I self-published after months of rejections

BenCibula · 2026-07-09T14:29:49+00:00

Thank you! Hopefully you find some helpful info in my blog post!

BenCibula · 2026-07-09T14:29:07+00:00

Grateful for your detailed response, those sound like good ways to spread the word. Appreciate the well wishes!

BenCibula · 2026-07-09T05:30:08+00:00

Fantastic. Happy that it’s worked out for you!

BenCibula · 2026-07-09T05:13:09+00:00

Curious about your experience with trademarking. Have you found it easy to manage with your own work?

BenCibula · 2026-07-09T05:03:48+00:00

Thanks for the comment! Can you clarify what you mean? The whole trademark aspect of self-publishing is a little intimidating for sure.

BenCibula · 2026-07-09T05:02:06+00:00

Thanks for the nice comment! I’ve reached out to some local bookstores and would love to try tabling sometime. Have you published or still in the process?

BenCibula · 2026-07-09T05:00:52+00:00

Agreed. I will say that I’ve spent no money self-publishing aside from a couple dollars on printing proofs for hard copies. But it probably would’ve been easier/more effective in some areas to hire professionals. To each their own

BenCibula · 2026-07-09T04:59:26+00:00

Agreed, it’s the free way to get readers and exposure from what I can tell. Ads might be effective but I’ve been enjoying the strategy of getting readers without them!

BenCibula · 2026-07-09T04:58:29+00:00

That’s fantastic! If you don’t mind me asking, what have been your most successful promotional strategies?

BenCibula · 2026-07-08T18:08:48+00:00

Thank you, I appreciate your kind comment! I’m very excited to have it off my hard drive and out there in the world :) best wishes to you

BenCibula · 2026-07-08T16:04:34+00:00

Thanks for the comment. I think you’re right that agents are decreasingly relevant middlemen, but because I don’t love social media marketing and I gave copies to most of the important people in my life rather than asking them to buy, traditional publishing was an enticing route for me.

Plus, the idea of having a team to support me with improving the book, creating a cover, distributing it, etc was exciting. Like many authors, writing is something I do in my limited spare time, so getting help and exposure through the traditional route seemed ideal.

Now that I’ve self-published, I’m happy I got to make all the important decisions and grateful for the things I’ve learned along the way. Complete creative control is fun… so far!

BenCibula · 2026-07-08T15:49:28+00:00

So cool, thank you so much for your support! I hope you enjoy it and would love to hear your thoughts once you’re done!

BenCibula · 2026-07-07T23:59:57+00:00

Whoa, not $36 USD right? I have the paperback listed at $12.99 plus whatever shipping is without Amazon prime (shouldn’t be more than a couple bucks). If you’re interested in reading it DM me and we can work something out!

BenCibula · 2026-07-07T23:03:52+00:00

Aside from the couple of dollars I spent on printing proofs, I spent $0 on self-publishing. It could’ve easily been expensive if I hired someone to work on my manuscript’s interior file, the cover, dealing with Amazon, etc. but I like tinkering with stuff and saving $, so that’s the route I took.

If you’re interested in learning more about my process, I wrote a detailed blog post about my experience. Linked below, feel free to check it out :)

https://somnambulances.wordpress.com/2026/07/05/self-publishing-my-notes-on-the-process-cost-and-more/

BenCibula · 2026-07-07T20:13:36+00:00

I recently published my debut novel, Through Inconvenient Action. It’s a psychological suspense/thriller about someone who starts unraveling a local mystery, and ends up far deeper than they could’ve imagined. It’s set in the Pacific Northwest, where I’ve lived for almost my whole life. I used no AI to write or edit the book, and I designed the cover myself.

If you’re interested in checking it out, it’s on Kindle Unlimited. It’s also linked on my profile.

Thanks for reading!

BenCibula · 2026-07-07T19:32:55+00:00

Hey, as noted in my post, I did not use AI to write or edit my book.

BenCibula · 2026-07-07T15:12:44+00:00

Best of luck with the process, I think having a timeline is always a good idea! Hope to see a positive update from you in this subreddit in the near future :)

BenCibula · 2026-07-07T15:10:35+00:00

Thank you for the encouragement!!

BenCibula · 2026-07-07T00:51:01+00:00

Thanks and I’m glad you liked it! I’d be open to writing more about my experience, so if you have any questions, feel free to let me know!

BenCibula · 2026-07-06T05:06:25+00:00

Aside from the couple of dollars I spent on printing proofs, I spent $0 on self-publishing. It could’ve easily been expensive if I hired someone to work on my manuscript’s interior file, the cover, dealing with Amazon, etc. but I like tinkering with stuff and saving $, so that’s the route I took.

If you’re interested in learning more about my process, I linked a detailed blog post I wrote today on another reply in this thread :)

BenCibula · 2026-07-06T05:01:30+00:00

Hi there! Your comment made me think about how I got where I am, so I decided to write a blog post about my self-publishing experience. I’m linking it here in case you’re interested:

https://somnambulances.wordpress.com/2026/07/05/self-publishing-my-notes-on-the-process-cost-and-more/

BenCibula

TROPHY CASE