Self Publishing with Lulu

[Sharon Moore Stenhouse]

One day by chance I mentioned to an instructor where I work at a major university, that I wanted to self publish a book. Other than making a decision on which publisher to use, financing the project was a huge concern. The instructor said, try Lulu. Immediately I went to my browser and typed in Lulu.com.

What I found was a treasure trove of information on self publishing hard and soft cover books of various types and sizes, eBooks, photo books, manuals, CDs and DVDs. The site is loaded with information on the process including step by step instructions for covers (including the spine), manuscript pagination, photos, etc., along with the printing specs and templates.

Once armed with this information and the ability to do all of my own work, I designed my cover and using a template, worked out the layout for my 6 x 9 soft cover book. I then decided which type of copyright I wanted to use, how much royalty I wanted to earn for each book, and then calculated both the manufacturing and retail cost. Once this was completed, I uploaded the files and voila, my book was ready for a review copy. The review copy is ordered at cost and must be approved by the author before the distribution process begins. I also opted to allow my book to be available as an eBook.

The cost was nominal. At $100 I bought a distribution package, including the ISBN, and marketing options for Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Borders, and Google Books. There is an additional fee for library visibility listings, as well as various à la carte services. Once approved, the book immediately enters Lulu's Marketplace.

My book is www.lulu.com/content/1005541

Pros:
-Easy and inexpensive for books with 200 pages or less.
-Options for book pricing, publisher listed as Lulu or your own company.
-Distribution package with ISBN.
-Set up your own storefront if you have multiple titles to sell.
-Print On Demand (POD).
-Gallery of stock cover designs available.
-Services offered for covers, graphic and images, editing and press releases at additional costs.
-Order as few or as many books at cost.
-Fast delivery of services.
-Sales are your responsibility (whether onsite or on your own).
-Ability to sell at reduced retail when purchased in bulk at cost.
-Monitor your retail sales and royalties.
-Royalty payments mailed quarterly.

Cons:
-Purchasing a book from the Lulu Marketplace requires a sign-up and log-in.
-Prospective buyers reluctant to purchase from the site.
-Price is set and cannot be reduced.
-Bulk purchases at cost do not count as sales.
-Sales are your responsibility (whether onsite or on your own).

Would I use Lulu again? The answer is yes. I still have my first royalty check. It is worth holding onto, although I must admit that I sell more books on my own than through Lulu or the distribution package.

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For others who have published with Lulu, there may be something I have missed and I welcome your comments.

[The Passion]

hello Sharon, I will be publishing my book with Lulu.com also, a friend told me about it last year and I check them out and found it was a good fit, after my CD is done later this year my book will go to print and be sold on my on site.

[Sharon Moore Stenhouse]

Great Angela,

Let me know if you need any help.

[Angela Joseph]

Hi Sharon,
This is great info. I checked out Lulu once, but I wasn't ready at the time to publish. Now I'm ready but I'm looking for a conventional publisher, however I'm getting tired of the search. But it's always good to get feedback from someone and yours sounds positive. I just might try Lulu.

[Sharon Moore Stenhouse]

My book is poetry. The templates are on the sight and available after you've created an account.

[Cee Brooks]

who did you use as an editor? was it expensive? the template was it apart of the $100.00 package or was it something different?