I went to the Self-Publishing Show in London earlier this year. It was all very exciting, as self-publishing author after self-publishing author all told about hte millions they made - using the exact steps you underlined.

And, of course, all of these people, including Reedsy were there to encourage you to buy and pay for their service.

They were also very selective in what they told you.

For instance, writers make the most money from Patreon (some $25,000 per month) and Kickstarter (which makes the most).

Also, the facts are otherwise. There are many, many books that have made millions where people can't even spell or write a grammatical sentence. It's the sheer grip of hte story that gets you.

About 25 years ago, I edited a book for a young homeless man. It was a difficult job in some ways. Clearly uneducated, he spoke in a colloquial Engllish. I didn't want to lose that powerful voice, so I stuck to fixing typos, really bad sentneces, etc. It went on to become a bestseller, to have plays about it, to be promoted at Oxford University.