspire and create emotional connection, it is often insufficient for readers to take action and apply the insights to their own lives. A framework breaks down complex information into digestible steps (e.g., "step one, step two, step three"), making the solution replicable and memorable. This structure empowers readers to implement the knowledge and achieve their own transformation, ultimately enhancing the book's value and its ability to change lives.
How does crowdfunding work as a financing method for authors?
Crowdfunding involves a group of individuals (backers) contributing money to a project they believe in, often in exchange for specific "perks" or rewards from the project creator. For authors, crowdfunding offers several benefits:
Financial Support: It helps cover publishing costs, which can range from $5,000 to $10,000 for a professionally produced self-published book.
Idea Validation: If a book idea attracts significant backing, it validates its appeal and potential for success.
Built-in Marketing and Audience Building: The campaign itself requires promotion, which naturally builds an audience of engaged supporters who are already invested in the book's success. Popular platforms like Kickstarter and Indiegogo offer features like "all-or-nothing" or flexible funding models, tiered reward systems, and project categories. Some platforms, like Publishizer, even connect authors with traditional publishers, though they may be less popular for general discovery. Patreon offers a subscription-based model where authors can release content (e.g., chapters) to a community in exchange for recurring donations, allowing them to fund production over time. Authors considering crowdfunding should thoroughly review the platform's terms and conditions to understand fees and withdrawal policies.
What are some common "lies" authors tell themselves that hinder their publishing journey?
Authors often tell themselves several self-limiting "lies" that prevent them from publishing:
"Everyone will benefit from hearing my story." While personal stories can be powerful for healing or inspiration, not every story needs to be a published book for a mass audience. Some are better suited for personal journaling or targeted sharing. For a book to be broadly impactful, a personal story must be combined with a clear framework that solves a problem for the reader.
"I can design my own cover using Canva." While Canva is a useful tool, effective book cover design requires research into current genre trends and professional design principles to appeal to target audiences. Judging a book by its cover is common, so a poorly designed cover can significantly impact sales.
"I have a friend or relative who can do a good job editing what I've written." Professional editing involves multiple specialized stages (developmental, copy, line, proofreading) that an amateur, even with good grammar skills, is unlikely to master. Skipping professional editing or seeking "budget-friendly" options often leads to subpar results and a book riddled with errors.
"I'll publish my book by the end of this year." This procrastination often stems from a lack of commitment or understanding of the publishing process. With proper accountability and planning (e.g., with a book coach), a book can typically be written, produced, and published within 3-6 months. Prolonged delays suggest internal obstacles rather than external circumstances.
"I'm not willing to invest in professionals/learn the industry." Many authors mistakenly equate self-publishing with DIY and underestimate the necessary investment in time, education, and financial resources. To produce a successful, high-quality book that stands out in a competitive market, authors need to be prepared to hire experts (editors, designers, marketers) and understand the intricacies of the publishing industry (e.g., ISBNs, metadata, distribution). A minimum investment of $5,000 in the first year is often recommended for success.
Why is it important for authors to understand and leverage "thought leadership" and "storytelling"?
Understanding and leveraging thought leadership and storytelling is crucial for authors because:
Human Connection: Storytelling builds emotional connections between the author and reader, which is essential for influence and lasting impact. Readers connect with personal journeys and experiences, making the information more relatable and memorable.
Defining Thought Leadership: A "thought leader" is someone who offers an innovative way of thinking, doing, or being, and effectively shares this innovation to transform others' lives. This goes beyond merely being an expert; it's about articulating unique insights derived from personal experiences.
Combating Information Overload: In an era of information overload, storytelling captivates attention and cuts through the noise. It provides context and depth that simple facts or snapshots (common on social media) cannot.
Creating Lasting Impact: When an author combines their unique "gem" (innovation) with a compelling story and packages it into a clear framework, they create a powerful and actionable solution that can truly change lives. This elevates a book beyond mere entertainment, making it a valuable resource that readers return to repeatedly.
Building Legacy: Books, unlike fleeting speeches or social media posts, offer a tangible and enduring way to encapsulate an author's legacy. By combining personal story with wisdom and a clear framework, authors can create work that withstands the test of time, influencing generations to come
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