Lulu: It’s How You Self-Publish for Free

Where Were You When�?
Perhaps I should be ashamed of this fact, but I will tell it to you anyway. Unlike most people I know, I am unable to remember where I was at the moment I heard of this national tragedy or that worldwide catastrophe. However, I do remember exactly where I was when I discovered that self-publishing was an option available to the average Joe. Or Joann, as the case may be.

I was walking endlessly on a path to nowhere, also known as a treadmill at the gym. I had grabbed a random magazine for the sole purpose of hiding those evil digital numbers, the ones that mock you with their in-your-face announcements of how much longer you have to go and how few calories the self-appointed torment is actually burning.

I had already browsed the whole thing and read the articles of interest, there was nothing left to do but scan the advertisements. And there it was, a tiny white square with black letters tucked away in the bottom left corner of the right page. I leaned down real close to make sure I was reading it correctly; I was. It was an invitation to publish your own book as a Christmas present to your family. At that point in time, I had never heard the terms vanity press, self-published work, or print-on-demand. A little Christmas book for the family seemed like a miracle opportunity in itself.

I forgot the name of the company before I got home, but that didn’t matter; the Internet search engine was a good friend by that time. I revved that engine right up with the words “self-publish book,” and was surprised by the number of items it pulled up! I couldn’t believe this was out there and I had never heard of it before. I did some research (not enough), picked a company, and got to work. Then I sent in the manuscript, paid the money, and waited.

A Serious Dent in My Bank Account
Sure enough, in a few weeks, I was holding a copy of my very own book in my hands, and I was thrilled. This all took place during the last phase of my chemotherapy treatments for acute lymphoblastic leukemia; it helped the healing process by giving me something to focus on besides my illness. It did a lot for me, in many different ways. It also cost a lot. By the time all was said and done, I was out nearly $1500.00, maybe even a little more.

That money covered the creation of the cover, the formatting of the manuscript (page numbers and fonts, no editing or promotional services), one galley copy to review, 10 “free” copies, a few small changes after it was uploaded, and a page at their site to sell it from. I had no control over what the page looked like or said, nor did I have any control over the price. I will always be thankful for that experience; it was a pivotal moment in my life-dreams suddenly had the potential to become reality. Except, where was I going to get another $1500.00 to do this exhilarating process again?

A Revelation
By sheer luck (more like divine providence), I stumbled upon Piers Anthony’s Internet Publishing page on the web. If you haven’t heard of Piers Anthony, you’ve probably never taken a look through the fantasy section of your favorite bookstore, but that’s okay; don’t let that keep you from taking advantage of his review page. I think he must have every self-publishing company available to man on that page. Better yet, he updates it on a regular basis, letting you know who went out of business, who simply went away, and who is reportedly ripping off the little guys. Of course, he also lets you know who the good guys are and what they offer. It’s an alphabetical list; whatever you do, hang in there until you pass the “M” section and get to Lulu.

Now before I start singing the praises of Lulu, I will mention that this company is not for everyone. If you are expecting to make most of your sales by having brick-and-mortar bookstores all over the country ordering your book by the case, this is not the place for you (and you might want to think over if self-publishing is really the route for you). If you are not a self-motivated individual, it’s definitely not for you, and you should look over the rest of Piers Anthony’s list and find something more suited to your needs.

