Lulu Online Bookstore - Print Books - Author Review
- sylviakayrose
- 2 hours ago
- 4 min read
If you're looking for a place to pop up your print books, Lulu is fast and delightfully easy to use. It does have a couple of sticky bits, such as format requirements, which I'll explain below.
Lulu also publishes ebooks. As an author, I'm always open to new venues and especially print opportunities. These days more people are turning back to the good solid hardcover or versatile paperback, the books you hold in your hands, leaf through pages and feel good about.
Lulu, which bills itself as the world's largest independent bookstore, has a lot of services to offer. With this site, you can opt for global distribution for your books, link to a store on your website or publish in the online Lulu bookstore. I was particularly interested in publishing paperbacks in the bookstore, so here are my impressions and a few tips.
I uploaded two books, Plight of the Lutzelfrau and Squirrels. How they do on an economic basis remains to be seen, but that's more a case of promo promo promo! independent of the platform.
Overall, the process of uploading my work to the bookstore was fast, easy and thorough. Lulu's system guides you through, step by step, often with prompts, allowing you to enter in your book details, payee information, content and cover files.
ISBN
While most platforms require an ISBN (International Standard Book Number) you don't need one on Lulu if you sell only through the online Bookstore. Otherwise, you can use your own ISBN , or Lulu will provide one for you.
If you're in Canada, sign up with ISBN Canada to get free ISBNs galore. You need a different one for every format of the book (ebook, hardcover, etc) and every platform (Draft2Digital, Ingram), so if the site offers you a free ISBN it's a good idea to take it and avoid the hassle.
Non-US citizens must fill out a W8Ben tax withholding form, one time only, available on the Lulu website. It means the company does not withhold any revenues for tax, and you will pay the taxes in your own country.
Printing & Cover
On Lulu, you can choose how your book is to be printed - paperback, hardcover, spiral notebook, etc. After the book is published you can't change this format, so choose wisely. You can, however, update your interior files or cover anytime.
You can decide whether to upload your own cover, or design one using their system. I recommend the latter unless you're fluent in book cover making; it must be done in .PDF format.
If you choose to design one using their template, it's quick enough to change the text and image fields you're given, replace the blurb with your own dashing writing, and upload cover pic(s). You can choose the colors of the back cover and fonts, spine design, as well as the type of font you want. There are plenty of design options here.
Content Format & Book Size
The major issue for some may be the format. You have to upload in .PDF, and your book size is determined by the measurements of your .PDF file. The default is 8.5" x 11" letter-sized.
I wanted my books to be 6" x 9". If you don't have the tech capacity to size your .PDF to the measurements you desire, it's necessary to use a service like PDF2GO, which has a good online reputation, to resize it for you.
Despite feeling a little squeechy at putting up my original manuscripts, the resize transformation was quick and flawless, retaining all my formatting and presenting me with a perfect 6" x 9" .PDF.
Quick Aside: What's a .PDF?
A .PDF (Portable Document Format) is a versatile file format, preserving text, fonts, images, and layout, ensuring consistent appearance across devices and systems. An Adobe product, it's now an open standard, supporting interactive features like links, audio, and video. It's widely used for documents like contracts and forms.
If you need a document in .PDF style, you can download a file on Google Docs in that format. Still, you have to get it resized, if you want it published on Lulu in any size besides letter -- a good size for magazines, btw.
Pricing and Author Pay
Lulu has a great little tool. You enter in the amount of money you want to make per sale, and it's instantly adjusted to include printing price and how much profit you as an author will receive, in various denominations. I was surprised my books came out at a lower online price than other stores, along with a higher profit margin. Win/win!
There are no upfront payments required from the author. To get paid by Lulu, set up a payee in your project's Pricing & Payees section. The company pays through PayPal (monthly payments, minimum $5) or paper check in USD (quarterly, minimum $20).
Publishing to the Lulu Bookstore
Once you've made all your choices, follow the prompts to publish. You'll find your book on the site almost immediately. Mine both came up right away in search. Then it's time to promo the hell out of 'em.
Thanks for reading!
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