Collaboration Pitfalls: Why Creative Partnerships Fail and How to Avoid It
Avoid common collaboration mistakes that derail comic projects. Learn effective partnership strategies for webtoons, manga, and visual novel teams.
Collaboration multiplies creative power—or it destroys projects. Working with others on a comic can produce work better than either creator alone, or it can end in frustration, ruined friendships, and abandoned projects. The difference usually comes down to avoiding predictable mistakes.
This guide covers the pitfalls that sink collaborative projects.
No Written Agreement
The mistake
Starting collaboration on enthusiasm alone, with no written understanding of roles, ownership, or revenue splits. Everything is “figured out” verbally.
Why it happens
Written agreements feel cold between friends. Assumes everyone remembers conversations the same way. Awkwardness about discussing business.
The fix
- Write it down, even between friends
- Agreements don’t have to be formal legal documents
- Clear documentation prevents future disputes
- If you can’t agree on paper, you don’t actually agree
Undefined Ownership
The mistake
Not establishing who owns what before creating together. When the project succeeds (or fails), nobody knows who has rights to what.
Why it happens
Assuming “we’ll figure it out.” Not anticipating success or failure. Discomfort with ownership conversations.
The fix
- Define ownership before creating
- Who owns characters? Story? Art assets?
- What happens if someone leaves the project?
- Clear ownership protects everyone
Vague Role Division
The mistake
Both collaborators doing “everything together” without clear responsibilities. Results in duplicated effort, dropped balls, and frustration.
Why it happens
Democratic idealism. Not wanting to impose structure. Belief that collaboration means everything shared.
The fix
- Define specific responsibilities
- Writer/artist splits are common for reasons
- Even shared tasks need a primary owner
- Accountability requires clarity
Mismatched Commitment Levels
The mistake
Partners with vastly different investment levels—one treating it as a primary project while another treats it as a hobby. Resentment builds.
Why it happens
Not discussing expectations upfront. Commitment levels changing over time without communication.
The fix
- Discuss commitment expectations explicitly
- How many hours per week? What’s the priority level?
- Check in regularly about changing circumstances
- Matched expectations prevent resentment
No Decision-Making Process
The mistake
Deadlocking on creative decisions because there’s no agreed process for resolving disagreements. Every impasse threatens the project.
Why it happens
Assuming you’ll always agree. Not thinking about conflict in advance.
The fix
- Establish how decisions get made
- Who has final say on what domain?
- How do you break ties?
- Decision process should exist before you need it
Unequal Work, Equal Credit
The mistake
Maintaining equal billing when work contribution is clearly unequal. One person doing 80% while both get 50% credit.
Why it happens
Not tracking contributions. Avoiding uncomfortable conversations. Original agreement becoming outdated.
The fix
- Credit should reflect contribution
- Renegotiate when reality diverges from plan
- Track work to have honest conversations
- Fair doesn’t always mean equal
Avoiding Difficult Conversations
The mistake
Letting problems fester rather than addressing them directly. Resentment accumulates until the collaboration explodes or collapses.
Why it happens
Conflict avoidance. Valuing relationship over project. Hope that problems resolve themselves.
The fix
- Address issues early and directly
- Small problems become big problems
- Regular check-ins prevent accumulation
- The relationship benefits from honesty, not avoidance
Poor Communication Cadence
The mistake
No regular communication rhythm, leading to long silences followed by frantic catch-ups. Nobody knows what’s happening.
Why it happens
Busy schedules. Assumption that check-ins aren’t needed. No established routine.
The fix
- Set regular check-in times
- Weekly sync keeps projects moving
- Async updates (shared doc, channel) fill gaps
- Communication cadence is project infrastructure
Style Incompatibility
The mistake
Partnering with someone whose creative style fundamentally clashes with yours. Different visions of tone, genre, or aesthetic.
Why it happens
Assuming skills are enough. Not test-driving the partnership. Enthusiasm for parts of their work without seeing the whole.
The fix
- Do a test project before committing to a large one
- Discuss vision explicitly before starting
- Some incompatibilities surface only in work
- It’s okay to not work together
Skill Gap Surprises
The mistake
Discovering mid-project that your partner can’t deliver what you expected. Their portfolio didn’t represent their actual current ability.
Why it happens
Portfolios show best work, not average work. Not verifying with test work. Assuming consistent quality.
The fix
- Test with small paid work before major commitment
- Request recent work specifically
- Understand their workflow and speed
- Verify, don’t assume
No Exit Strategy
The mistake
Entering collaboration with no plan for what happens if someone wants or needs to leave. Departures become crises.
Why it happens
Optimism at project start. Not wanting to plan for failure. Exit conversations feel pessimistic.
The fix
- Discuss exit scenarios before starting
- What happens if life circumstances change?
- How does departure affect ownership and credit?
- Exit plans aren’t pessimism—they’re professionalism
Financial Ambiguity
The mistake
Not establishing how money will be handled until money arrives. Disputes about revenue splits, expenses, and who pays for what.
Why it happens
Money conversations are uncomfortable. Small projects don’t anticipate becoming profitable.
The fix
- Discuss money before there is any
- How are expenses handled?
- How is revenue split?
- What about different types of income?
Scope Without Agreement
The mistake
One partner expanding project scope without agreement from the other. The project grows beyond what both signed up for.
Why it happens
Creative enthusiasm. Not recognizing scope creep. Assuming partner will adapt.
The fix
- Scope changes require mutual agreement
- What did you both agree to create?
- Expansion means renegotiation
- One person’s vision shouldn’t hijack another’s commitment
Credit and Visibility Imbalance
The mistake
One partner getting significantly more public credit or visibility, intentionally or through platform dynamics. The other feels invisible.
Why it happens
One partner better at self-promotion. Platform favoring certain roles. Not coordinating public presence.
The fix
- Coordinate how you’ll be credited publicly
- Both partners should be findable
- Discuss visibility expectations
- Credit is emotional, not just practical
Mixing Friendship and Business
The mistake
Letting friendship complicate necessary business conversations. Not holding friends accountable because of the relationship.
Why it happens
Prioritizing relationship over project. Discomfort applying standards to friends.
The fix
- Friendship and collaboration need boundaries
- Hold friends to the same standards as others
- Real friends can handle honest feedback
- Failed projects damage friendships too
Underestimating Coordination Overhead
The mistake
Not accounting for the time and energy collaboration requires beyond individual work. Coordination is invisible labor.
Why it happens
Assuming two people means twice the speed. Not experiencing collaboration overhead before.
The fix
- Collaboration has coordination costs
- Meetings, communications, alignment take time
- Two people rarely means twice the speed
- Factor coordination into project planning
Getting Started with Multic
Multic is built specifically for collaborative comic creation, addressing many pitfalls through its structure—clear role definitions, transparent contributions, and tools designed for team coordination. It won’t solve interpersonal problems, but it removes logistical friction that often causes them.
Successful collaboration requires treating it as a skill to develop, not just a configuration to set up. The best collaborations combine clear structure with genuine creative chemistry—and both take work to build.
Related: Burnout Prevention for Creators and Copyright Mistakes to Avoid