I enjoyed reading this Brent and your points are well taken. Certainly thought-provoking and a good call to quality for all who write books, specifically. But I think it’s also a good thing that “the days of having to be selected to put out a book” are gone. Selected by who? Who exactly makes the rules? Publishing companies who are only interested in a bottom line? That doesn’t seem equitable. While I agree — and you do a good job of pointing out — there is a lot of garbage out there, discerning eyes are usually able to judge what is quality and what is not.

There are a bevy of authors who have published legitimate, bestselling books via Amazon’s platform that are great writers. I’ve read some of them. I also hope to become one by doing things with high-quality and care. Maybe in the “good ol’ days” I, along with many other writers, would have had to wait to be selected.