“We’ll both be authors, so we’ll split everything. You can be a co-author too, and get paid when the royalties come in.”
That’s the pitch I’ve heard nearly every time someone has asked me about a co-authored book. One partner was writing for free, so why shouldn’t I? I turn those down, because I don’t work for free, and I don’t take co-authored books as a rule, though I wouldn’t rule a well-run one out.
Two-author books themselves are common, though: co-founders, business partners, married couples, siblings. They’re more complicated than single-author books, because every decision needs two yeses, and the setup at the start decides whether that turns into a strength or a stalemate.
I like two-author books as a reader, and I think the good ones beat most single-author books. Two people who built something together see it from two sides, and a book that shows both has a depth neither could reach alone. What sinks these projects is two partners assuming they agree on everything and finding out otherwise halfway through the manuscript.
Can two co-founders write one book with one ghostwriter?
Yes. A ghostwriter works with both authors, interviews each, and writes a book that represents both. The ghostwriter is also a neutral third party. That helps when two people who know each other well have strong and different views of the same story.
That neutral role is more important than people expect. When two partners remember a near-failure differently, each one wants the writer on their side. A ghostwriter who picks one has turned the book into that argument, and the other author will feel it in every chapter.
The same approach works for married couples writing about a shared life, partners writing about a business, siblings writing about a family, or any two people with a story they lived together.
Should a two-author ghostwritten book use one voice or two?
I like two-author books as a reader, and I think the good ones beat most single-author books.
It depends on the book, and you should decide early. A blended “we” voice works well for business books where the authors share a philosophy and want to present a unified method. The book speaks as the partnership, and individual stories are attributed where needed (“Maria remembers the call differently”). Two distinct voices work well for memoirs and for books where the authors’ differences are part of the point. Chapters or sections alternate between authors, each in their own first person. Readers get two perspectives on the same events, and the contrast can be revealing and moving.
Some books mix the two: a shared voice for the main argument, and separate sections where each author tells a personal story. A good ghostwriter will suggest the approach that fits your material after the first few interviews.
How does a ghostwriter interview two authors?
Both together and separately. Joint sessions capture the shared story and the dynamic between you: how you finish each other’s sentences, where you disagree, what makes you laugh. Separate sessions give each of you room to say things you might not say in front of the other, including your honest view of the disagreements, the moments you doubted the partnership and the credit you feel you deserve.
The best material tends to come from the separate sessions. Both authors should agree at the start that what’s said privately will be handled carefully. Nothing from a private session goes into the book without its author’s approval. A ghostwriter who carries something from one partner’s private session into a joint meeting has broken the promise that makes separate sessions worth having. I’d consider that a firing offense, and I’d expect any client to see it the same way.
Who approves the drafts in a two-author ghostwritten book?
Both authors, unless you agree otherwise, and you should agree in writing before the writing starts. Common arrangements include both authors approving every chapter, each author approving their own sections with both approving shared ones, or one author designated as the lead with the other reviewing. Agree on turnaround times too. A book stalls fast when one author reviews in two days and the other takes three weeks.
With two authors, the communication has to run in every direction. A partner who sits on chapters while the other waits will sour the book and the partnership with it.
What if my co-author and I disagree with our ghostwriter’s draft?
You will, and that’s normal. Plan for it.
Agree in advance on how disagreements get settled. Options include presenting both views in the book, deferring to whoever owns a particular story, giving one author the final say on certain topics, or bringing in an outside tiebreaker. The ghostwriter can mediate, and a good one will look for a version both of you can accept, often by showing the disagreement openly.
What you want to avoid is a disagreement that freezes the manuscript for months while the launch date slips. Settle the process in the first week, when you’re both still generous with each other, because two people in the middle of a fight over a chapter won’t agree on a rulebook either.
How are credit, ownership and royalties split in a co-authored ghostwritten book?
However you agree to split them, and it needs to be in writing.
Decide the order of names on the cover. Decide who owns the copyright, jointly or otherwise.
Decide how royalties, advances and any speaking or consulting income tied to the book will be divided, and who pays what share of the ghostwriting fee and other costs. Decide what happens if the partnership ends: can either author keep selling the book, or use its content in their own work?
If you’re a married couple, write the what-if-we-split clause anyway. I know it feels grim to plan for a breakup in a book about your marriage. That clause costs you one awkward afternoon, and leaving it out can hand the future of your story to lawyers.
Joint ownership of copyright can create complications later, especially if the authors fall out. A short co-author agreement drafted by a lawyer avoids most of them. My article on who owns a ghostwritten book when a company pays covers a related three-party situation.
Who signs the ghostwriting contract for a two-author book?
Both authors, or the company or entity that will own the book. The contract should name both authors, say who owns the finished work, explain how approvals and disagreements are handled, and list who pays what. If you’re co-founders writing a company book, the company may be the client, and the ownership questions change accordingly.
My take
Two authors can share one ghostwriter fine. What sinks these books is a fight nobody planned for. Write the rules for approvals, disagreements and money in the first week, while you still like each other. Do separate interviews, because each of you will say things alone that you won’t say with the other one listening. And if you’re married, sign the what-if-we-split clause anyway. It’s one awkward afternoon, and it keeps your story out of a lawyer’s hands.
What should two authors agree on before hiring a ghostwriter?
Agree on the voice, one blended “we” or two distinct first persons.
Agree on who approves drafts and how fast. Agree on how disagreements get settled, what goes on the cover and in what order, who owns the copyright, how the money is split, and what happens to the book if the partnership ends. Put all of it in a short co-author agreement drafted by a lawyer before the first interview.
And pay your ghostwriter for the work, whatever the royalty split between the two of you turns out to be. The Book Discovery Intensive is one way for two authors to work out the structure together, and my ghostwriting services explain how a full engagement is priced.
The partners who get hurt on these books are the ones who trusted a handshake. Starting without a signed co-author agreement is a gamble I’d never let a friend take. Get the agreement signed, pay the writer, answer each other’s emails, and you’ve got a real shot at a book neither of you could have written alone.
Two voices and one writer can make a strong book. The Ghostwriting Advantage covers how to get your book written for you, so any pair can learn the process before the first interview.
