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
23 episodes
How to Be a More Productive Writer
The fastest way to stop writing is trying to write perfectly. In this week's episode, Joel and Sayde get real about the gap between the beautiful book in your head and the rough draft you have to put on the page, and why “writing badly” is ofte...
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How To Get on Podcasts and Sell More Books with Michelle Glogovac
A great podcast interview does not feel like “marketing” at all. It feels like sitting down for coffee and hearing a real person tell the truth behind their work and that is exactly why podcasts have become the new PR for authors, experts, and ...
Why You Need to Keep Showing Up For Your Book with Jane Tabachnick
Most book launches don’t fail because the writing is bad. They stall because we treat publishing like a sprint, not a marathon. Joel Pitney sits down with bestselling author and publishing strategist Jane Tabachnick to get painfully honest abou...
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Thinking Outside the Box with Russell Nohelty
In this week's episode of If I'm Being Honest, we sit down with USA Today bestselling author Russell Nohelty, founder of Hapitalist, to have a frank, unfiltered conversation about why writers and authors should start thinking outside the box wh...
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In-Person Sales: The Marketing Strategy You Might be Overlooking with Lauren Domagas
A literary agent tells you your book is “interesting” but they don’t know where it belongs on a shelf. Do you revise it into something safer, or do you publish the thing you actually meant to write? Host Sayde Walker sits down with Lauren Domag...
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Five Principles of Book Launch Budgeting
Most authors don’t lose momentum because they “aren’t good at marketing.” They lose momentum because they spend everything getting the book finished, then realize they can’t afford the work that helps readers discover it. We’re Joel Pitney and ...
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Distribution Isn't What You Think. So What Is It?
“Global distribution” is one of the most persuasive phrases in publishing, and also one of the most misunderstood. We hear authors assume it means bookstore placement, airport shelves, and steady sales. The truth is that distribution can be pas...
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Why Authors Have More Power Than Ever with Michael Larson
Publishing is changing faster than most writers were taught to expect, and that shift can feel either terrifying or freeing depending on how you approach it. I sit down with legendary literary agent and San Francisco Writers Conference founder ...
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The Real Story Behind Hybrid Publishing with Brooke Warner
“Distribution” might be the single most misunderstood word in book publishing, and that confusion costs authors real money. We sit down with Brooke Warner, publisher of She Writes Press and host of the Memoir Nation podcast, to explain what leg...
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The First Question Every Author Needs to Answer
Most authors spend a lot of time thinking about what they want to write. Far fewer spend time thinking about why they're writing it in the first place. Yet that single question influences almost every publishing decision you'll make—from the pa...
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From Podcast to Published Book with Jared Maher
What happens when a successful podcast becomes a bestselling book?In this episode, I sit down with Jared Maher, lead producer at The Lever and co-author of The Master Plan, to unpack the journey from investigative podca...
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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...
