Collaboration can be a Beautiful Thing, but...

Hey y'all,

It's weird for me to be the "boss," as I'm looking for others to work with who are strong where I am not, and deciding who is a good fit and who is not. Already, I've lost my original website/graphic designer, who got a loan to do her own writing. And I've turned down two people - a graphic designer and freelance editor - that I had every intention of hiring until I talked to them over the phone for personality clash reasons more than anything else. I'm now considering letting go of another before we get started - again personality clash, but she's also showing signs of flakiness. Given that she's in charge of designing not just one, but two websites - the hub of the online presence that is so necessary to be successful in self-publishing - that makes me really nervous. Especially because she's being awfully high-handed in what is likely to be overcompensating. I don't appreciate her telling the illustrator I've hired what to do, without checking in with me first.

She's good, and her prices are fair. She's also capable of doing everything I need her to. But will it be a pleasure to work with her? Or will this arm of collaboration only add to my stress? But if I let her go, I have to start all over again finding somebody else and that is such a pain in the a**.

This is a new role for me. And it's interesting.