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Author here. At least, from my experience, they are. No Starch Press went above and beyond when working on my book, and they're currently getting hit hard by the counterfeiting issue. Not like there's a need to justify anything here, but I'll go over some of what a good publisher does. Multiple waves of editing with an editor who knows you, knows your content, and works with you every step until everybody is happy. Technical review, where they seek experts who ensure the validity and accuracy of the content; just like we developers use code review, good publishers provide tech review. Copy-editing, proofreading, redrawing of graphics, constructive feedback, the list goes on. For an author, all of these steps are quite daunting, but, by then end of the process, the content is far beyond what it was upon initial regurgitation. That's not even considering the amount of marketing they do after release; getting authors radio and podcast interviews, news articles, and book signings at conferences. Have fun soloing that and still keeping your day job. |