Supply and Demand

THIS IS THE KEY POINT.
There's a huge oversupply of both writers and books, along with dwindling demand for them in the culture-- which means the value of the writer has plummeted.

The only way to solve this is through extreme measures: Extreme presentation, promotion, and products. As important is to separate oneself from the mass in as many ways as possible, in order to change the supply/demand fundamental.

This is what early rock n' roll did on both counts. Rock began with a mere handful of acts notable for their extreme look, presentation, and music. Think Screaming Jay Hawkins. (Due to overexposure and oversupply, the rock model has been destroyed.)

The idea with literature, in the projects I pushed, was always to be different, and corner the market on that difference. This is the road to success.