> I see a future where hyper-low-volume printers paired with warehousing and delivery logistics providers (Amazon) and crowd-funded _investing_ for advances rep

> I see a future where hyper-low-volume printers paired with warehousing and delivery logistics providers (Amazon) and crowd-funded _investing_ for advances replace and eliminate the rent extraction of the big publishers in film, print, and music. By silicon valley computer-nerd salary standards, advances are... very small amounts of money. Like not even a nice car amounts of money. the same goes for printing a few thousand copies of a book. And amazon will ship for you, if that's what you want. Advertising is hard - and getting it into stores that aren't online-only is also hard but discounting those two aspects? your average silicon-valley computer nerd could drive an older ford rather than a new car that is more appropriate to his or her station and use the difference to publish a book. It's not something that requires a huge amount of money. My point, though, is that if you really feel strongly that the publishing houses aren't adding value, you can do this right now. If you are a silicon valley computer nerd, you don't even need investors or other people's permission. Hell, you don't even have to come up with more than the advance until the book is done.