There are some who believe that writing is something that anyone can learn to do well. You know a bit of English and you are sorted.
There are also many who come in believing that there is quick money to be made in writing. And with self publishing available they feel like now, writing and publishing a book is a breeze.
While self publishing has made things a lot easier for many, it has also opened the venue for all kinds of content- both good or bad to be uploaded to the net, which has also opened up more competition for the writers.
But, that aside fact remains that marketing is the real key to putting your product out there for others to see. You could be a Good writer but still your book would be lost in the sea of mediocre book, if its not positioned, branded or marketed right.
Alternatively, you could be just a decent writer with great marketing skills, and your book would likely make more of a buzz.
So, in the current market we can say that its not all about just writing well, it’s also about your marketing capabilities. And this is so true of self published books especially.
Meanwhile, one advantage with being traditionally published is that they already have an established community of readers who might pick up your book, because it’s brought out by a particular publisher.
However, I would say there is no need to give up or feel disillusioned. If you have the talent to write and if you believe in yourself then you will succeed, sooner or later for sure.