Public service announcement. This blog is not an advertising page. I don’t sell Apple Iphones, in fact, I’m an Android user if you must know, and I am not a ghostwriter.
I’m astounded by the amount of requests I get from what used to be only from emails, but has grown to Twitter DMs and message requests at my Facebook author page now. I wrote a post awhile back about requests from emails some of us receive requesting to post on our blogs. I used to receive one about every 2 weeks until the last 2 months when they’ve escalated to 2 to 3 per week. But it’s not only emails, now messages left for me on Twitter and Facebook are requesting I write books for them. Are you freaking kidding me? Does anyone ever bother doing their homework before asking a memoir writer to ghostwrite? Obviously not because they must think if you write in memoir, you write anyone’s memoir. It’s astounding the amount of people who have the gumption to leave messages and emails, especially annoying is no proper salutation, credentials, or just the plain nerve with some of the requests they leave.
Recently, The Story Reading Ape, Chris Graham shared a post where he talks about a disclaimer he added to his contact page to try and dissuade some of these strange requests, and Chris offered anyone to copy his note on their own page. I added it to mine, and since doing so, it’s seems to have attracted more stranger offers than before. Seriously, why would I want someone I don’t know posting, hoping to sell something on my blog having no relevance to the product, not to mention, nothing in it for me or my readers?
These people need to do their homework before they keep pestering writers with blogs. They also need to look up the meaning of ghostwriter. It shows their ignorance when they haven’t even done their homework on how to find, let alone approach, a ghostwriter, instead of picking an author randomly and approaching them asking to write their stories. Heck, my own husband has occasionally thought it may be fun for me to write a book about his life experience selling cars. I told him to go find a ghostwriter LOL.
Is it just me, or anyone else here getting weird and annoying requests on a regular basis? Is there a sticker on my forehead that I’m not aware of?
DGKayewriter.com 
Not just you, Debby! I get them all the time. I’ve tried being polite… tried ignoring…but they do pester. I found that giving those ones a price list for my professional services and/or for advertising space (on my ad-free blog) seems to work wonders… they go very quiet then for some reason… 😉
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LOl, great idea Sue! Now, I’ll make up a pricelist! So funny! 🙂 x
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Seems to work 😉 xx
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I will definitely give it a go. I may start with replying and questioning them how much they’re offering to pay me, lol. 🙂
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I’ve done that too 🙂 xx
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LOL 🙂 xx
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I can image how annoying that is.. and sorry you have been subjected to it.. You could say it is the price of ‘Fame’ lol, but joking aside I can only imagine the frustration..
Sending Hugs and Tons of Peace. 🙂 ❤
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Lol Sue, I had to laugh! Fame! But yes, I’m sure it has everything to do with my name on many postings I do with social media. Thanks for the hugs and peace, always welcome my friend. 🙂 ❤ xx
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Haha.. Yes.. you maybe right.. and LOVE right back
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🙂 😉 xxx
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I’m clearly not well-known enough; I’m missing all the aggravation. On the other hand I did read a post 18 months ago or so about someone who suggested (no looking to recruit anyone) that writing family history type memoirs was a workable ghostwriting strategy based on her own experience. Another guy continues mentionin a similar business. But he doesn’t SEEM to be soliciting people.
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Lol, well known, is hilarious – more like my avatar plastered all over social media, making me look like I’m well known 🙂 I just think if someone is going to seriously want a book ghostwritten, they should be doing their homework. 🙂 🙂
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I started getting a few of these over the last few months, Debby. I respond kindly that I guard my content for my readers, but am happy to host a writing-related guest post once we’ve established a regular blogging relationship. That’s usually the last I hear from them…
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That is kind of you. I started out that way too, but I get replies from most asking me for a chance, bla bla bla, as though my words fall deaf. So it’s time for some tough love, lol. I think I’ll try Sue’s idea and just ask what they’re willing to pay me. 🙂 xx
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Oh. That’s a good idea. 😀 (Nah).
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🙂 😉 🙂
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I’ve even starred getting direct messages on Twitter, Debby. Apparently, there is one million dollars waiting for me in a bank somewhere I’ve never heard of. All they need is my passport number, date of birth, full name, etc, etc,,etc, and it’s all mine. I like Sue’s idea of sending them a price list. I think I’ll give it a try, especially for those that want me to become their wife ?
