Commission Dilemma: Seeking Advice on Overlapping Requests

[babypiggy]

Hello everyone,

I'm facing a dilemma and need some advice. I've requested a commission for the same story from two authors. The first author and I discussed and agreed on the commission, but after a while without any response, I assumed they were no longer available. Subsequently, I requested the commission from the second author, and just before I sent payment, the first author reappeared, saying they're about to start working on my commission.

Now, I'm not sure what to do. Should I let both authors work on the commission and hope neither notices the similarities if both stories are published simultaneously? Or should I explain the situation to one or both of them? I value both authors' writing styles and don't want to disappoint either of them.

 

Thanks in advance for your advice."

[Elfy]

Personally, if I was either the person getting the commission or one of the writers I would probably want to know the full details. I don't think having multiple people writing the same idea is a bad thing, different styles could end up with very different stories. I just think it's better all round that people know the full situation.