Great book and write-up. I self-published a children's book about two years ago and experienced the same challenges. I had many previously written manuscripts and decided to publish one at the urging of my kids. I used the editing and design packages offered by our illustrator and published via Amazon CreateSpace (which Amazon seems to be phasing out).

The final book was very nice. However, business-wise, it's not a good investment. It's a good thing I didn't go into the process with any major ambitions. I haven't checked in a while, but I earn a little less than $1 per sale through Amazon (due to fees and printing costs). Most sales were from friends and family and little else. I tried the Amazon promotions, giveaways on GoodReads, etc. It's very hard to sell as a self-published author, unless you already have a huge following.

The book is still a very nice keepsake and it's nice to give away copies to schools and get positive feedback.