What's Wrong with Self-publishing?

What's wrong with self-publishing?

That's the question.

Aspiring, or well-versed, authors may choose this avenue for a variety of reasons. Control--of the work, the cover, the price and everything else- is fixed firmly in their hands.

All this is great. Trouble is, unless one is possessed of amazing stamina, wonderful marketing skills, and resounding personal strength, there are bound to be periods where one wonders, why??

Acclaim, sales and readership. That's what most, if not all, authors desire. But with self-publishing, the path to success is so arduous, so dispiriting, that it's small wonder some throw up their hands and even give up.
Overwhelmingly, newspaper reviewers shun the self-published work. There is so much out there, and unfortunately a significant proportion is below par, or so I hear...

The moral?

Who knows?

If nothing else, before you enter into this never-ending journey, please realize that there's a ton of work to be done, quite apart from the writing, to have any chance at all of commercial success.