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Publishing (indy, trad, or otherwise) has become so marketing-driven that writers on all sides can, and some have, become lazy. As long as there's enough of a hook to sell it, it seems to go out there, regardless of quality.
I think we would all like to see authors hone their craft, improve it, and put out the best stories possible. This is not always the case, regardless of publishing channel.
I think there is a tendency in self-pub to rush product out without covering the basics, both in terms of writing and production. In years past, the traditional route may have provided enough challenges and feedback to help authors improve before finding publication. I doubt this is any longer the case, if it ever was more than an isolated practice.
I think there are good and bad writers out there in all channels. I don't think many publishers act as arbiters of quality, but are more focused on calculated marketing decisions.
The takeaway on this, despite Grafton being a little off-kilter in her views on self-publishing, is that just because the tools of publishing are more easily and affordably available, it doesn't mean you are ready to publish. Writing is hard work. It is work to just do it. It is work to make it good. It is work to make it better. With self-pub, add on all the tasks of design, publishing, and marketing. And just because technology has made them easier to do, doesn't mean they are easy to do.
I think Grafton is off on much of her point. But when you are a hard-working professional at something, I bet it can be annoying to see others take the lazy way out and claim their work has equal merit. (And I am not saying self-pub is being lazy. Not at all.) So to see all these "published authors" flitting about with sub-standard books must be a little grating.
Any author who puts in the time, work, and effort to be a true professional should be proud of themselves, no matter how they are published. I could name a few "professional" writers who are hardly worthy of the name, too.
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