Self Publishing claims by Smashwords founder

Smashwords founder, Mark Coker recently made bold claims that the self publishing market will capture 50% of the eBook market by 2020. In an article for the Huffington Post, Coker wrote -" By my estimates, self-published ebooks will account for 50 percent of ebook sales by 2020."

He then went onto set out a point by point explanation of why he believed this to be the case. The full article can be read HERE

1. Print will decline as a book-reading format -- More readers will continue transitioning from print to screens. The transition to screens will be driven by the low prices, selection, exceptional discoverability and instant reading pleasure delivered by ebooks.
2. Brick and mortar bookstores are disappearing -- Physical bookstores will continue their march into the sunset with more store closures in the years ahead. I'm not happy about this, but I don't see the trend reversing unless bookstores start serving wine and pot brownies in their cafes.
3. The perceived value of publishers will decline in the eyes of writers -- As the importance of print distribution declines, the importance of publishers will decline. Prior to the rise of ebooks, publishing was a print-centric game. Publishers controlled the printing press and the all-important access to retail stores. Print distribution remains an important glue that holds many writers to their traditional publishers. When publisher stickiness decreases, writers will be tempted to explore the indie author camp.