Font size and lighting are the big ones. Also I read in bed, mostly lying down, so a phsyical 600+ plus book gets annoying quick having to hold it open and sometimes hold the big half of the book up. Hardcovers doubly so.
Only time when I feel like a physical book is a better experience is outside in the sun
Publishers continuously bring in new writers…
Fantasy/scifi space has had some good ones, but the problem is finding them. I’d recommend just sitting back and looking for posts on reddit or elsewhere of self-published recommendations rather than digging through the piles to look for a gem. Also, my rule of thumb is frankly to throw out anything with an awful cover. If they couldn’t be bothered to pay for a cover artist, then it’s unlikely they paid for an editor.