Hey Keara. That's an interesting question and I don't claim to have "the" answer, but I have "an" answer, from my personal experience. Ever since I started my Daily Justiss publication, I've been self publishing about 90% of my stories. I feel like this has helped me establish my own brand and makes me more visible in many ways, but only because I publish at least one story, every day. I make sure to publish on my profile first, then add the story to my publication. I've learned how to really manipulate my publication's front page layout, and everyday I try to make it more attractive and user-friendly, and display the exact stories I want displayed. The more I do, the better I get at it. I still publish in other pubs, but I love doing my own thing :-)