Sounds like The Never Hero by T. Ellery Hodges. Book 1 of the Chronicles of Jonathan Tibbs.
I liked it a lot. Very well written.
If you were following the discussions on the Writer's Cafe, you would know how the successful self-pubbers do get noticed, and how many of them earn enough to quit their day jobs. How many trad-published authors are able to quit their day jobs? A TINY minority. The OP of that Guardian article certainly isn't among them.
Did you look up the author who quit his day job after publishing his first novel? How many trad-pubbers can say the same about themselves? http://www.amazon.com/Never-Hero-Chronicles-Jonathan-Tibbs-ebook/dp/B00NK1GLM2
Here's another, also making a killing with her very first novel. http://www.amazon.com/Burned-Magic-Adult-Fantasy-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B016V9LOW6
Or this guy. http://www.amazon.com/Not-Alone-Craig-A-Falconer-ebook/dp/B019M3Z48S/
Even the great-grandson of H.G.Wells self-publishes. http://www.amazon.com/Great-Symmetry-James-R-Wells-ebook/dp/B01113RTF8/
I could add many, many more, but I really should be writing.