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LOLLLLLLLLLLLL hysterical Hugh! You do get some real goodies! LMAO 🙂 🙂 xx
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I get them too Deb, on FB, Twitter, and LI. I used to respond, but not anymore. I don’t read past the first sentence before I delete. Since there’s no way to stop this on a public profile, I don’t give it any energy. Sometimes any response acts like a magnet, even if it’s merely a strong emotional reaction that we don’t share. I haven’t received these types of emails, but I do get a few salacious emails each week. Most of these are from men who say they found my ‘beautiful’ profile on LinkedIn. I want to gag. I’ve notified LI several times and asked them to remove our email addresses from our profile, but they say their programming won’t allow this. What! We live in the technology age! No other social network that I belong to publicizes user emails, unless they have express permission or the user opts in. So now I just blacklist the sender’s email address. I’m also considering leaving LI, because I have a feeling that trolls glean and sell our email addresses. Seems this is the price of having a public profile. But I refuse to give it any more energy than I already have ❤
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Thanks T. I know we’ve discussed this, especially the Linkedin policy, I agree. We are so spied on everywhere, it is the price of branding, we are exposed to the world wide web with all our shares alone. Funny, Terri and I get the same email requests, different than the types you get. ❤ Something for everyone, lol. 🙂 ❤
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I get 2-3 a week to offer a guest post on my blog, equally annoying. If I just delete them, they often resend again so I politely tell them I am not taking guest posts at this time. I love the ones who talk about their product (cat litter, diapers, plumbing supplies) and how my blog is the perfect place to offer the post. Really? Obviously they have not read my photo/leisure blog! I wish these emails would just go to spam where they belong. Even with a price list for freelance writing, they still ask. Jeez!
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Omg, exactly the kind I get. And yes, they are persistent, lol. So nice to know I’m not alone 🙂 x
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I think it is a bit of a compliment in a way, Debby. You blog is very successful and well profiled. I don’t get these sorts of requests at all. I agree that writing your own memoir is very different from writing someone else’s. I have been writing with my Mom and it has been an interesting experience to say the least.
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Thanks for chiming in Robbie. It may be what we write about on our blogs, or where we’re spotted on social media that dictates the types of requests we get, even though most aren’t related to what we do. Thanks for the compliments.
And I can imagine how interesting it is to write your mom’s memoirs, which is at least still a part of your life, opposed to writers a stranger’s bio which is a different type of ghostwriting. 🙂 x
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I receive emails like this, too, but I just delete. The first thing I do every day is scan through my incoming emails and check all the ones I’m not interested in dealing with, and delete with one click. I couldn’t tell you if the same ones try again or not, because I don’t reads far enough to recognize names. I can tell with the preview sentence that it’s one of these things, and I just check it and move on. They’re all gone in a matter of five or ten minutes, depending on the morning’s load of email, and I move on with the things I do need (or want) to handle. Works for me. I don’t give ’em another thought, and I’m guessing after a while, they stop trying. (And pretty much anything with “.nl” at the end goes in the trash instantly, too. Most of those are junk or selling something.
I also read to dump those and NEVER block them, though I can’t remember what the reason was. It made sense at the time, so I just dump EVERYTHING except what I want to keep. Makes it simpler. 🙂
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PS By “check all the ones I’m not interested I dealing with,” I mean checkmark them for deletion.
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Thanks for PS, most helpful my friend. 🙂 ❤
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Thanks for sharing Marsh. I like your method. I shall get to know my dumpster better, LOL 🙂 xx
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I’m not an expert in this area, but I’d garner a guess that some of the contacts being made are done by automated bots.
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I think in at least some way that could be true. From what I’ve investigated, many don’t have their own blogs. I think there’s some kind of bot scout that helps them find sites they can content write for and link to their sponsors. 🙂
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Haha…. Well you should so a good ghostwriting job, anyway…. Love the post and funny twists. Hugs, Debbie 🙂
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Lol thank you dear Aqui. 🙂 ❤
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I think we all get them, Debby. I call it spam and immediately delete the requests. My most favorite requests are from foreign translation companies, asking me to translate projects for them, but their email is fully of English typos. Or, better yet, full of typos, and they ask me to translate in English from Swahili or Chinese. Haha. When their is no greeting on the top or they spell my name wrong, I don’t even read the request.
My favorite when it comes to our business, is the request for a free $800 product! Yep, people have guts. Happens all the time. They think they deserve these handouts for some reason, because they have a popular blog or vlog or YouTube channel.
I agree with you, none do their homework, so why on earth would we spend even 1 second on those violations of our privacy???
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It’s amazing how many of these spammy, scammy emails still get sent when we’re on to them! But sometimes I do read them for entertainment value, as you seem to also, lol. 🙂
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I know what you mean, Debbie! I have been receiving a lot of these types of requests to guest post on my blog so they can sell their products. I used to answer them but now I just delete them. Are you interested in writing my memoir? Oops only kidding! LOL! 😂 🤗 xx
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Lol Janice! You’re hilarious! 🙂 ❤
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Hi Debby, you’re not alone in receiving these requests to include product links but receiving offers to ghostwrite books is new to me! Mind you, I don’t usually read my Twitter DMs so I might be missing out on some annoying messages (this is not sad news to me, haha). 😉
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Lol Christy. Actually, the requests come by email mostly. I hardly look at DMs too, usually just advertising to ‘buy my book’ ‘visit my page’ 🙂 ❤
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