@jvartandillustration Royalty only deal for self-publishing authors is tantamount to charity work. I understand you don't rely on this income anymore, but it's still never a good feeling to be taken advantage of. Most of these authors are putting very little effort into an actual, viable marketing plan. It often feels like the illustrator is actually putting in much more effort than the author is, even though it's their project... It leaves a bitter taste.
If you find yourself with time and want to work on books and you're not sweating the pay, what I'd recommend is to work on creating your own books to self-publish. Amazon KDP makes it much less difficult to self-publish as it used to be, and it's a fun project that can get you both recognition in the field and a little side income.