I would much rather hire an editor, formatter, cover - designer and publicist myself, knowing that they work directly for me, and I could hold them responsible for their work... than take pot -
luck at a traditional house, where all those people would be working for someone else, whose corporate interests might be inimical to mine.
What many aspiring authors don't know is that (1) the shelf - life of new books in brick and mortar bookstores is 2 - 6 weeks; (2) traditional authors get 8 - 15 % royalties vs. 70 % royalties for those self - published; (3) almost 30 % of hardcover and paperbacks end up in landfills; (4) the timeframe between book contract to actual
publication at traditional houses is 18 - 24 months; and (5) agents are rarely interested in authors who only have one book up their sleeves.
From here, it is a short ride to White Tai villages where we are welcomed by friendly hill tribe people and stop for
lunch at a traditional house.
You can walk to its center and
gaze at the traditional houses, while if you are hungry you can enjoy the traditional dishes at the Naoumidis restaurant, with its amazing lake view.