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Topic : Does spending time on Self-Publishing take away from improving my writing skills? We all have read about the huge successes of self published authors. http://www.forbes.com/sites/jaymcgregor/2015/04/17/mark-dawson-made-750000-from-se - selfpublishingguru.com

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We all have read about the huge successes of self published authors. www.forbes.com/sites/jaymcgregor/2015/04/17/mark-dawson-made-750000-from-self-published-amazon-books/#611bdb2a35e3 http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeremygreenfield/2013/03/20/the-fast-track-to-making-a-million-dollars-from-writing-books/#45bcb4641709

Most writers seem to quietly slave away at their manuscripts hoping to hone their skills to create the next blockbuster or Pulitzer. I do wonder about the quality of most self-published works I have read but frankly, I have also read a lot of drivel published by reputable agencies. goodereader.com/blog/commentary/self-published-authors-are-destroying-literature www.reddit.com/r/writing/comments/306zia/is_selfpublished_fiction_really_that_bad/
One blog by a reputable journalist succinctly sums up the entire mood: Probably the single most readily identifiable, potentially crippling difficulty the entire self-publishing community has faced is the fact that much of its output — not all but a lot — is rife with poor quality. thoughtcatalog.com/porter-anderson/2014/12/self-publishing-and-the-quality-question-its-called-rigor/
My question is: Is an author's time best spent on revising drafts and studying the trade to improve their skills or simply say 'good enough' and risk the stigma of self-publishing?

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Disclaimer: I don't have any personal experience with self-publication.

From what I read around the internet, self-published authors describe their job as 10% writer and 90% publicist.

To be successful at self-publication, prepare to spend a lot of your time and effort in getting your work noticed. This means tours, giveaways, promotions and heavy use of social media.

That doesn't leave a whole lot of time left for writing your actual products, let alone spending time researching, experimenting or otherwise honing your craft.

As an aside, this line really stuck out to me:

say 'good enough' and risk the stigma of self-publishing?

Arguably, this is a major contributing factor for self-publishing having a relatively poor reputation. In my opinion, no author should ever say "it's good enough for self-publishing".

As an author, your reputation is the key to your survival. It takes a huge amount of effort and time to earn a good reputation and a loyal customer base, why risk it all by throwing out a book that's simply "good enough"?

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