I think a point is overlooked. Yes, Amazon is big, but they also have 92 million visitors per month. With the big 5, in today’s market, you have to come to them with an audience before they will consider you at all, meaning on social media or a blog, or even with a self-published book that is selling. Second, all writers worth their salt have always had to do the book signings, speeches, etc (ie, marketing). The only ones who don’t anymore are like the 5 who have been publishing forever.
There are pluses and minuses to either route. The thing not to do is to cast one off completely. Amanda Hocking couldn’t get a publisher to look at her books before she sold a million dollars worth, then they thought she was the best thing ever. Chicken Soup for the Soul was rejected by everyone, until they sold over a million copies. In other words, in this climate, results opens doors, and regardless of the route, it takes work on the author’s part.
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