I’m glad I was as naive as I was going into self publishing. I might have talked myself out of it. As it stands.. .three self published books later and a fourth coming this spring…I feel overwhelmed at times about the cost( most especially the editing) but to read this and absorb what you’re saying is immensely valuable. Thank you. I don’t feel like I will give up and quit because of the expense because I want to build a portfolio and approach traditional publishers with another project having had more writing experience and marketing experience . But whew… I’m glad you shone a bright light on this. I’m not alone!!