Self Publishing- www.lulu.com
By Wanderlaugh
@Wanderlaugh (1622)
Australia
January 24, 2007 6:29pm CST
Writers will be aware of my previous post, Writer Beware- A good anti-scam site.
One of the people replying to my discussion mentioned that they were using www.lulu.com. So I checked it out, and it seemed to fit the basic descriptions on Writer Beware:No upfront fees at all. Free registration, supply own details, that’s it.
You control the rights. Vitally important for all writers.
Docs converted to PDF format. Meaning OK for readers, PCs, etc.
Users need a PayPal account. MyLot users would be ready.
They get 20% of your chosen price.
You can use your own cover art (300dpi) or a reasonably good gallery of preloaded covers.
They do a wide range of media on the same basis, including music, print books, e-books, etc.
Twenty per cent is about right. At least you know what their cut is. The membership agreement is very basic, easy to understand, and lacks that hideous stink of incoming spam you see from a lot of online publishers.
So, being inclined to overdo almost anything, I scuttled off and published five of my books:The Threat-Hamster Papers, Mimbly Tales, and Wanderlaugh, the Celtic immortals satire series.
Gardening Is A State Of Mind- There is no such thing as a reformed gardener.
Ads- I grew up in an advertising agency, and I’ve been wanting to send up the industry for years.
Anyway, the site is pretty easy to use, and has a rather sensitive clientele, as you could imagine. There was an uploading issue at their end, which got itself sorted out pretty conspicuously this morning. The forum had got several posts, almost instantly, and that was evidently enough to get someone moving.
Result, five books published at upload speed, allowing for the glitch. Not bad for an hour or so spent actually doing it.
This might be very useful to anyone as utterly fed up with the dismal processes of the industry as I am and wanting to at least get someone looking at their work.
If it’s any good, meaning it pays and there are no nitpicking issues, I’ll report back.
16 people like this
45 responses
@sunnypub (2128)
• United States
25 Jan 07
I was looking into lulu and figuring out exaclty how to do things and hten got sidtracked and didn't go back for a while and when I did they had changed some of their rules so i am back to recheking everything out.
I have heard really good things about the site and I think it is a great option for POD publishing.
I am curious how a book looks from there and I need to buy one to check it out. To me that is a huge deal...if the printing is no good then I don't want to use them.
I would definately be interested in hearing more about what you find out as time goes on. Good Luck to you.
5 people like this
@Wanderlaugh (1622)
• Australia
25 Jan 07
Thanks. I was more than a bit concerned about how my stuff was going to look, because there are sarcastic footnotes all over my books, and to my unspeakable relief, there they were.
After all, how much cheaper can it get? What ultimately convinced me was seeing a copy of my own work, converted to PDF and looking very respectable and easy to read.
4 people like this
@pacodecabra (160)
• United States
31 Jan 07
I have published and ordered a book from Lulu, and I have to say, the quality of the cover, the binding, and the interior were all very good, and the process was fairly simple.
@danishcanadian (28955)
• Canada
25 Jan 07
LULU is wonderful!!! I was able to self publish my cookbook of Danish cuisine there. They did a great job!!!
Tak For Mad
ISBN: 1-4116-3456-X
http://www.lulu.com/content/116633
5 people like this
@Wanderlaugh (1622)
• Australia
25 Jan 07
You saw it here first, folks.
We are not only cultural, we have good taste, as well.
This is a buzz, people finding new outlets for their work.
4 people like this
@flashnbeyond (37)
• Singapore
25 Jan 07
Thanks. I want to publish a book on Flash ActionScript. I think for this first book, I'll get a local academic publisher to publish it, as I am teaching. But I ought to try writing other stuff and publishing it using lulu.com. How are the sales at lulu.com? Do your e-books get sold?
4 people like this
@Wanderlaugh (1622)
• Australia
25 Jan 07
That, of course, is the question. The advantage is that at least they're somewhere they can be bought, instead of the mindless process of conventional printing. Mine have only just been published, and I gather it takes a day or so for the system to pick them up after completing the publishing process.
3 people like this
@amusements (106)
• United States
25 Jan 07
I have never used this website myself, but I've heard a lot of good things about it from people who take part in National Novel Writing Month. A lot of people seem to have good luck with sales on this website and say it is great. Of course, I've never used it personally, so I can't say too much about it. I have considered perhaps using it once I write something I think is worth publishing... as a teenager my work is still a little detached and not as polished as I would like for it to be.
