[sabredog]

Originally Posted by david_e

Opinion, yours, maybe others' too, but not fact.

Self publishing is not new, digital distribution is new.

I am sorry, next time I will spell it out in a far more detailed form. I was actually talking about ebooks not DTB's.

Is it the best step when you aren't ready? Someone lists their book, I buy it, it's awful, awful in that there is a decent idea but it's been poorly executed. How open to buying a second item from this author will I be? Not at all.

Same as traditionally published ebooks or DTB's, no difference. Except most often you outlay far less money for a less than stellar reading experience.

These sites, too, only exist to make money. They don't care who they sell an ISBN number to or the quality of the work that number represents.

Absolutely, that is basic economics 101. However what you are failing to mention is that the author, regardless of how good his writing is, is earning commission for each sale he makes and that commission is often far greater than they would ever earn if they had managed to publish traditionally.

Here is that link again

http://www.hughhowey.com/my-favorite...rafton-novels/

Having your work on these sites no more makes you a successful author than Instagram makes you a photographer.

Being a successful author does not require a traditional publishing contract.

Fifty Shades of Grey being a prime example of a non traditionally published creation. Only after massive sales has a traditional publisher been involved. Sure, that is at the extreme end of success, but illustrates the hold up example for all those authors in between.