[jfengel]

The expensive part isn't the writing, editing, or publishing. The expensive part is the marketing. He spent years building a following, which is fantastic. That's the hard part.

A publisher can help you jump start that step by getting your book in stores, on lists, and otherwise talked about. They take a steep cut for that, so it's up to you if it's worth it. But if you don't want to run a weekly podcast, monthly newsletter, and speaking tour, it is worth considering.

[blakebo]

100% agreed. But as I learned from a friendly agent, publishers are increasingly expecting authors to bring their own marketing platforms (social media followings, blog followers, email newsletters) before offering contracts. Either that or you should have written an article or given a TEDx talk that went viral and thereby demonstrated a market potential.