Publishers are the one squeezing the writers thin by throwing them only breadcrumbs and made publishing as some kind of privileged activity despite the technological advances. Amazon is doing the right thing here.
Having said that you may not want to discount them completely. Here are the few things publishers did do:
1. They would give advances to writers so the writers can focus on writing full time or even visit the places to get that extra reality experiences.
2. They had this huge networking with newspapers that allowed books to get significant publicity. It would be almost impossible to get individual writer featured by themselves.
3. They managed events like book signing at popular venues that again added in to significant marketting. Today its not uncommon to have publisher fly out an author to 50 city tour across the country on their dime.
4. They provided cover designer, editors, art work etc although these services now have become much cheaper to get elsewhere by independent writers.
5. Many publishers have great relationships with TV channels and popular bloggers. When you see a book featured on Colbert Report you can almost bet some publisher pulled some strings and their wallets.
I think eventually above kind of book marketing activities would become services provided by companies and publishing books becomes like little startups with investors and what not. That way relationship is much more transparent and authors can own biggest chunk of pie. At some extent this has already started on Kick Starter.
I am a somewhat well-read author and certainly a subject matter expert in my niche, so let me chime in:
1) Advances have gone to absolute garbage. This means the author has to actually develop and maintain and online presence that is a renewable source of leads and other income. This is more work for same pay, but it's also the evolution of a ridiculously stagnant industry.
2) Shrug. Not really. First time authors get absolutely nothing from publishers. Big time authors get plenty of help (that they could have done themselves or contracted others to do for them at cheaper rates and no points off their royalties). Middling authors sometimes get a break. It is a VERY small portion that gets help from the marketing wing that really needs it.
3) Again, not really. See #2.
4) You covered this.
5) See #2.
All of the "marketing" is overblown. I know this is somewhat your point, but I just wanted to reinforce it. I self-publish now and could not be happier. When I saw how much I'd give up in royalties by going with any of the 3 publishers who sent me contracts, I laughed.
It sounds like you don't know much about the publishing industry. Writers do have agents. Generally the agents then work with the publishers, who happen to also provide quite a bit of value.
Having said that you may not want to discount them completely. Here are the few things publishers did do:
1. They would give advances to writers so the writers can focus on writing full time or even visit the places to get that extra reality experiences.
2. They had this huge networking with newspapers that allowed books to get significant publicity. It would be almost impossible to get individual writer featured by themselves.
3. They managed events like book signing at popular venues that again added in to significant marketting. Today its not uncommon to have publisher fly out an author to 50 city tour across the country on their dime.
4. They provided cover designer, editors, art work etc although these services now have become much cheaper to get elsewhere by independent writers.
5. Many publishers have great relationships with TV channels and popular bloggers. When you see a book featured on Colbert Report you can almost bet some publisher pulled some strings and their wallets.
I think eventually above kind of book marketing activities would become services provided by companies and publishing books becomes like little startups with investors and what not. That way relationship is much more transparent and authors can own biggest chunk of pie. At some extent this has already started on Kick Starter.