It looks like book publishing is going the way of music publishing. Only the 'sure hits' (read: formulaic trash) even get published because they have to meet the 'earnings forecast' for the next quarter. Anything a little bit different is too risky (read: not profitable enough) and will not see print. I hope that 'Print On Demand' publishing takes up the slack and preserves some modicum of originality and freedom of thought. There are a fair number of them out there with complete online guides on how to produce and market your own book. Here are a few:
http://www.authorhouse.com/
http://www.iuniverse.com/index.htm
http://www.lulu.com/
http://www.trafford.com/
http://www.wheatmark.com/
Hey, if you're looking to start a business consider going into 'On Demand Publishing'...
http://www.bookmachine.com/machine.html