There is an oft-repeated comparison between self-publishing and staking a wild gamble on casino games like slot machines or roulette. The thinking goes that once you publish, you’ve paid your money and all you can do is trust your luck. This isn’t new thinking. It’s...

Formatting. Would I be too dramatic in declaring it the bane of the self-published author’s existence? It is literally the first thing you have to do if you want to publish your book. And if the book is formatted poorly, it could kill any interest before a single word...