Advice for a friend (for real, I promise)

A friend of mine wants me to co-author a book with him. I said I'd go along with it, on account of how I like writing but currently lack direction. But the more he talks about it, the less faith I have.

I get the impression that he's decided to write because he thinks he can get published, (as in, I don't think he'd be writing it if he didn't). While I'm not snobbish about this sort of thing, I think he's possibly got a misguided notion of what people will publish. He's made some vague references to having "connections" and such which, okay, he's probably joking about. But it does seem like he's trying to write "the dream book", the kind that all authors would write if they weren't thinking about getting published, and if he's not doing it out of passion it's making me wonder if it's not just a big waste of time.

I don't know, what do you guys think? Should I be trying to talk him out of this? I don't know how bad/niche/whatever a book would have to be to not get a publisher, but he's talking about looking for a deal when he's barely written anything for it yet.

 

Your friend will learn the hard way, or maybe they'll hit the big-time, who knows?

The point is, why are you helping them? If it is for the pleasure of writing, don't let your friends aspirations worry you, just enjoy the writing.

Trying to get a book published is a fairly hard process, and your friend will learn naturally why they are doing it, and what the source of their desire to write is.

Life is a learning curve.

 

I guess part of me is worried that he's going to have me write a load of stuff for him and then give up. I don't want to waste my time (seeing as I don't like his idea anywhere near as much as he does).

 

Could be good practice though.
I suppose it depends what you would hope to get out of writing it with them.