Lulu.com

Mumut · Mar 30, 2008

That's ace, ACEnders. I had exactly the same feelings when I was first accepted by a publisher and it's never really gone away. I'm always really happy (in a relieved way) when I get compliments on the book.

All the best with your marketing of the book.

bluntforcetrauma · Mar 30, 2008

Very nice cover art. Who did that? It looks like a good read. Congrats!

Karen Duvall · Mar 30, 2008

Best of luck to you, Ace! :hi:

ACEnders · Mar 31, 2008

Thanks guys!!! it's good to know it's not just me feeling all...crazy inside!

iwannabepublished · Mar 31, 2008

ISBN

ACEnders said:
On a more technical note - I want to purchase an ISBN number, but could someone explain to me the difference between me owning it and Lulu owning the number?

Look at http://www.isbn.org/standards/home/index.asp

Based on my limited experience, it really depends on your plans. Owning your own ISBN means you are the publisher of record and your book will be listed as yours. Using one of Lulu's ISBN's means they will be the publisher of record. You can buy ISBN's but, to the best of my knowledge, you can't buy just one. Also, if you decide to have the book printed someplace else, you'll have to get a new ISBN. In the past, when you purchase an ISBN from Lulu, they included a listing for your book in a few places at no charge, at least for the first year. This means that your book will have 'some' legitimate exposure beyond Lulu. One last word, having an ISBN on your book, no matter how few you print, does give it a little more of a 'professional' look. Just my limited exposure, I'm sure others will have more to say about this question. Oh yea, one last thing ISBN = International Standard Book Number. Saying ISBN number is a little redundant.

I agree, the cover art is Great!

Good luck with it.

ACEnders · Mar 31, 2008

Kenteicher said:
Oh yea, one last thing ISBN = International Standard Book Number. Saying ISBN number is a little redundant.

quote]

You know, I figured that the "N" in ISBN probably stood for number. But honestly I had no idea what the rest stood for! Thanks! I'll check out that link!

ResearchGuy · Apr 18, 2008

The accidental publisher

The Capital Crimes anthology I published via Lulu was the ice-breaker.

Next up (as soon as some permissions can be obtained to use copyrighted material) is a memoir. It is time sensitive, as it is the author's memoir of his medical odyssey with cancer, and his remaining time is uncertain. I've ordered the ISBN/distribution package.

Also nearly ready to go public, a novel by a local author (ISBN in hand -- only awaiting checking over of final review copy and approval to launch). After that, another, quite different, novel by the same author. It is ready to go except for final touches on the back cover and the ISBN/distribution package.

These are all good books. The memoir would have commercial publication potential, I think, but time does not allow pursuing that route. I can have it in the trade before summer, when, with any luck, the author will still be able to enjoy it and promote it. It is a significant book, and more so with his voice to support it.

The novels are probably not sufficiently commercial (one might be -- hard to be sure) for a press of any real size, but in any event the long time required to pursue that route, and the uncertainty, favors the micro-press option. The anthology has primarily local appeal and is doing well. It would not have suited a commercial publisher.

This is a continuing learning experience, not only about the mechanics of publishing books via Lulu, but also about the kinds of issues a (very) small publisher faces, and some of the kinds of issues that probably any publisher faces (such as balancing the author's desires with practical necessities and judgment calls). I've just had the good luck to meet up with writers who had written books worth publishing and whose goals I can largely meet.

FWIW.

BTW, the problem I previously alluded to with Lulu was systemwide, and has been fixed. But Lulu has a problem now (has for weeks or longer) with its preview-generation module. They were working on that as of a day or two ago, when I finally inquired. That is a nuisance, but does not interfere with other processes.

--Ken

hastingspress · Apr 21, 2008

Lulu sounds like an amazing resource for those times when, for whatever reason, you just want a small handful of bound books.

Thanks for this thread, it has given me ideas.......

Helena

ResearchGuy · Apr 21, 2008

hastingspress said:
Lulu sounds like an amazing resource for those times when, for whatever reason, you just want a small handful of bound books.

Thanks for this thread, it has given me ideas.......

Helena

You are welcome.

--Ken

Bo Sullivan · Apr 23, 2008

The Innocent Master Harrison

Hi,

I just wanted to say that my book, The Innocent Master Harrison has been selling from the Lulu storefront, even though I don't have a distribution package.

Thanks for reading,

Barb

hastingspress · Apr 23, 2008

Here's an interesting comparison for everyone:

To print 500 copies of my book digitally, using a bricks-and-mortar printing company, comes out at £2.98 per copy.

500 copies via Lulu, £5.07 each.

one copy was £5.83 at lulu

Helena

ResearchGuy · Apr 23, 2008

hastingspress said:
Here's an interesting comparison for everyone:

To print 500 copies of my book digitally, using a bricks-and-mortar printing company, comes out at £2.98 per copy.

