Lulu

[dustinzgirl]

So i joined lulu and spent a lot of time farting around. I like the forum, and there is tons of neat-o stuff to do. While I am not looking to publish my novel there (mainly because its on haitus....and because my HDD died and had to be reformatted and blah)

anyways, I was thinking it looks like a decent place to publish stuff you are not looking to make money off of....like say a 40 page poetry chapbook.

I don't know...what do you guys think?

What would be the drawbacks if I'm not looking for fatty publication?
What are the benefits?

I'm kinda looking at doing it for fun, and so I can have little books of my poetry for my kids to have.

 

[Carolyn Hill]

I used Lulu to publish my book. The process was relatively easy, and I've been pleased with the results.

There's Lulu info scattered in several threads on CN. Here's a link to one of those threads: http://www.chronicles-network.com/forum/32975-experiences-of-lulu.html?highlight=Lulu.com

 

[dustinzgirl]

Jee, i could have searched it on here, but then I would not have been able to make a new and obviously repetitive thread about the subject.....

LOL

(ahem...that by no means means that moderators are not perfect)

 

[jallenw]

I have published my book on lulu and so far I am happy with the experience. I have to market my book myself, but if you are willing to do a lot of leg-work then lulu is a great place. My paperback is a bit expensive at 14.99, but my hardcover is right at the industry average at 24.99. I also offer my ebook for 4.99. With the discount I get when ordering in bulk I am able to buy many copies and resell on consignment at local bookstores. I can also buy copies in bulk for sale at book signings.

Peace,
J. Allen Wentworth

 

[Frontierzone]

I'd say go for it. Lulu is relatively easy to work with, and they can also hook you up with groups to join with similar interests. So far, I've had good a good experience with them. Worth a shot, anyway.

 

[Glynn James]

There are some very handy advantages to using lulu, and my experience of using them has been painless, though I do have the techy knowledge to back me up on some of the fiddlier bits.

The price is good since you only pay for the books you buy (unless you register an ISBN). Also you are under no obligations to sell it to anyone but yourself. There is an option to keep the book hidden from the public so only you can buy it.

I printed up a little book I wrote for my daughter, a single hardback copy, copyrighted to her, with a silly message and a picture of her when she was one year old, as a gift of sorts. The hardback copy cost me about £12, including delivery, and when it arrived it was nicely printed and good quality. Note that the paperback copies are significantly cheaper.

I've been using lulu to test book cover ideas, and to print draft copies of my work so that I can take them with me for quick editing.

Some people have had reasonable success publishing through them, but you have to realise that you are on your own and that you are going to have a lot of work on your hands self promoting your book if you deicde to go that way. Still, I'm considering it.

From what you say you're only doing it for a few copies, for yourself and friends/family, and Lulu is ideal for that.

They have ready to use covers, they aren't brilliant, but they are ok, I went for a plain white cover with just the title on it, which obviously isn't marketable, but I wasn't going to sell it. They also have MS Word templates for all of the book sizes, ready for you to download and just use. (beats having to figure out the layout yourself)

One thing I will say though, buy a single copy first and check it, before buying a heap of copies. It would be horrible to spend a wedge of cash on a bunch of books and then find the layout or some of the spelling is bad (we all do it don't we?).

 

[dustinzgirl]

Well I am working on it right now. Its going to be all black and white with pictures on one side and a writing on the other. I'm planning 4-5 poetry chapbooks. One for each of my kids and then the other one or two volumes for all the other insane ramblings I have. The images are confusing me though, but once i figure out how to actually work photoshop it will be easier. Then I have to figure out how to make the book appear the way I want it too..........so very confusing. I suck at this stuff. I wish I were more of a 'geek' and less of a 'nerd' LOL But hey, at least I have my titles picked out already....just have to work out all the other stuff I want too. So it will, considering work life and other irksome things that constantly disrupt me, at least be 3 months before my first one is finished the way I want it to be. That is for my oldest boy, chris, and the title is "Sir Christopher of Lancelot" which is kind of a family joke things, since Chris is totally into war and knights and all that stuff.

Thanks all for your advice/input.

 

[Frontierzone]

Sounds good. keep us informed, and all the best.

 

[TheDeeMan]

I wouldn't say that you can't make money on Lulu. Several people have made a buncha money on Lulu. It all depends on what your book is about. For instance Lulu author Jeremy Robinson is the bestselling Lulu author with his religious thriller "The Didymus Contingency". It got swept up in the whole DaVinci Code thing, and Jeremy ended up a bestseller on both Amazon and B&N.

I published the trade to my scifi webcomic "G.A.A.K: Groovy Ass Alien Kreatures" on Lulu and it sells pretty well on Amazon. The thing is you have to do the work. Your job begins when your book is finished and published on Lulu. After that you have to get out there and pimp it in order for it to sell. Otherwise it won't.

Dee

GAAK: Volume One
amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1411616669