> This doesn't necessarily reflect the prospects for serious authors. This is a good point. My father, who self-publishes a book about his childhood for his g

> This doesn't necessarily reflect the prospects for serious authors. This is a good point. My father, who self-publishes a book about his childhood for his grandchildren, does not expect to make a living from it. This is vanity publishing, but without any sneering implied. (I have no idea what percentage of authors fall in this category, but I suspect that many authors in self-publishing do not expect to sell to the wider world.)