If I'm Being Honest: Straight Talk About Book Publishing & Promotion

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 threads, or getting pulled into email while you search across messy folders. That’s where my conversation with Jay Rosencrantz, founder of Plot Drive, gets interesting fast. We talk about Plot Drive as a clean writing studio that blends the simplicity of a word processor with the organization writers expect from serious book writing software. Your draft stays front and center, while a simple sidebar holds folders and documents for foundations, character notes, locations, drafts, and edits. The AI layer is optional and controlled: you can toggle context on or off per document, so the model only sees what you want it to see. Jay also explains how Plot Drive connects to multiple large language models, including GPT, Claude, and Gemini, so you can choose the best tool for brainstorming, structure, or revision. The big takeaway isn’t “let AI write your book.” It’s using AI for writers as a block-breaking partner that reduces friction and keeps you in flow. We dig into Co-Writer as a coach and developmental editor, how LLMs can help with structure and tropes for fiction, and how nonfiction authors can use natural language to check redundancy and consistency without derailing a writing session. We also get real about the fear and ethics around AI, and why the healthiest frame might be support over replacement. If you’re curious about a Scrivener alternative, a Google Docs alternative, or just a better way to finish the draft you keep restarting, listen now and tell us what part of the process blocks you most. Subscribe, share this with a writer friend, and leave a review so more authors can find the show. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0ZwlmfNnEw85u5vRhka2AQ] Follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/launchmybook/] and Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/launchmybook] Learn more about Launch My Book [http://www.launchmybook.com]

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 traditional publishing. Writers assume a publisher, a PR firm, or a marketing company will take it from here, and then they feel stuck when nothing moves. We break that myth down and replace it with a simple, realistic approach you can run yourself. We start with the most overlooked lever in book marketing: your existing network. Friends, family, coworkers, and community connections are not “beneath” a serious launch, they are how serious launches begin. We talk about building early traction, asking for reviews, and using one opportunity to create the next by ending conversations with a powerful question: “Who else should I talk to?” That grassroots momentum is often what makes later media, partnerships, and bigger visibility possible. From there, we dig into author platform building in a way that does not require you to become someone you are not. “Platform” can be a newsletter, Substack, blog, podcast, or video, as long as it is consistent content for a clear target audience and it is something you can sustain. We also cover why you should start slow, stop comparing your first posts to someone else’s fifth year, and avoid giving up before the compounding effect has time to kick in. Finally, we get honest about spending money on marketing. Ads and promotions work best after you have soil, not before: a basic platform, some proof like reviews, and a next step for readers. That might be a second book, a series, a course, consulting, or a clear way to stay connected. If you want a smarter book launch strategy and a long-term plan for book sales, hit play, then subscribe, share this with an author friend, and leave us a review. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0ZwlmfNnEw85u5vRhka2AQ] Follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/launchmybook/] and Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/launchmybook] Learn more about Launch My Book [http://www.launchmybook.com]

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 full-time author and ghostwriter with dozens of books behind her, to talk about how AI-assisted editing can support real writers without generating content or stealing your voice. We dig into what AutoCrit is built for: planning, writing, editing, analyzing, and formatting manuscripts for publication. Becca breaks down the Story Analyzer and how it delivers developmental-style feedback on plot threads, foreshadowing, POV, pacing, and worldbuilding. We also talk line editing reports that surface patterns like tense consistency issues and other habits that quietly weaken prose, plus how comparing your style to genre bestsellers can help you meet reader expectations while staying authentically you. For planners and discovery writers alike, we explore tools like Story Builder and reverse outlining with Backwards Blueprint, including how those features can help nonfiction authors fix structure, cut redundancy, and reorganize chapters without rewriting from scratch. We also cover Market Fuel for market analysis, keywords, and positioning, and why that matters for self-publishing and even for a traditional book proposal. Privacy comes up for ghostwriters and anyone working with sensitive drafts. Becca shares how the platform approaches secure access and consent, and we end with practical workflow wins like collaboration, offline mode, and high-velocity dictation for getting more words without living at your desk. If this helps, subscribe, share it with a writer friend, and leave a review so more authors can find the conversation. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0ZwlmfNnEw85u5vRhka2AQ] Follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/launchmybook/] and Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/launchmybook] Learn more about Launch My Book [http://www.launchmybook.com]

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 Write|Publish|Sell and the Women in Publishing Summit, to talk straight about what authors actually face right now in self-publishing, hybrid publishing, and book marketing. We start where most people skip ahead: defining your why. Whether you are writing for healing, impact, credibility, income, or pure joy, your goal determines the publishing path, the timeline, and how much you should invest. From there we unpack the gray areas that trip writers up, including the difference between legitimate hybrid presses, boutique partners, and vanity press traps, plus the wave of AI-generated DMs and emails that target authors with generic praise and expensive offers. The throughline is simple: education beats hype, and community makes it easier to spot what is real. Then we get practical about what is working: authentic connection with readers, email lists, word of mouth, strategic review-building, and the power of a backlist for authors who want to earn a living. We also get blunt about quality, because you cannot market a book that is not professionally edited, properly designed, and aligned with reader expectations. If this helped, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a writer friend. What is the sketchiest “promotion” pitch you have received lately? Subscribe to our YouTube Channel [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0ZwlmfNnEw85u5vRhka2AQ] Follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/launchmybook/] and Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/launchmybook] Learn more about Launch My Book [http://www.launchmybook.com]

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 a prolific sci-fi author, to talk straight about what actually works when you’re trying to grow as a writer. We break down the core BookFunnel tools authors use to build a real reader funnel: fast landing pages, email list integrations, universal book links, ARC delivery for review teams, and the behind-the-scenes reader support that helps people through Send to Kindle and other common tech snags. Then we get into the part most authors struggle with: traffic. Jack explains how BookFunnel group promotions create genre-targeted discovery by tapping into other authors’ newsletters, so you’re reaching engaged readers rather than shouting into the void. From there, we zoom out into strategy. We talk Kindle Unlimited versus wide publishing, why bonus chapters can act like “mini reader magnets” inside your books, and how direct sales with Shopify changes the math because you finally own the customer relationship. Jack also shares an honest take on priorities: writing the next book often fuels better marketing momentum, and the obsession with a flawless launch can lead to unrealistic expectations when what you really need is a system you can repeat and improve over time. If you want practical author marketing advice, email list growth tactics, and a clearer path to direct-to-reader selling, hit play. Subscribe, share this with an author friend, and leave a review so more writers can find the show. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0ZwlmfNnEw85u5vRhka2AQ] Follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/launchmybook/] and Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/launchmybook] Learn more about Launch My Book [http://www.launchmybook.com]