> ... technical publishing into four tasks (1. manuscript creation, 2. production, 3. distribution, and 4. marketing) I wonder how much value publishers provid

> ... technical publishing into four tasks (1. manuscript creation, 2. production, 3. distribution, and 4. marketing) I wonder how much value publishers provide on points 3. and 4, relative to a self-distribution and self-marketing approach. Also, the only part of 2. that is not replaceable by scripts (think github.com/softcover) is the developmental editing and the copy editing. These are incredibly valuable. Authors who choose to self-publish can expect royalties around 30--40% of list price. I bet royalties from mainstream publishers are closer to 1/5th or 1/10th of that (4% to 8% of list price). So the breakeven is clear: if your book will sell 10x more copies due to the distribution and marketing of a mainstream publisher, then go with them, else do your own thing.