The Book Designer site has 17 suggestions for authors who publish their own books, even if they are working with a professional book designer. The list includes links to other resources, such as a guide to making PDFs for LightningSource, the leading print-on-demand publisher, and advice like this: "People have expectations about what books should look like, and going against those expectations can cost you in legibility, readability and, eventually, in readership."
November 26, 2012