500 copies via Lulu, £5.07 each.

one copy was £5.83 at lulu

Helena

At 500 copies, if ordered directly through the bulk order desk at Lulu, prices drop nicely. Bulk discounts start at 300 copies, ordinarily, I believe (again: via the bulk order desk -- this has to be done by email or phone with a real person, as you cannot get the same prices via the website). But yes, one can get lower prices elsewhere with some shopping around. In my case, though, I find offsetting advantages in dealing with Lulu (storefront, distribution package, convenience), so price is not my only consideration. Not yet, anyway.

I just placed a second 500-copy order for Capital Crimes: 15 Tales by Sacramento Area Authors. That was via the bulk order desk.

At 1,000 and up, Lulu gets quotes for offset printing, presumably at even better prices.

By the way, I was advised that sales of one book at Lulu (You can Beat Prostate Cancer) have exceeded 19,000 copies.

--Ken

rocketman · Apr 23, 2008

If you get the "published by you" for $99, is your work automatically (about 8 weeks) available at Amazon and other internet stores? Can a brick & mortar store order the book with the ISBN? Does this order indirectly get sent to Lulu since they are your printer vs. being sent to the author (or his publishing name)?

ResearchGuy · Apr 23, 2008

rocketman said:
If you get the "published by you" for $99, is your work automatically (about 8 weeks) available at Amazon and other internet stores? Can a brick & mortar store order the book with the ISBN? Does this order indirectly get sent to Lulu since they are your printer vs. being sent to the author (or his publishing name)?

Yes (much faster for Amazon, though, than 8 weeks).
Yes, to the best of my knowledge, via Ingram (and probably other wholesalers).
No, Lulu has arrangements with other printers in their network. That is why the requirements for formatting for their distribution options are so specific -- they have to meet requirements of those printer-partners. The order does, however, get recorded in your Lulu account, with royalties sent periodically.

--Ken

hastingspress · Apr 24, 2008

So Lulu has a special place somewhere on its website for bulk orders, Ken?

I just input 500 copies to the calculator they supply. They ought to have a little message underneath saying "contact our bulk orders department"!

I got another printing estimate yesterday and it came out at £1.98 per book. Always shop around....

Helena

rocketman · Apr 24, 2008

So Ken the orders from book store are directed to the appropriate printer vs an author who use "published by you". With "Publish by you" you are just taking Lulu off the book cover and copyright page, for the most part distribution remanins the same?

ResearchGuy · Apr 24, 2008

hastingspress said:
So Lulu has a special place somewhere on its website for bulk orders, Ken?

I just input 500 copies to the calculator they supply. They ought to have a little message underneath saying "contact our bulk orders department"!. . .

The U.S. version DOES have such a message, with the email address for bulk orders.

Your order is large enough that additional discounts may be available. Please contact [email protected] for details and allow 2-3 business days for us to determine if your order qualifies for a discount and provide a quote. Orders placed before a quote is provided are not eligible for refunds.

Maybe it is different in the U.K.

--Ken

ResearchGuy · Apr 24, 2008

rocketman said:
So Ken the orders from book store are directed to the appropriate printer vs an author who use "published by you". With "Publish by you" you are just taking Lulu off the book cover and copyright page, for the most part distribution remains the same?

That pretty much sums it up. I believe that "Published by Lulu" gets international distribution, not just U.S. distribution, though.

--Ken

hastingspress · Apr 25, 2008

Ah yes, Ken, that must be the reason! Thanks.

hastingspress · May 4, 2008

Going ahead with Lulu

I'd like to say thanks to Ken for starting this thread and to those who contributed.

On the basis of it, I am going ahead with Lulu, something I never thought I would do!

I published a book in Dec 2003 that has sold 1,600 copies but sales have slowed down to about 30 a year over the past year. I've only got ten copies left, but I don't want to do another 1,600 or even 1,000 because at the rate of 30 sales a year it would take me .... years to sell them and I don't have a lot of storage space.

I've done all the costings for having 100 printed digitally, by Lightning Source and by a POD printer I know. Then I found this thread and investigated Lulu.

As a result I have going to have 34 copies printed by Lulu. Why 34? Because the postage for 34 is £6.30 and the postage for 35 is £18! So I will just keep printing them in 34's ad infinitum. The best thing is that each book is a new edition, so I can keep the book constantly updated.

Helena

hastingspress · May 12, 2008

I just found that by reducing the number of pages in my book to 240 from 256, I can have 36 copies posted to me from Lulu for a falt rate £6.30 postage.

Reducing by 16 pages only took 9p off the price of each book, though.

Each book, including postage, will cost me £5.74.

An established and famous book-printer called Biddles has offered to print 250 copies including delivery, for £3.06 each, 53% the cost of Lulu.

http://www.biddles.co.uk/

Which might be a better option!

After all, if I buy 133 books from Lulu that will cost me £765.

From Biddles, I'd get 250 for the same money!

