Until 2012, ebooks were new. Indie authors sold because in many popular categories and genres, the cupboard was bare, so to speak. Readers had few choices, so indies made sales by pricing low, and publishing frequently in those popular categories/ genres. Some authors scored enormous paydays; millions of dollars annually.
That got the attention of mainstream publishers, naturally enough.
Those mainstream publishers have now had over three years to take indie authors’ strategies and make them their own. Many indies have left self-publishing because they can’t cope. Simple marketing strategies like “free” and 99 cent ebooks stopped working years ago.
Today, the challenges for indie authors are enormous.