The only real issue between the two is managing expectations. I know people who have self-published eBooks who, at least early on, were pretty sure that making the work available and maybe putting in a little bit of marketing effort was going to translate into a success story (financially). The truth is, the likelihood of that happening is relatively small. The same goes for podcasts of works and the like, which some authors do. It is not a bad idea by any means, and as part of an overall marketing strategy it may be helpful, but self-published writers have to remain cognizant of the fact that in all likelihood an ultimate success will be a lengthy process and may be modest at best. I've seen over-inflated expectations have a really negative impact on writers and other artists when they don't play out.
I'm sorry, I feel almost honor bound to respond, and I'm not even sure why. You're mostly right. I just think there's a critical point which needs to be raised. I think most authors just don't know how to do it well.
Publishing Audio and Video on the web is a completely different medium. It needs to be approached with a completely different style in order to be effective. When done correctly it can absolutely lead to quantifiable and even somewhat predictable results.
The problem is that the reach of a simple web posting is extremely limited, and you need to develop clever ways to distribute your website online. Even when done correctly, it typically takes about a year of dedicated effort for a blog or a website or anything online to build its viewership enough to be considered successful.
I imagine most people just don't realize how much it takes.
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