On Publishing vs Self-Publishing

"How do you get your books out to your audience? How do you convince an audience that they should buy your books? If you wanted an aspirin, would you buy it from Bayer, or would you buy it from the guy on the street corner who says he’s giving you a better aspirin than a big drug company, except he’s making them in his basement?"
---Sandra Kasturi, On The Advantages of Small Furry Animals in Publishing, Winnipeg Review