r/selfpublish

Community Overview
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About r/selfpublish

A place to discuss just about everything in the world of indie books. *Not* a place for self-promotion.

The community at a glance

r/selfpublish is a Subreddit for Writers with roughly 249K members. It has been around since 2011. It uses a forum format for communication. It is the 6th largest community in the Writing topic page.

Roughly 66K members have joined in the past year. Popular discussion topics include Book, Author, and Self Publishing. Common discussion themes are Advice Requests and Solution Requests. Product recommendations often mention children’s book illustrator, best way to promote, and type of books sell the best.

On Reddit
Established 2011
249K Members

Community Topics

Community Features

Forum

This community has a forum

Subreddit Analysis

via GummySearch
Yearly: +66K members
Growth: +36.3% / year

Member growth over time

All time (yearly)

  • 2013: 3K members
  • 2014: 3K members
  • 2015: 2K members
  • 2016: 2K members
  • 2017: 3K members
  • 2018: 6K members
  • 2019: 16K members
  • 2020: 20K members
  • 2021: 19K members
  • 2023: 37K members
  • 2024: 43K members
  • 2025: 63K members
  • 2026: 30K members

Past year (monthly)

  • Jul: 5K members
  • Aug: 5K members
  • Sep: 4K members
  • Oct: 5K members
  • Nov: 8K members
  • Dec: 5K members
  • Jan: 7K members
  • Feb: 6K members
  • Mar: 6K members
  • Apr: 6K members
  • May: 5K members
  • Jun: 702 members

Themes

  • Advice Requests
    17 posts in the past month
    1. My first week as a published author — and questions for those with experience
    2. What Should I Do Immediately After Publishing My First Novel on Amazon?
    3. How much of social media engagement turns into sales?
    #1
    Advice Requests
    My first week as a published author — and questions for those with experience · What Should I Do Immediately After Publishing My First Novel on Amazon? · How much of social media engagement turns into sales?
    17
  • Solution Requests
    7 posts in the past month
    1. Selling books on your own author website (not on platforms), what service you use – pros and cons
    2. Help needed for marketing
    3. Which applications can I use to write a book and save it to a memory stick?
    #2
    Solution Requests
    Selling books on your own author website (not on platforms), what service you use – pros and cons · Help needed for marketing · Which applications can I use to write a book and save it to a memory stick?
    7
  • Pain & Anger
    6 posts in the past month
    1. What would you guys do about an over zealous ARC reader?
    2. Pitiful royalties
    3. Self publishing worsened my mental health
    #3
    Pain & Anger
    What would you guys do about an over zealous ARC reader? · Pitiful royalties · Self publishing worsened my mental health
    6
  • Money Talk
    2 posts in the past month
    1. I've got $20 to spend on some variety of promotion. My goal is getting the book into the hands of 1~3 readers most likely to leave reviews. What are my best options for succeeding that aren't "paid reviews"?
    2. Costs for self publishing
    #4
    Money Talk
    I've got $20 to spend on some variety of promotion. My goal is getting the book into the hands of 1~3 readers most likely to leave reviews. What are my best options for succeeding that aren't "paid reviews"? · Costs for self publishing
    2
  • Self-Promotion
    2 posts in the past month
    1. Self-published my first book!
    2. Weekly Self-Promo and Chat Thread
    #5
    Self-Promotion
    Self-published my first book! · Weekly Self-Promo and Chat Thread
    2

Topics

  • Book
    78 posts in the past month
    1. I sold more books on Amazon in the First 8 hours of a Bookbub featured deal than I did in the entire month after my book was featured in the New York Times Book Review
    2. I’ve been writing for years. I have 3 published books. And I’m still being told the secret is to write the next book.
    3. I sold my first book!!
    #1
    Book
    I sold more books on Amazon in the First 8 hours of a Bookbub featured deal than I did in the entire month after my book was featured in the New York Times Book Review · I’ve been writing for years. I have 3 published books. And I’m still being told the secret is to write the next book. · I sold my first book!!
    78
  • Author
    49 posts in the past month
    1. Help: a bookstore created an Instagram of me, with my face and book using AI. I'm a very an anti-AI author.
    2. My first week as a published author — and questions for those with experience
    3. Any tips on how to provide my author copies to my local libraries?
    #2
    Author
    Help: a bookstore created an Instagram of me, with my face and book using AI. I'm a very an anti-AI author. · My first week as a published author — and questions for those with experience · Any tips on how to provide my author copies to my local libraries?
    49
  • Self Publishing
    45 posts in the past month
    1. First-Time Self Publishing: KDP, IngramSpark, or Something Else?
    #3
    Self Publishing
    First-Time Self Publishing: KDP, IngramSpark, or Something Else?
    45
  • Struggling
    39 posts in the past month
    #4
    Struggling
    39
  • Marketing
    32 posts in the past month
    1. If someone gave you 100k usd and you had to spend every cent of it on marketing a book of yours, what woukd your strategy be?
    2. Results of increased marketing was mixed and interesting
    3. Faceless Marketing
    #5
    Marketing
    If someone gave you 100k usd and you had to spend every cent of it on marketing a book of yours, what woukd your strategy be? · Results of increased marketing was mixed and interesting · Faceless Marketing
    32