Great Things about Lulu

• It is up to you how much or how little you spend on your creation, but it is entirely possible to publish a book for free. And it’s a nice one.
• Lulu buys no rights.
• You can choose from three different book bindings: perfect bound, spiral bound, or saddle stitch.
• Hardback covers are in the works for the future and paperbacks are available in four sizes: 6″x9″, 8.5″x11″, 9″x7″ (landscape), and 7.5″ x7.5″. There is also a 6.625″x10.25″ option for comic book creators.
• You have the option of selling your work as an e-book.
• You can create and upload your own cover art, or you can choose from a large and varied selection that Lulu offers.
• Lulu buys no rights.
• You can choose to purchase just one book, thousands of books, or any number in between.
• There are “magic numbers” along the way of bulk ordering that can significantly reduce your per-book cost.
• You are provided with a free “storefront” page on the site to sell your book from. There are a variety of ways you can manipulate the storefront presentation, or you can simply select one of the ready-to-go templates.
• Your storefront comes with a blog.
• You set the amount of your royalty; therefore you have complete control over how much your book sells for.
• The Help Section of the site is simple to maneuver, and the instructions are easy to understand.
• Most assistance comes through the variety of forums set up at the site. They are very topic-specific, which saves you a lot of time when you are seeking answers. Help comes through the forums via not only the Lulu staff, but also through volunteers known as Lulu Masters and other regular “Lulus” like you.
• Did I mention that Lulu buys no rights? What this means for you, is that you are free to sell your book at any time to anyone. If you are promoting it to traditional publishers and receive an offer, you have no legal and/or binding obligation to Lulu; you can pull it down at any time and sell your rights at will. There is no contract. (This is very important. If for whatever reason, you choose another self-publishing company, make sure you understand the legal ramifications of the contract you sign.)

Moving Into Money
Beyond the free things, there are optional services also available. “Optional” being the keyword. If you need editing, graphics, publishing, or marketing services, there are Lulus available for hire. They are not members of the staff, but if you go through the Lulu Services Marketplace, you can rest assured that they are staff-approved.

Even if you need and/or want those extra services, you are under no obligation to find them at the Lulu Services Marketplace. You can find them through Lulu forums, other websites, in your own hometown. Heck, maybe your best friend who majored in English might be willing to do your editing in exchange for baby-sitting services. The point is, it’s all in your hands.

ISBN
You might want to part with the money for an International Standard Book Number (ISBN). And ISBN is 10-digits long and is coded with various information, including the publisher and the country of origin (language). Lulu offers two packages for this.

The first is called the Basic Distribution Service and costs $34.95 (all dollar amounts are USD). This package includes the ISBN, a scannable bar code on the back of the book (necessary to sell through stores), and a listing in Books in Print. Books in Print is the searchable database used by booksellers, researchers, librarians, researchers, teachers, and anyone else who might be looking for an exact title.

This package also includes the option of a one-year placement in the Amazon Marketplace. (Whether or not you choose this option will depend on your future plans, like if you are going to upgrade to the Global service or not.)

The Global Distribution Service costs $149.95. If you are upgrading, the money you paid for Basic is applied to this cost. Global gives you the ISBN, the bar code, the Books in Print listing, and places you in the database of Ingram, which happens to be the largest book wholesaler in the United States. This allows large retailers (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc.) to sell your book. What this means to you, is that your book will more likely than not appear on the online bookstores of these sites.

In addition to Books in Print and Titles@Ingram, your title will be entered into the database of the UK, Neilson’s Bookdata, making it available to places around the world.

During the process, you are required to purchase a copy of the book to review and approve. Any changes made to your book after the approval of your Global ISBN will cost a pretty penny.

How Does Lulu Make Money?
Lulu makes money by adding a percentage of your royalty on to the retail price for themselves. A 25% addition to your royalty means they receive 20% of the profit without affecting the amount that you set for yourself. It sounds a little confusing, but it’s really not. If the base cost of your book is $10.00, and you set a royalty for yourself of $1.00, Lulu will tack on an additional $0.25; the storefront book price is now $11.25.

There are other considerations taken into account when placing your book for sale at Amazon Marketplace or through the Global Distribution, as those places will also need to be paid a certain amount. More information is available at the Lulu website.

Do I Get Perks for Promoting Lulu?
Nope. There are no referral points to be sought, no penny-per-view bonuses adding up in my Paypal account. I do for two reasons. One, I am very thankful for the opportunity that they have provided me and promoting their services is a tangible way to show that appreciation, and two, I know that there is someone else out there who needs to know about Lulu, someone who might find hope in knowing that some dreams, at least, are within reach. And hope is a mighty powerful tool for healing, I can testify to that.

At any rate, I don’t know who or what may benefit from my willingness to get up on a soapbox for Lulu, but God does. And that’s enough reason for me.

Don’t go taking my word for anything. Investigate for yourself. In fact, I’ll leave off here, with the words of Piers Anthony from his current (August 2005) review of Lulu:

“Lulu is said to be the fastest growing of self publishers and is becoming a force in the field; they must be doing something right.”