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>The quality of writing in these is so poor that I've stopped being willing to buy self-published...

Which is the entire point. Unlike books, software systems must continue to function and grow for years. You read a bad book and you toss it aside. You can sell bad software (which will never be fixed), but there's not really a market for it.

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I'm sorry, but you are almost certain to outlive your code, even the good stuff. Even a modest book on the bestseller lists will probably see more use than any program you will ever write.

You're missing the point. Books don't require maintenance, but the vast majority of software does. It's a poor analogy.

What is your basis for this bizarre and personal statement? Code often does take on a life of its own when it's not expected. And it seems trivially obvious that a bestseller will see lots of use...

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