Who made this site, and why.
Scribe Book Coaching is a free resource made by Scribe Media, a book writing and publishing company in Austin, Texas that has published more than 3,000 books, including 23 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers.
Why it exists
People who want help with a book often do not know what kind of help they want. "Book coach," "editor," "developmental editor," "ghostwriter" and "writing coach" get used loosely, and the differences matter: they decide who writes the words, how much of your time the book takes, and what you pay. We wrote this site to explain the coaching role clearly and help people choose the right support, whoever they end up hiring.
Scribe sells book services
We want to be plain about this. Scribe offers coaching-style services (Scribe Compass and Guided Author), editing, and ghostwriting. That gives us an interest in what you decide. We have tried to keep it out of the guides: they describe independent coaches fairly, say when an editor or no paid help is the better answer, and mention Scribe's own services only in a few clearly marked places.
How the tool decides
The coach, editor or ghostwriter tool asks eight questions. Each answer adds or removes points for four kinds of help: a book coach, a developmental editor, a ghostwriter, and writing on your own. In plain words:
- Where the book is. An idea or notes favor a coach. A complete draft strongly favors an editor.
- Who writes the words. Wanting every sentence to be yours favors a coach or writing alone and counts strongly against a ghostwriter. Preferring to talk rather than write strongly favors a ghostwriter.
- Weekly hours. Under two hours favors a ghostwriter and counts against writing alone. Six or more favors writing alone.
- What is stuck. Structure or momentum favors a coach. Time favors a ghostwriter. Wanting an expert read favors an editor.
- Feedback. Regular conversation favors a coach. One thorough review favors an editor. Little feedback favors writing alone.
- Budget. Keeping costs low favors writing alone and counts against a ghostwriter. A serious investment keeps a ghostwriter in play.
- Deadline and history. Having stalled before favors a coach. Having finished long drafts before favors writing alone or an editor. A fixed date adds a little weight to a ghostwriter or editor, and the result reminds you that no route makes a good book fast.
Three hard rules apply after scoring. If you want every sentence to be yours, a ghostwriter is never the answer. If you would rather not write, "on your own" is never the answer. If there are no chapters yet, an editor is never the answer on its own: editing comes later, after a coach or your own drafting. The highest score wins. If the top two are within two points and fit together in a sensible order (coach then editor, coach then writing alone, coach then deciding about a ghostwriter, writing alone then editor), the result is a mix. Your result shows which of your answers pushed toward it and which pulled away.
Where the facts come from
- Definitions of coaching, developmental editing and ghostwriting: Editorial Freelancers Association, editorial services definitions.
- Rates for coaching, developmental editing and ghostwriting: Editorial Freelancers Association, 2026 rate chart, from its member survey.
- Scribe's services, prices and timelines: scribemedia.com/pricing, Scribe Compass and Guided Author.
- Scribe's book counts: scribemedia.com/published-books.
All sources were checked on October 20, 2026. Everything else on the site is general guidance, written from what Scribe has seen across many books. Examples are labeled as illustrations; we do not invent statistics, clients or testimonials.
Talking to Scribe
If you want to talk about your book, use the form on the tool page or book a free 15-minute call on scribemedia.com. If an independent coach or editor suits you better, we will tell you.
Your privacy
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