In contrast, I have predicted the relative demise of traditional publishing houses precisely because most of them are now so poor at performing the non-writing tasks that used to be their natural contribution that one has to question their continuing relevance. We're living in an era when self-publishing is cheap and easy, and when word-of-mouth advertising and sites like Amazon sell far more books than knowing the manager of the local bricks 'n' mortar bookstore. Publishers have a future as a one-stop support network for authors who only know how to write but also need design work, editorial guidance, etc. Publishers have no future as a pure middleman in the distribution chain, whose services reduce the author's percentage cut to single digits but who don't generate an order of magnitude more sales than a dedicated author self-promoting on-line.