[Distozion]

Even if the goal is not to make money, I'd think that most would at least want an audience to read their work. Publishing a book, especially paperback is a considerable commitment, yet there's no lack of them coming out in paperback. Even a kindle version is a huge time commitment.

Do you consider that most authors simply have unreasonable expectations when deciding to publish?

[kstenerud]

Very few authors have reasonable expectations when publishing. In the old days they just wouldn't find a publisher willing to publish their work, or only after many edits for quality. In today's world, publishing is so cheap that there are no standards anymore.