> I'm thinking of anonymous/semi-anonymous authors that wrote world-famous novels while being unknown. I don't think that is going to be a viable route anymore,

> I'm thinking of anonymous/semi-anonymous authors that wrote world-famous novels while being unknown. I don't think that is going to be a viable route anymore, because it depended on the middle-men. It is entirely viable, there are a couple of pipelines that go something like [forum -> patreon -> widespread appeal] to pick up aspiring writers who can rise above the herd. It reminds me a bit of Charles Dickens - a man who was clearly being paid by the word - but much more accessible. Then there are the sites that just aggregate masses of amateur stories. Mostly badly written stories, but talent has a chance to be seen. There isn't going to be any difficulty for the next great novel making it out into the world. The issue is more the living conditions of the legions of also-ran writers.