FWIW, most of the books published today have been self published. The books handled by publishers are just the tip of the iceberg. As for those skills - these

FWIW, most of the books published today have been self published. The books handled by publishers are just the tip of the iceberg. As for those skills - these are skills common to every entrepreneur, including authors who work with publishers (they still need to do their own promotions and market research - they are the ones who propose new series to the publishers, after all).