What Ray Bradbury has to say about originality is becoming more important. I've summed up my feelings, opening with a Bradbury quote, in a short article: write my book - ignore spelling, grammar, and formatting. It is easy to summarize with two points.

1) In the massive flow of new books, most will be the same; our schooling assures that. The new book channels are full of over-edited, average reads written by MFA graduates. Write for yourself first, then rewrite and edit for an audience that shares your tastes. Be unique.

2) Bypass the ancient gatekeepers. Big publishers are the new vanity presses. Freelance professionals, proofreaders and copy-editors, are waiting to help if you wish -- for a one time fee. Indie authors keep control of their works and can edit manuscripts after publication. They also may earn more money, sooner, if they find an audience.

The inspiration found in the reading of unique works like those of Ray Bradbury can motivate original efforts. His success at expressing a love of creative freedom will direct others toward what is most needed in today's anyone-can-publish universes. To stand out, be radically yourself.

“Jump off the cliff and build your wings on the way down.” Ray Bradbury

As always, beware of scams. Some of the old scams disappeared when times changed, but they also gave rise to even larger numbers of new scams.

A valid point in any endeavor. I used Smashwords for general eBook and eReader distribution, Amazon's Kindle store for their services, and the Amazon owned Createspace for print (POD)editions. They have been trustworthy so far. Going indie can be a sometimes frustrating affair, these have been quality and responsive partners.

You can use these or similar services; and pay nothing or as much as you may wish. Err on the side of nothing as you learn.