As the author of the article in question, I would be happy to elaborate on some of your comments here.
First, despite the sentiment expressed on this forum, I am actually not "sour grapes" about the publishing industry. I simply got to the end of writing my first novel and wondered how I should publish it. Unfortunately, the industry is rather opaque and I wanted to understand which avenues would give my book its best chance of success (both in terms of readership and in terms of financial compensation).
As a journalist, I thought I'd look into it. And I was able to get my hands on some truly interesting data about the industry at large, and yes the ebook industry in particular (thanks, in large part, to Paul Abassi who gave me inside access into Amazon and their stats). I don't mean to be discouraging in pointing out these facts. I, myself wasn't discouraged. In fact, I was empowered. I learned, with absolute conviction, that traditional publishing is still the best option for an author who hopes to gain readers and be financially compensated for their work. Which I do. I still want to at least try for the dream!
That is why I have since submitted my novel to more than 100 agents (and counting). And it is why I wrote this article for a Medium publication that has more than 200,000 followers in the publishing industry. Because what I have learned in the course of writing it is that the best thing I can do for myself is build up my platform for my next round of pitching. And then keep pitching!
As to those who don't like the title, I don't know what to tell you. I love it! Writer's choice, I suppose!
And @CassieL, yes it is true that some hardback books run $28. But most fiction, hardback books are sold on Amazon, and on Amazon, the average is $15. Hence the number I chose to use.
Lastly, I should mention that I cut a paragraph (and have since put it back) that may better explain my personal conclusion. It reads:
"It is in this reality that I find my answer. For it is comforting to me in the way that existentialism is: if there is no meaning in life, then I needn't concern myself with finding it. If, in all likelihood, no one will read my book, then I needn't concern myself with whether anyone will ever like it. In the end, I wrote my novel because I wanted to write it - and doing so was the most beautiful thing I've ever done."