Why Should You Be Your Own Publisher?

What you can do to become a publisher, without any contracting with a corporation, and how you can publish on your own terms.
It is not theory:  I began as a publisher of books and an aviation magazine almost 30 years ago (print) and still publish (print and digital) my own books and those of other authors.

But I also have seen many authors giving the rights to their fabulous work away for a pittance and now are trapped for their whole life in very unfavorable contracts.  Or even worse: Some...