When someone is ready to hire a ghostwriter, the first message usually lands in my Instagram or LinkedIn DMs. I love getting these messages, and I always write back. My reply includes a link to my website, where you’ll find the scheduling link for a free consultation. That’s where the real conversation happens, not in a string of direct messages.
I want to meet you and see how we might work together. We may be a great fit, or we may not be, and either answer is okay. Call it business instinct or call it vibes. I want to know if your energy matches mine and if my gut says this project is one I’m excited to work on. A scheduled call gives us the space to find out, without pressure on either side.
This post walks through what that free consultation covers, what it doesn’t, and where my role starts and stops once we’re working together.
Key Takeaways
- A DM gets a warm reply, not a free consultation. I’ll always respond and point you to my scheduling link, but the real conversation happens on a call, not in your inbox.
- The call is about finding a mutual fit. I may not be the right ghostwriter for you, and you may not be the right client for me. We use the call to find out, honestly.
- The free call isn’t for brain picking. It covers your project and whether we’re a fit, not free strategy, feedback, or an outline you can walk away with and use on your own.
How I Respond When You’re Ready to Hire a Ghostwriter
When someone messages me on Instagram or LinkedIn with “I need a ghostwriter,” I respond quickly. I’m genuinely glad you reached out, and I want to hear about your book. My reply includes a link to agencycontentwriter.com, where you’ll find the scheduling link for a free consultation. That’s the first step, every time.
Why not just answer questions in the DMs? Direct messages aren’t built for a real conversation about your book, your timeline, or your budget. A scheduled call gives us both room to talk without a typing bubble hanging over the exchange. It also protects my time and yours, since a fifteen-minute DM conversation can stretch into an hour spread across three days.
The call itself is where I walk you through the STORIES Framework, the process I use for every ghostwriting project. It’s also where we figure out fit. I may not be the right ghostwriter for your project, and you may not be the right client for me. Neither of those outcomes is a failure. They’re just information, and better to have it before either of us commits.
What you can expect when you message me:
- A quick, personal reply
- A link to agencycontentwriter.com
- The scheduling link for your free consultation
Two DMs stick out. One came from someone in my industry, their words, who asked if I’d write their book at a reduced rate with the option to make more later based on sales. My answer was no. Their reply was silence.
Another came from someone with, in their words, a huge, amazing idea and website who needed a ghostwriter. I replied the way I always do, happy to chat, here’s my website. Silence again, and nothing ever got scheduled.
Do you really need a ghostwriter? I don’t know. What I do know is the answer won’t find you in the DMs.
A free consultation is the right next step, but it’s worth knowing what that consultation covers before you book it.
What My Free Consultation Does Not Include
The consultation is free, and it’s real. We’ll talk about your book idea, your audience, and whether ghostwriting is the right fit for where you are. What we won’t do is spend that time, or any DM exchange before it, on brain picking.
Sixteen years ago, when I was building my business, people asked me to coffee to pick my brain about social media and blogging, the same services I was trying to sell. I said yes more often than I should have, because I was building my network and my reputation. The difference today is that I know the value of my time, and giving away expertise for free doesn’t build a business the way it once felt like it did.
Brain picking looks like a string of specific questions about your manuscript, your outline, or your marketing plan, answered for free, with no plan to hire anyone. Here’s the thing: a consultation is for deciding whether we’re a good fit to work together. It isn’t a way to get a book coach’s strategy without a book coach.
What’s outside the scope of a free call:
- Detailed feedback on a draft you haven’t hired me to work on
- A custom outline built for free before any agreement
- Ongoing DM Q&A in place of a scheduled call
Once we’ve talked and decided to move forward, the boundaries don’t disappear. They shift to cover the work itself.
What I Won’t Do As Your Ghostwriter
Hiring me as your ghostwriter means I write your book, but that agreement comes with limits too. Here’s what I mean: if you’ve already written your manuscript using AI and want me to proofread or edit it, that isn’t a service I offer. I’m not an editor, and my editing collaborator won’t take on an AI-only manuscript either. More importantly, AI can’t tell your stories. It doesn’t know the experiences that shaped you, the lessons you learned, or how your life and career evolved. Those pieces come from you, and only a human writer working directly with you can capture them.
I also won’t spend time with people who show up with unsolicited advice about how I should run my business. I can’t count how many times an SEO has asked why I wouldn’t just outsource blogging to overseas writers. Here’s my answer: I am a writer who owns a business that offers writing services, not a business owner who happens to provide content. Writing is in my blood. It is my gift, and I wouldn’t outsource the best part of my business, the writing itself, to anyone.
What’s outside the ghostwriting agreement:
- Proofreading or editing a manuscript written solely by AI
- Unsolicited advice about how I should staff, outsource, or scale my business
- Scope creep beyond the ghostwriting project we agreed on
Knowing what I won’t do makes it easier to trust what I will do, which is turn your expertise into a finished manuscript.
A DM is a fine place to start a conversation, but it’s not where the real work begins. That work starts on a scheduled call, stays free of AI-only shortcuts, and stays focused on the book we’re building together instead of unsolicited opinions about how I should run my business.
Give yourself permission to ask for what you need and let me hold the boundaries around where my role sits. If you’re ready to talk about your book, schedule a Book Talk and let’s see how we can work together.
Related Links
- Introducing the STORIES Framework: A New Way to Write Your Book
- How Smart Leaders Hire a Ghostwriter for Their Next Book
- Should You Write a Book with AI?
- Book Coach vs. Editor: Understanding the Difference
- About Book Ghostwriting Services
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the ghostwriting consultation really free?
Yes. The initial consultation costs nothing and gives us both a chance to talk about your book idea, your goals, and your timeline. It’s scheduled through a call, not handled over direct messages.
Why won’t you answer ghostwriting questions through DMs?
Direct messages don’t give us the space for a real conversation about your book. A scheduled call lets us cover your project, your audience, and your timeline in one sitting instead of a scattered exchange over several days.
How do I hire a ghostwriter for my book?
Start with a free consultation. When you’re ready to hire a ghostwriter, the first step is a scheduled call where we talk about your book idea, your audience, and your timeline. From there we figure out if we’re the right fit for each other.
Will you edit or proofread a book I wrote using AI?
No. I’m not an editor, and my editing collaborator won’t take on an AI-only manuscript either. AI can’t capture the experiences, lessons, and personal history that make your book yours, so a manuscript built entirely on AI still needs the human writing process I offer, not a polish pass.
Do you outsource your writing to other writers?
No. I’m a writer who owns a business that offers writing services, not a business owner who happens to provide content. Writing is my gift, and I keep it in house because that’s the whole reason clients hire me instead of an agency.