4 people like this
@Wanderlaugh (1622)
• Australia
25 Jan 07
Good comment. Have a look around, check out all the guidelines, and see if your stuff measures up. Also check out Writer Beware, and have a look at what to avoid, very comprehensive site. Also gives info on copyright, and some truly essential information about contracts from the ground up.
3 people like this
@painturguy (177)
• United States
25 Jan 07
Lulu is great fun! I uploaded several prints of drawings and paintings and published them, it was so easy. My prints have been looked at many, many times, but do not seem to sell. You can see these at Lulu.com when you browse by searching Porland Head Lighthouse.
4 people like this
@Wanderlaugh (1622)
• Australia
25 Jan 07
I was thinking you could use the lulu site as a sort of showroom, pointing people at your work, like a personal website.
3 people like this
@rameshgopal365 (918)
• India
25 Jan 07
Will you please review another writing site www.writersmania.com
Hope its doing well but pls tell me about the genuinity of that site.
3 people like this
@smacksman (6053)
•
25 Jan 07
Big section on poetry at lulu,com.
I've just joined.
3 people like this
@speakeasy (4171)
• United States
25 Jan 07
I personally have not used lulu.com but I write on several sites and every time it gets mentioned in a forum or other venue - I only hear good things. What I like about it (the times I have visited) is the wide variety of projects they accept - books, e-books, photobooks, calendars, music CDs, etc. Whether you write, are a photographer, a musician or artist, they have projects you can set up. If nothing else, it is a very inexpensive vanity press.
@Wanderlaugh (1622)
• Australia
25 Jan 07
Can't get much less expensive than zero.
Not wishing to nitpick but the term "vanity press" is associated with some genuinely horrible publishers. Some will charge you up to $1500 US for a place on a tacky website with a spiel about promotion and sales, and little or no substance. I knocked back three contracts in three days. The most recent effort, by email, on an email address I didn't have when I was in contact with them, went straight into "spam". Not even worth reading.
This babble is for print books, which is like saying your garbage will be worth buying some time in the unforseeable future. Booksellers can't work like that. Hardcopies go straight to the bargain bin after a certain period, and that really is that.
E-books are far less risky for the author than this comic opera. They're cheaper, they last forever, and you can store and handle them better. Much as I love my own mountain of books, I've been so irritated by the publishing process that this works a lot better for me.
3 people like this
@HighPriestess (739)
• Melbourne, Florida
25 Jan 07
I have two books published through Lulu.com. back in 2005. The hardest thing about it is actually marketing your books once you get them published. But getting those royalty checks is such a rewarding feeling!!You can check out my two books at www.lulu.com/wearetheworld
3 people like this
@Wanderlaugh (1622)
• Australia
25 Jan 07
*****Here we are, a paid writer, that rare creature.
Note the points about marketing. People do need to know where to find your work.
This also gives an idea of cover quality. Follow the links.*****
1 person likes this
@citizenvin (518)
• India
25 Jan 07
is the site is useful for all,. when compare to other sites its more informative...
3 people like this
@littlenita (144)
• United States
25 Jan 07
Wanderlaugh, let me know "personally" how this works out for you because I have a book I would like to publish and I don't know that first thing about how to go about it.
3 people like this
@Wanderlaugh (1622)
• Australia
25 Jan 07
Which is exactly what I intend to do on these discussion, a running commentary. So far upolading 5 books and converting them to PDF from Word and picking a cover and my price hasn't been too arduous.
The next stage is to see how the promotion thing works, and payments. What I'm hoping for is tracking of the entire process, leading to a yes/no answer about how well it works.
1 person likes this
@explorations (1712)
• United States
17 May 07
Thank you for writing up such an important discussion!
I started using lulu.com January of this year to publish pages from my art journal. I thought about querying Chronicle Books about this project, but I was concerned about my inability to follow-through each month (the plan was to publish a monthly book and, so far, I've finished two and nearly finished the third).
The experience I've had with lulu.com so far has been excellent. I'll never switch to another company. Many of my customers have reported back about the excellent quality of the books and the fact that they'll continue to purchase. So, to me, that is very telling in the marketplace. I wish there was a better way to promote, though. It's my own fault for not doing it better, so trust me when I say it's not the site's fault at all.
