Like music and acting, writing is one of those fields where it's very hard to strike it big, simply because there are so many others trying. You're over-estimating the chance of success here. And given how much lower the barrier to entry has become in the Internet era, I'd argue that making a living as an individual author is much harder than before, and that writing for someone else on salary is a much more sure way to make a living by writing. Do you have any source on your claim that it's much easier than ever before to make a living as an independent author?