I've seen that comment many times and I believe it (with a few caveats). It depends on what you mean by ‘book’ and it depends on whether you are aiming to be the next J.K.Rowling, or someone who gets letters and articles published. I call myself a ‘proper’ author because I’ve had articles in magazines and books printed and published. And I've made (fairly unimpressive) sums of money along the way – although that was a secondary motivation.
I’ve sold lots of cartoons to various magazines and also published a paperback cartoon book. My first book (an educational book about selling skills), came to market via a registered publisher. ('The Straightforward Guide to the Two Minute Message' - available on Amazon). All my other publications have been 'self-published (in both printed and electronic format)s. In this talk, I’ll tell my story. I'll explain my purpose, my methods and the various routes to market I explored. I've worked with 'conventional publishers' and self-publishing routes like Amazon and others. Unlike J.K.Rowling and Jeffrey Archer, I’m completely unknown to the millions of potential buyers out there but I produce the goods gaining much more satisfaction than a growing bank balance! I’ve learned approaches that, whilst costing me time, haven't cost me large sums of money.
In my talk, I'll share everything I have learned (Bothe good and not so good). Will I tell you things you don't already know? I believe I will but I also believe you'll have things to tell me. Let's talk. My talk is based on my kindle book of same name. See it here http://tiny.cc/ru30001