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Reddit rules index · read 2026-09-26
Can you promote on r/selfpublish?
Only in a dedicated thread Its rules send self-promotion to a dedicated thread, such as a weekly or pinned one. Promotion outside it is removed.
AI-generated content not allowed Its rules remove some or all AI-generated posts, comments or media. Write it yourself here, or pick another community. Other communities' AI rules.
What this page is
This page quotes r/selfpublish's rules as ThreadFox read them on 2026-09-26. The quoted text is the community's; the verdict above is our reading of it. Conditions often decide whether a post fits (a required thread, flair, posting day, account age or karma), and r/selfpublish's current rules on Reddit always win over this page.
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- 265,977 members
- text posts only
- posting limited to approved users
- its rules on Reddit
A place to discuss just about everything in the world of indie books. *Not* a place for self-promotion.
What its rules say about promotion
Self-promotion rule
Promo posts aren't allowed. We have a self promotion thread. Posting a link, the title of your work, or any other identifier to your book is a clear violation of this rule. Self promotion is also not limited to books. Promoting your service, marketing, website, etc. is also a clear violation. Please also see our rule regarding intent. Posts attempting to network are considered self-promotion. You may not ask others to join your subreddit, Facebook group, Discord server, etc.
No low-effort posts
Posts along the lines of "how do I sell my book?" with nothing specific are not allowed. Read the wiki for general marketing advice. Posts asking "how do I self-publish?" are similarly prohibited. Additionally considered low-effort are topics such as “just published my book”, my first x” where x is “sale”, “one star review”, “five star review”, self congratulatory posts, etc. - those are better for the weekly chat thread. Low-effort posts include *anything* that is simply vague.
Intent
Please note that the intent of your post is irrelevant in regards to violations of the rules. For example, a post asking about results for a marketing service that also contains a link to a book may very well be made with the intention of asking an honest, allowable question. However, that post is a violation of the self-promotion rule because it contains a link to a book. Intent will not circumvent the violation.
RESOURCES
Subs for general writing advice: r/writing r/worldbuilding r/mapmaking. For help getting an agent or with trad pub questions see r/PubTips. Find beta readers or advertising those services at r/BetaReaders. For a more brutal critique of your work, try r/DestructiveReaders. Find artists for book covers or advertise those services at r/BookCovers. Discuss post-publishing issues with other authors at r/authors. Build your ARC teams at r/ARCReaders. Promote your books for sale at r/wroteabook.
No Book Cover Reviews
There are subreddits specifically geared towards this and some people have tried to use book cover reviews as a means to promote their books. Use r/bookcovers instead.
What its rules say about AI and bots
Posts About AI / Using AI to post
Posts specifically about AI are not allowed. Posts about publishing AI generated books and/or art are NOT allowed. You can mention AI in a post but it should not be the primary intent. We have many discussions already about the usage of it, what tools exist, etc. - use the search function. r/writingwithai is more appropriate for those types of posts these days. If you use AI to write your post or reply to people, that will result in a ban. We want human interaction. The self in self publish.
All 11 rules of r/selfpublish
- Self-promotion rule
Promo posts aren't allowed. We have a self promotion thread. Posting a link, the title of your work, or any other identifier to your book is a clear violation of this rule. Self promotion is also not limited to books. Promoting your service, marketing, website, etc. is also a clear violation. Please also see our rule regarding intent. Posts attempting to network are considered self-promotion. You may not ask others to join your subreddit, Facebook group, Discord server, etc. - Posts About AI / Using AI to post
Posts specifically about AI are not allowed. Posts about publishing AI generated books and/or art are NOT allowed. You can mention AI in a post but it should not be the primary intent. We have many discussions already about the usage of it, what tools exist, etc. - use the search function. r/writingwithai is more appropriate for those types of posts these days. If you use AI to write your post or reply to people, that will result in a ban. We want human interaction. The self in self publish. - No spam
No spam allowed. - No low-effort posts
Posts along the lines of "how do I sell my book?" with nothing specific are not allowed. Read the wiki for general marketing advice. Posts asking "how do I self-publish?" are similarly prohibited. Additionally considered low-effort are topics such as “just published my book”, my first x” where x is “sale”, “one star review”, “five star review”, self congratulatory posts, etc. - those are better for the weekly chat thread. Low-effort posts include *anything* that is simply vague. - Celebratory Posts Must Contain Points of Discussion
Posts celebrating personal achievements must contain either detailed breakdowns to show the steps that led to the success or questions/points of discussion for furthering said success. In other words, celebratory posts must add something to the sub. Posts that simply announce an achievement will no longer be allowed so that these types of posts don't flood the sub. - Read the wiki before posting
Tons of great resources in the [wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/selfpublish/wiki/index). Please read it before posting. - Our subreddit is optimized for "old" Reddit
Consider [turning off "new" Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/help/comments/8ewxg1/any_way_to_permanently_disable_the_new_reddit/) to get the most value from our subreddit. It will also make it much easier to view AMAs and other sidebar information. **This is extremely recommended** - Intent
Please note that the intent of your post is irrelevant in regards to violations of the rules. For example, a post asking about results for a marketing service that also contains a link to a book may very well be made with the intention of asking an honest, allowable question. However, that post is a violation of the self-promotion rule because it contains a link to a book. Intent will not circumvent the violation. - RESOURCES
Subs for general writing advice: r/writing r/worldbuilding r/mapmaking. For help getting an agent or with trad pub questions see r/PubTips. Find beta readers or advertising those services at r/BetaReaders. For a more brutal critique of your work, try r/DestructiveReaders. Find artists for book covers or advertise those services at r/BookCovers. Discuss post-publishing issues with other authors at r/authors. Build your ARC teams at r/ARCReaders. Promote your books for sale at r/wroteabook. - No surveying the crowd
We get it, you have the next best website idea... or you're conducting a study... or whatever other reason you're trying to use the subscribers of this subreddit for. But you'll have to go elsewhere for that as the users of this subreddit aren't meant as a source for you to use the wisdom of to enrich yourself. - No Book Cover Reviews
There are subreddits specifically geared towards this and some people have tried to use book cover reviews as a means to promote their books. Use r/bookcovers instead.
What the written rules don't show
- Unpublished minimums. Many communities remove posts from new or low-karma accounts through AutoModerator settings that are not on the rules page, often before a moderator sees them.
- Reddit's own filters. Reddit's site-wide spam filters can remove posts from accounts that mostly share links to their own site, in any community.
- The community's norms. Many communities see themselves as peers, not an audience: post where you already take part, and make the post worth reading without the link.
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The verdict is our reading of r/selfpublish's rule text on 2026-09-26. Rules change and moderators decide: read the current rules before you post. Not affiliated with Reddit or r/selfpublish.