Thursday, February 28, 2008

Publishing with Lulu.com

By Dennis Martin

The biggest reason I prefer Lulu.com is because it is free. There are no up-front costs for publishing. I do my own editing and formatting before submitting a book. They accept my MS Word formats and convert them to a PDF file. I can download or preview the PDF file, make corrections in the formatting on my PC and then upload it again until I have a satisfactory product. Uploading takes only a few minutes (if that).

There are limited cover options, but I have been able to find suitable cover packages in their library. Uploading cover art is a bit confusing. I tried it a time or two with little success.

Editing and promotion packages are available for a modest price. ISBN numbers are also available. A distribution package that includes a custom storefront, global availability, Bowker's listing, and an ISBN is $100.00. You also get a discount on any books you order for yourself.
Naturally, the success of the publication is dependent on the authors own promotion efforts. I don't know if the more expensive promotion packages offered by Lulu are really effective. Haven't tried them. I doubt if anyone ever got rich selling books this way, but who knows. Anything is possible.

I just want to get my work out there, make it available, accessible and affordable to anyone who might be interested. Lulu seems to be the most cost effective way to accomplish that. Most of the POD services want $500.00 or more to set up your book and they can take several weeks to get them ready for press. With Lulu I can publish almost immediately.

Dennis Martin began writing plays and submitting them to the local Playwright’s Festival when he turned 40 years old. He has written 13 plays –several of which have been presented as staged readings in the Baltimore Playwright’s Festival. Dennis has written over 800 poems and self-published a book of poems titled “Love and Passions” available at www.iuniverse.com and major online bookstores as well as six other poetry collections and three novels available at www.lulu.com/dsmartin. Read more about Dennis at http://www.iwritesome.com or blog with him at http://iwritesome.blogspot.com .

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