RE: Self publishing good or bad?
That's become a consensus, "Taking". And that proof is a great investment, as well, because it's far and away the best method of editing. Carrying a book around with a blue pencil sure beats a staack of paper. And you can get a few more for your friends to help find mistakes--which always show up once something's printed.
And if you don't like "Published by Createspace", it's only ten bucks to get your own imprint on it.
CS books are the perfect "back up" to ebooks on Kindle, amazon will even combine the two editions on one page.
And while people are moping around courting agents... you're published! People are reading your books. You can impress chicks at the cafe.