The major role of the publisher has always been to make sure copies of a book sell. They select work they think will be commercial. They pay advances to autho

The major role of the publisher has always been to make sure copies of a book sell. They select work they think will be commercial. They pay advances to authors so the author can live while they're writing. They baby step books to market with limited printings, and then test / edit / revise and tweak cover art etc. If there's a glimmer of a winner they pour money into advertising in magazines, to PR people, etc. They pay for exclusive positioning to get it at the front of your B&N store locally, pay reps to go out on the road and talk to local book stores, etc. So if the end-goal for most authors is to make a living from their writing, how is publishing going to be disrupted? Authors are still going to need advances. Reps may no longer hit the road to independent bookstores, but they certainly might hit the road to meet influential bloggers. Advertising dollars will still help raise awareness and sales. So while the publishing industry is certainly going to transform, it's certainly not going to be destroyed.