Flair

  • Marketing
    28 posts in the past month
    1. I’ve been writing for years. I have 3 published books. And I’m still being told the secret is to write the next book.
    2. First book signing: My experience
    3. Help: a bookstore created an Instagram of me, with my face and book using AI. I'm a very an anti-AI author.
    #1
    Marketing
    I’ve been writing for years. I have 3 published books. And I’m still being told the secret is to write the next book. · First book signing: My experience · Help: a bookstore created an Instagram of me, with my face and book using AI. I'm a very an anti-AI author.
    28
  • Tips & Tricks
    12 posts in the past month
    1. What is it like being successful?
    2. Has anyone had a table at a large event like the Texas Book Festival?
    3. How did you start
    #2
    Tips & Tricks
    What is it like being successful? · Has anyone had a table at a large event like the Texas Book Festival? · How did you start
    12
  • Fantasy
    11 posts in the past month
    1. Someone made a short video on my book blurb.
    2. How many sales are we actually getting from self publishing?
    3. Zero sales and zero KU reads after the first month. Is it normal?
    #3
    Fantasy
    Someone made a short video on my book blurb. · How many sales are we actually getting from self publishing? · Zero sales and zero KU reads after the first month. Is it normal?
    11
  • How I Did It
    6 posts in the past month
    1. I sold more books on Amazon in the First 8 hours of a Bookbub featured deal than I did in the entire month after my book was featured in the New York Times Book Review
    2. Author Panels
    3. Debut author with over 20 ebook preorders and 50 physical preorders, how I did it and how much it cost me.
    #4
    How I Did It
    I sold more books on Amazon in the First 8 hours of a Bookbub featured deal than I did in the entire month after my book was featured in the New York Times Book Review · Author Panels · Debut author with over 20 ebook preorders and 50 physical preorders, how I did it and how much it cost me.
    6
  • Editing
    4 posts in the past month
    1. Please don't skip editing!
    2. Can't afford an editor
    3. Where to find professional freelance book editors
    #5
    Editing
    Please don't skip editing! · Can't afford an editor · Where to find professional freelance book editors
    4

Product recommendations

  • children’s book illustrator
    2 posts in the past month
    1. Best place to find a children’s book illustrator
    2. Best place to find a children’s book illustrator
    #1
    children’s book illustrator
    Best place to find a children’s book illustrator · Best place to find a children’s book illustrator
    2
  • best way to promote
    2 posts in the past month
    1. Best way to promote?
    2. Best way to promote?
    #2
    best way to promote
    Best way to promote? · Best way to promote?
    2
  • type of books sell the best
    2 posts in the past month
    1. What type of books sell the best? why do you believe so?
    2. What type of books sell the best? why do you believe so?
    #3
    type of books sell the best
    What type of books sell the best? why do you believe so? · What type of books sell the best? why do you believe so?
    2
  • best place to find a children’s book illustrator
    2 posts in the past month
    1. Best place to find a children’s book illustrator
    2. Best place to find a children’s book illustrator
    #4
    best place to find a children’s book illustrator
    Best place to find a children’s book illustrator · Best place to find a children’s book illustrator
    2
  • best way to promote?
    2 posts in the past month
    1. Best way to promote?
    2. Best way to promote?
    #5
    best way to promote?
    Best way to promote? · Best way to promote?
    2
View full analysis on GummySearchSynced 6/3/2026

Frequently asked questions

Who is r/selfpublish for?
Best for Writers enthusiasts looking for a Reddit-based community with forum discussion.
Is r/selfpublish free to join?
This listing is not marked as paid-only. Access rules and any fees are decided by the community.
How many members does r/selfpublish have?
Roughly 249K members, based on figures reported by the community or its host. Member counts are approximate and change over time.
What platform is r/selfpublish on?
r/selfpublish runs on Reddit. Reddit communities (or "subreddits") are forum-based groups on the popular social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website Reddit. Reddit is commonly known as "the front page of the internet". Users submit content to the site such as links, text posts, and images, which are then voted up or down and discussed by other members. From investing Reddit communities, to professional ones, to ones just for laughs, you're likely to find a community for you on Reddit.
What topics does r/selfpublish cover?
On the Hive Index, r/selfpublish is organized under Writers.
How do I join r/selfpublish?
You can join r/selfpublish by clicking this link, or pressing the "Go to community" button above.
What are the Writing communities like?
Communities for writers of all kinds, from fiction and screenwriting to technical writing and journalism. Discord and Reddit have large general writing communities for feedback and accountability, with more specialized groups for specific genres, craft topics, and publication paths like self-publishing and traditional querying.
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Added 2/24/2021

Monthly Stats

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