What Is The Point Of A Publisher?

This is a serious matter among most authors. My question is this…

What’s the point in having a publisher when they don’t listen to their authors?

What exactly do they get paid for if the author has to go outside the publishing house for editing and in some cases covers? Aren’t those things a publisher is supposed to do?

At what point when the author is paying out of pocket for services their publishing house doesn’t have, or doesn’t have adequately enough for use, is it not breaching the contract to want to leave said publishing house?

Authors are bound by contracts to write, which they do; but publishers are bound by their own set of obligations as well which include but are not limited to, providing professional grade editing to the manuscripts, cover art for the books, as well as anything else the author’s contract states.

At what point is it okay for an author to have enough of someone making money off their work without contributing anything to it aside from pushing the “publish” button?

When it is okay to laugh when publisher tries to scare an author into staying with lawsuits when it’s not the author, but the publisher who has breached their written agreement?

This may seem like only nonsensical rambling to a lot of people, to a few these questions are hitting home, and hard.

So I ask, when is it okay to walk away with something you’ve poured not only months (or in some cases years) of your time, but your heart, your tears, your very soul into a piece, not to mention missed time with your families and missed opportunities to better your work.. When is it okay to walk away and not have to worry about being slapped with a lawsuit?

I think this is something all authors should sit and think about

I also think all publishing houses should sit down and really think if they are offering their authors the best of their abilities at all times. Remember without authors, a publisher wouldn’t even have a company.