This article comes from DBW (Digital Book World) Daily. To read the complete article, go to http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2013/how-to-avoid-the-self-published-look/

The following is an excerpt from Guy Kawasaki’s new book APE: How to Publish a Book.  

Don’t self-publish. That’s as good as admitting you’re too lazy to do the hard work.
Sue Grafton, LouisvilleKY.com, August 7, 2012

Appearance Is Everything
This chapter helps you avoid publishing a book that looks cheesy, vain, and amateurish. Steve Jobs taught me that little details separate the mediocre from the excellent. The way to avoid the “self-published” look is simple, and it increases the attractiveness, professionalism, and marketability of your book.

The first outward sign that your book is self-published is a crappy cover design. This topic merits a long discussion, so we’ll address it in the next chapter.

The first internal sign that your book is self-published is crappy writing, but our writing and editing tips will help you avoid this. Sue Grafton notwithstanding (she did retract her statement in the epigraph above, but S for Self-Publishing is out of the question), the stigma of self-publishing has diminished. But it still exists, and there’s no reason why you can’t make your book look like it’s professionally published; remember, the goal is artisanalbooks.