2 people like this
@explorations (1712)
• United States
18 May 07
Thank you for responding! Yes, I have a link:
http://www.stores.lulu.com/store.php?fAcctID=855158
When you say it must've been a buzz, do you mean the quality actually isn't good? I'm just wondering.
1 person likes this
@Wanderlaugh (1622)
• Australia
26 Jan 07
Have to say I'm extremely wary. Blogs are saturated, and quality on some sites is horrendous. There's also the question of finding your right niche for writing, and a decent standard of reader.
I'd suggest checking around sites dealing with your preferred subjects, and following links, etc. At least you stay in your field.
****One thing in particular has to be said: Be sure you retain your rights. Some blogs control the rights if you post on them, you'll see it in their agreement. The agreement means they own your material. Avoid, at all costs.*****
1 person likes this
@craftwave (1338)
• United States
26 Jan 07
I was just asking someone about this site. They had not seen it and didn't know anything about it. You are a Godsend.:) I am in the process of writing a couple of ebooks and was wondering about lulu. You have reassured me. I have checked out the site a couple of times to see what it was about. Now some advise for you. Are you only relying on lulu's book store to sell your books or are you doing any self promoting like a free webpage or blog page that will send people looking at lulu's bookstore and consequently to your books? Not only have I been researching writing the books but also how to get people to look at them. And if it is as easy as you say to do it at lulu then other things I want to do to drive traffic to my books will have to be in place before I go to lulu. I would be greatly interested in hearing more about this so am sending you a friend invite.
2 people like this
@Wanderlaugh (1622)
• Australia
26 Jan 07
Extrememly relevant. lulu has some built in marketing assistance, but as you say it's ultimately about getting people interested and getting them there.
****Readers: lulu has some marketing and promo material, some is free, some isn't. One look would be enough to tell you if it's what you need, and whether you think it would work for you.
Craftwave has raised a very important point, read the post, you need to think about these things, and how you'll manage your store to get people going to have a look.*****
1 person likes this
@badpenny (741)
• Lancaster, Texas
25 Jan 07
One thing I have realized about this... It's a good idea to have your material compiled and ready to upload to Lulu before you log on. That gioves you a chance to revise everything and make sure you've dotted all your "i"'s and crossed all your "t"'s.
That's one thing I don't like about MyLot, I can't cut and paste. I have a lot of good articles and such that I have written saved in my computer, and I just don't like typing enough to do it twice.
@Wanderlaugh (1622)
• Australia
25 Jan 07
Should do that anyway. It's good practice. I reread my books any number of times, do spell and grammar check and generally ferret about until I'm sure I've got it up to a reasonably good standard. I sent one book to a proofreader, 140,000 words, came back with two typos.
You can cut and paste here after 500 posts, and it does make a difference. If you have a look at some of stevew1805h's posts, you can see what you can do with quality at that point.
1 person likes this
@jsgrand0 (246)
• United States
25 Jan 07
Hello. how does lulu work? We are looking to publish, but don't want to pay for it. Do you have them publish your book, and then they get paid for each one that sells? so that you have nothing to pay. I had come across this site one day and wasn't sure how everyhitn worked. thanks for any help!
2 people like this
@Wanderlaugh (1622)
• Australia
25 Jan 07
Yes. lulu's free, and they get a cut of 20% of your chosen price, meaning literally you choose what price you sell your book. You get the 80% through a PayPal account. Or e-gold, not sure, I saw PayPal and I was cool with that.
I suggest follow the FAQ links. They've got a step by step process with a menu so you can replay steps, etc.
1 person likes this
@themooster (74)
•
1 Feb 07
I've self published two ebooks with Lulu so far. I haven't tried the POD part yet, but I'm planning to. The key to real success on here (like always) is to make sure you have a good marketing plan, otherwise your books will just sit there and only make the occasional sale.
@Wanderlaugh (1622)
• Australia
1 Feb 07
**** Note: lulu does have marketing material, see above comments.*****
Question: did you use their stuff, or do your own marketing?
1 person likes this
@unusualsuspect (2602)
• United States
30 Jan 07
I've heard nothing but good about lulu and plan to use it eventually. Of course, that means I'll actually have to finish a project.
