A LIFE-CHANGING CHALLENGE!
Bestselling Indie author, Mike Wells, has a challenge for authors who have completed a novel in any genre (as long as it has a strong suspense element – romantic suspense, sci-fi suspense, espionage, international crime, mysteries/detective, etc.)
The challenge is finding an author compatible with Mike’s style, someone who would like to co-author their work with Mike, using Mike’s branding; massive exposure, high-selling, and his bestselling status. 
“It’s very difficult to find a good match and we (my wife, who’s a fantastic story editor) wind up having to say no to about 95% of the writers who show interest,” Mike says. “The book you submit should already be written, and it should also be the start of a possible series, with common characters who appear in each new book.”
James Paterson, as well as other bestselling authors, use this co-author branding to provide more content for their reader base, faster than they are able to write it. Patterson’s latest is a book co-authored with former President Bill Clinton.
Mike has co-authored in the past and found the experience to be satisfying for both him and the other author.
“Speaking of co-authoring, readers gave such an enthusiastic response to the Forbidden romantic suspense series that Devika Fernando and I wrote that we decided to add three more books,” he says. [You can read Devika’s thoughts on the process HERE]
As for working with another author: “The author has to be willing to have my name at the top of the cover, and his/hers at the bottom,” Mike says. “This is a publishing model that James Patterson championed.”
Of course, for many authors, their ego may prevent sharing their initial creation with Mike, only to have his name more prominent. Mike, and his editor) rework the story, amplifying strengths, minimizing weak spots. Even though he is not creating the story from scratch, a lot of work goes into the process of publishing.
For the author who does not have the bestselling status, or market list for strong sales, this is a solid proposal. Getting on the bestselling list with Mike allows for future solo works to also ride that wave of success. Consider it a springboard to success. Of course, if your stomach cannot handle the thought of being tied down to another author, regardless of the outcomes, then this challenge is not for you.
“I offer a 50/50 royalty split on all ebooks sold, paid quarterly,” Mike says.
“I have no written contract – I work with other authors on a good faith basis. Any agreements are made with a simple email agreement that says as long as the arrangement working for both of us, we continue, but that either party can cancel at any time. If the co-author cancels, he/she can’t publish anything but the original book as it was submitted to me, and same goes if I cancel, of course. My experience is that if a business arrangement isn’t working for one or the other party, no written contract helps, they just cause everyone grief and frustration, better to part amicably and go separate ways.”
If you have not seen Mike Wells’ Website, you should: http://mikewellsblog.blogspot.com/ You can usually get the first books in his series FREE from the site. Mike also posts a wealth of advice for writers: https://mikewellsblog.blogspot.com/p/advice-for-writers.html
If you are interested in Mike’s challenge, you need to know the requirements. First, your book must be completed, published or not. Second, submit the first 3 chapters (PDF) along with a synopsis and any links you may already have.
Email this directly to Mike: Mike@MikeWellsBooks.com
Subject line: Challenge.
Allow him roughly 4-6 weeks to thoroughly review it before expecting a reply. If you have other questions, you may also ask them.
This is a terrific opportunity for new writers with an exceptional story and struggling with sales and exposure, to find a surefire way to reach a lot of people with potentially life-changing results.
Good luck!
William Gensburger
PS: You can also follow Mike on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MikeWellsAuthor
I’d love to have my book published with Mike Wells. It’d be an honour. I just have to finish it first.