Although any moron can self-publish a book, the serious ones stand apart with professional book covers and blurbs, marketing, and multiple novels. The ones who

Although any moron can self-publish a book, the serious ones stand apart with professional book covers and blurbs, marketing, and multiple novels. The ones who "trend" well often get picked up by traditional publishers or movie studios (as was the case with Andy Weir's "The Martian.") The traditional publishing industry consists of trend-chasers, not trend-setters. So yes, the self-publishing world is full of raw sewage, but there are some diamonds and gems in that sewage--and they usually look shiny, with endorsements and professional covers.