So you want to be published - self-publish?

Be very careful who you self publish your manuscript with and avoid anything connected with Author Solutions.  
Who should you avoid? 
 Check out this article - the list is humongous with many different names, but every one of them makes their money by selling authors down the river without a paddle. Hmmm. That should say - they charge an arm and a leg, promising everything and actually following through with nothing.

One statistic stands out.
This company has ONE person trying to calculate royalties to 180,000 writers. Just one person.  No wonder royalties are late or never paid at all. Contrast this ONE person with "732 sales reps with aggressive quotas to sell worthless crap to potential authors - like “web optimized” press releases for $1,299, YouTube advertising packages for $4,099, and Hollywood pitching services for $17,999."

Many, many people are suing them for not fulfilling the promises in their contracts.

If you really want to be published - before you pay to have your book published or commit to any publisher,  check out  these resources:
Writer Beware website
Writer Beware blog
It's on Facebook, too - here.
Absolute Write also has a Writer Beware page

And remember - money flows to the author. Not away from the author.  
You shouldn't have to pay for the editing and book production, and do all the publicity and marketing and shipping of books (from the boxes and boxes in your garage). That's the publisher's job.  It's your job to write.  
If you are doing all this other stuff, when are you going to have time to write your next book?

New warning from the Writer Beware blog

The Writer Beware blog is required reading for anyone wishing to truly be published.

Here is their warning about new ways the sharks are eating up people who want to be published.

(note, NO legit publishers ask authors to pay for ANY of the publishing process. Money flows TO the author, not away from.) On the other hand, is the self-publishing model where you do the work and you have control.

These are the sharks who wait in the gap between those two publishing models, with their tooth-infested mouth open, waiting to take money from the unwary.

Be warned.
Beware.