Publishing companies try to discourage authors from self-publishing.
Publishing companies all operate the same. An author submits a manuscript for review. Usually, it is rejected. If it is accepted, an editor wants the author to make several changes before the book is published. Self-publishing is possible, and many authors that have been rejected or forced to make changes decide to take this route. Publishing companies will say that self-publishing will not lead to success. Although they will not publish the author, they try to discourage the writer from self-publishing. If they refuse to publish the manuscript, why do they care whether the author chooses to self-publish or not? Competition. They may feel that the work will not be successful, but publishers know that there is always the chance that they could be wrong. If an author self-publishes a manuscript, that book will be in circulation among the books that companies have published. The book may be a hit, reducing the sales of the books that they publishers have on the market.
