Excellent post, thank you for that. You have laid out the reality that serious self-publishers have always faced, regardless of the technology available to print books. It really is a significant leap for most authors to go from writer to publisher, with all the specialized knowledge, marketing and pr that that implies. The niche non-fiction author with a reputation or a business need in their field who decides to self-publish knows how to treat the business as a business. But shortcuts? That’s pop mythology.