Mythopoet, I understand that this is a passionate subject for you, but I don't think you're understanding what Michael has written, nor do I think you understand that Michael has succeeded through both methods. He started off as a self pub author, became a traditionally pubbed author, and is now a hybrid of the two. Don't you think that fact adds tremendous weight to his advice? Don't you think that his words are closer to the truth than what you perceive it to be?