Hmmmm.....

Helena

ResearchGuy · May 12, 2008

hastingspress said:
. . .
After all, if I buy 133 books from Lulu that will cost me £765.

From Biddles, I'd get 250 for the same money!

Hmmmm.....

Helena

It is pretty well recognized that Lulu is NOT a low-cost option for print runs of any real size. (It can be great for one or a few.) Its selling point is convenience. Where time is money, that can be a satisfactory trade-off (I find it to be for my particular purposes and circumstances, so far), but it looks like the costs might bU even farther out of whack in the U.K. than they are in the U.S.

I was recently lectured over what I am paying Lulu to print books, and directed to a short-run printer. I looked at that printer's site and was immediately turned off by the sheer clunkiness of dealing with that company--a long, complicated quote form and no option for self-service. It all has to be done the hard way. For some folks, that is fine. Not for me. Not yet.

--Ken

Bygosh · May 14, 2008

I tried Lulu with my first book and I have to admit, it was clean and easy, and I had my professional looking book in my hands a couple weeks later. I wasn't sure how the formatting would look, so I simply uploaded my .doc file as it was and had it printed out, which, should I decide to print another, will give me a good idea of how to format the next one.

I was, however, a little disappointed in how thin my book was. I opted for the 6"x9" since I couldn't find a standard paperback style to have it printed in, so the pages were longer and wider (and my font size was smaller in print even though in MS Word it was 12 point New Times Roman) so I do understand that it wasn't like a book I might buy off the shelf. I tinkered a bit and discovered that my small 193 page Lulu book could translate into a 350 page standard format paperback (if my calculations were correct), so I feel a little better about it.

But all that aside, for someone who hasn't had anything published before, holding this first actual book in my hand and reading the words in the pages that I wrote is a wonderful feeling.

ResearchGuy · May 14, 2008

Bygosh said:
. . .

I was, however, a little disappointed in how thin my book was. I opted for the 6"x9" since I couldn't find a standard paperback style to have it printed in, so the pages were longer and wider (and my font size was smaller in print even though in MS Word it was 12 point New Times Roman) . . .

Use File, Page setup in Word to set paper size to 6" x 9" and that won't happen. Adjust margins accordingly. It is CRITICAL to use Word's formatting and page setup options correctly. I am guessing that you had (by default) paper size set to 8-1/2" x11", and let Lulu's converter squish the pages and their contents.

Email me (address is in profile) and ask for it, and I'll email you a dummy file with layout options that work (section breaks and all). You can adjust those to suit yourself, but they take care of all of the major needs (in a file filled with word salad as place-holder).

--Ken

hastingspress · May 19, 2008

Ken: "It is pretty well recognized that Lulu is NOT a low-cost option for print runs of any real size. "

Novices might not think that; especially as there is a bulk-buy option (which I think you yourself mentioned) on Lulu which might lead people sleepwalking into getting 500 or so printed.

My example stands as a clear warning to others: by the time you pay for 133 copies via Lulu, you hit the point where a traditional printer is more economical. I should think a lot of people wil eventually print 133 copies.

Since my last visit here I've found another "proper" book-printer in the UK that can print 250 copies for me at £3.20 a book including delivery (instead of Lulu's price of £5.93 per copy). They are...

http://www.athenaeumpress.co.uk

...and the advantage of them over Biddles is that they will print my book lithographically.

Ken: "I looked at that printer's site and was immediately turned off by the sheer clunkiness of dealing with that company--a long, complicated quote form and no option for self-service. It all has to be done the hard way. For some folks, that is fine. Not for me. Not yet."

It's not always that hard, Ken. For me, the difference between using athenaeum press and using Lulu will be as follows:

1. Instead of uploading my PDF of book and PDF of cover to Lulu's website, I will burn them onto a CD and post them to athenaeum press.

2. At Athenaeum, a named employee, who I can telephone and speak to, or email, will take charge of my book printing job. Mine is Brendan [email protected]

3. Athenaeum will send me a proof cover and proofs of the text sheets at no cost. (Lulu will charge me to buy a single printed copy to check it).

So I think the moral is, if you want up, say, up to about 150 copies in your book's lifetime, go with Lulu. If you think that over a year or two you might want more than 150, and you are in the UK, check out Athenaeum or Biddles, TJI Digital or Antony Rowe. They all have websites.

Helena

Lulu.com

Mumut

Well begun is half done...

bluntforcetrauma

Esquire

Karen Duvall

Chalice the Hatchet Knight

ACEnders

Self-Banned

iwannabepublished

working hard - hard at work?

ACEnders

Self-Banned

ResearchGuy

Resident Curmudgeon

hastingspress

ResearchGuy

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Bo Sullivan

hastingspress

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rocketman

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hastingspress

rocketman

ResearchGuy

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ResearchGuy

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hastingspress

hastingspress

hastingspress

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Bygosh

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