Shows / If I'm Being Honest: Straight Talk About Book Publishing & Promotion
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…
Episodes
If I'm Being Honest: Straight Talk About Book Publishing & PromotionAre Pre-Order Campaigns a Waste of Time?
Pre-orders sound like the responsible thing to do for a book launch, but they can quietly sabotage the moment you need most: when an interested reader is…
If I'm Being Honest: Straight Talk About Book Publishing & PromotionIs There Really a Best Time to Publish a Book?
End-of-the-year pressure can make any author second-guess their publishing timeline. If you’ve caught yourself thinking, “I need my book out before Christmas”…
If I'm Being Honest: Straight Talk About Book Publishing & PromotionHow to Price Your Book
Pricing your book can feel weirdly high-stakes, like one wrong number in Amazon KDP or IngramSpark will tank your sales. We do not buy that story. In this…
If I'm Being Honest: Straight Talk About Book Publishing & PromotionWhy Owning Your Book Matters More Than Selling It with Paul Katz
A publisher offered a traditional deal, but the plan came with a catch: an expensive hardcover, a slow release cycle, and less control over who actually gets…
If I'm Being Honest: Straight Talk About Book Publishing & PromotionWhy Publishing A Book Takes Longer Than You Think
You can do everything “right” and still miss your dream launch date and it has nothing to do with motivation. We’re talking about time, the sneakiest force in…
If I'm Being Honest: Straight Talk About Book Publishing & PromotionChoosing the Right Publishing Path
“What publishing pathway should I use?” sounds like a simple question, until you realize every option changes who pays, who owns the ISBN, who controls the…
If I'm Being Honest: Straight Talk About Book Publishing & PromotionHow 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…
If I'm Being Honest: Straight Talk About Book Publishing & PromotionHow 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…
If I'm Being Honest: Straight Talk About Book Publishing & PromotionWhy 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…
If I'm Being Honest: Straight Talk About Book Publishing & PromotionThinking 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…
If I'm Being Honest: Straight Talk About Book Publishing & PromotionIn-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…
If I'm Being Honest: Straight Talk About Book Publishing & PromotionFive 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…
If I'm Being Honest: Straight Talk About Book Publishing & PromotionDistribution 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…
If I'm Being Honest: Straight Talk About Book Publishing & PromotionWhy 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…
If I'm Being Honest: Straight Talk About Book Publishing & PromotionThe 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…
If I'm Being Honest: Straight Talk About Book Publishing & PromotionThe 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…
If I'm Being Honest: Straight Talk About Book Publishing & PromotionFrom 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…
If I'm Being Honest: Straight Talk About Book Publishing & PromotionHow 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…
If I'm Being Honest: Straight Talk About Book Publishing & PromotionOwn 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…
If I'm Being Honest: Straight Talk About Book Publishing & PromotionHow 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…
If I'm Being Honest: Straight Talk About Book Publishing & PromotionChanges 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…
If I'm Being Honest: Straight Talk About Book Publishing & PromotionHow 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…
If I'm Being Honest: Straight Talk About Book Publishing & PromotionWhy 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…
If I'm Being Honest: Straight Talk About Book Publishing & PromotionStop 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…
If I'm Being Honest: Straight Talk About Book Publishing & PromotionThought 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…
If I'm Being Honest: Straight Talk About Book Publishing & PromotionHow 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…
If I'm Being Honest: Straight Talk About Book Publishing & PromotionFrom 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…
If I'm Being Honest: Straight Talk About Book Publishing & PromotionHow 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…
If I'm Being Honest: Straight Talk About Book Publishing & PromotionHow 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…