If I'm Being Honest: Straight Talk About Book Publishing & Promotion
If I’m Being Honest is a straight-talk podcast about self-publishing and book marketing—created for authors who want realistic expectations and practical advice.
Hosted by Joel Pitney and Sayde Walker, the show explores what it actually takes to publish, promote, and sell books in today’s crowded marketplace. Featuring interviews with successful authors and industry experts, we dig into the wins, the missteps, the numbers, and the uncomfortable truths that rarely get discussed.
If you’re a first-time author (or feeling stuck after publishing), this podcast is here to help you move forward with clarity, confidence, and honesty.
Episodes
12 episodes
How to Use AI to Beat Writers Block and Write More with Plot Drive
The hardest part of writing a book is rarely “coming up with ideas.” It’s the thousand tiny moments that break your focus: hunting for a detail you wrote weeks ago, second-guessing whether you already told that story, losing track of character ...
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Own Your Book Marketing
You can hire help for book promotion, but you cannot outsource the one thing that actually sells books: an author who shows up, believes in the work, and leads the marketing. We see the same trap over and over, across self-publishing and tradit...
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How AutoCrit Helps You Plan and Finish Your Book with Bekah Brinkmeier
You don’t need a robot to write your book. You need clear feedback, a smarter revision process, and a way to see what your draft is really doing on the page. We’re joined by Becca Brinkmeier, partnerships and project manager at AutoCrit, plus a...
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Changes in Self Publishing Trends with Alexa Bigwarfe
Your inbox says someone “discovered” your book and wants to make you a bestseller. The flattery feels good, the promise feels big, and the risk is real. We sit down with publishing consultant and community builder Alexa Bigwarfe, founder of Wri...
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How To Grow Your Reader Base With BookFunnel
Your best marketing idea can still fail for one boring reason: readers can’t easily get the book onto their device. That’s where BookFunnel shines, and that’s why I sat down with Jack Shilkaitis, BookFunnel’s lead author support specialist and ...
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Why You Should be Selling Books Directly to Your Readers with Dave Sheets
Print-on-demand made self-publishing feel instant, but “instant” is not the same as “best.” We sit down with Dave Sheets, a 30-year book industry pro and the founder of Indie Author Book Services, to get honest about what actually changes when ...
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Stop Chasing the Perfect Book Launch
If you’ve been told your book must explode on day one or Amazon will bury it forever, we’re here to take that weight off your shoulders. Joel Pitney and Sayde Walker dig into the launch myths we hear constantly from first-time authors and why t...
Thought Leadership That Works: Turning Your Book Into Opportunity with Laurinda Calongne
Most authors think the book is the goal. In reality, it’s the starting point.In this episode, healthcare executive and clinician Laurinda Calongne shares how she turned her book Still Standing: Leading Well-Being in Crisis into ...
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How to Get Lasting Sales with Martin Leitner
A great launch can’t rescue a weak book. In this week's episode we go straight at the hard truth: lasting sales come from a book that’s either a joy to read or a precise solution to a real problem—and often both. With guest Martin Leitner of Ca...
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How Authors Misuse AI and What To Do Instead
If you’ve ever typed “Should I run a preorder?” into an AI tool and felt ready to act five seconds later, this conversation is for you. We unpack the most common ways authors misuse AI—and how to turn the same tools into real advantages without...
From Self-Publishing To Bookstore Shelves with Heather Hendrie
Honest stories move readers—and they also build careers. We sit down with author and clinical counselor Heather Hendrie to explore how her debut novel Awfully Hilarious grew from a late‑night idea into an award‑winning series that leap...
How to Lose Money on Amazon Ads and Still Win Big with Steve Sarner
What if the real win from Amazon ads isn’t profit on the first sale, but everything that happens after? We sit down with Steve Starner, Director of Author Success at Shelf Life and a former Amazon Books and Goodreads insider, to map the strateg...
