Why has no descendant of the Book of Mormon’s author ever come forward? Isn’t there money to be made?

The Book of Mormon is now one of the most translated and distributed books ever and it is certain that there would be a lot of money to be made by someone proving their ancestor was the actual author or co-author. The fact that no descendant of the author has ever come forward is more evidence that no one was involved apart from Joseph. 

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland notes:

If Joseph Smith did not translate the Book of Mormon as a work of ancient origin, then I would move heaven and earth to meet the ‘real’ nineteenth-century author. After one hundred and fifty years, . . . surely there must be someone willing to step forward—if no one else, at least the descendants of the ‘real’ author—claiming credit for such a remarkable document and all that has transpired in its wake. After all, a writer that can move millions can make millions. Shouldn’t someone have come forth then or now to cashier the whole phenomenon

– Jeffrey R. Holland, Christ and the New Covenant, 347, 349.

Where are all the claims of authorship? Wouldn’t a descendant of the author be able to make plenty of money from the publicity?

See: 

• Carrie A. Moore – Book of Mormon sells for $180,000
• The VCG – The world’s 18 most widely read books

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