I can speak to this issue with some background because I am working on the 8th edition to my boxing cards book right now. There is no need for a traditional publisher any more. With the right technology you can use a POD [print on demand] publisher to not only prepare the books but to also market them. You can get an ISBN number and have your work on Amazon and other marketplaces. I use Lulu.com to handle my work. I design and assemble the book in Microsoft Publisher then convert to a PDF and upload to Lulu. You can also pay Lulu to do some of the work for you. If your passion is to write it, don't let a publisher talk you out of it!
http://www.lulu.com/product/paperbac...-2012/15370683