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| Lulu | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Manuscript screening: | No | ||
| Kind of contract: | Non-Exclusive (assumed) | ||
| 2+2=5 | Their publishing contract as such doesn't seem to be available online (in fact it seems to be made of three separate elements, only two of which are available) though their membership agreement suggests it is non-exclusive. Their 'Terms of Service' would seem to suggest that they reserve the right to modify their agreement. | ||
| Distribution: | Through their site and online retailers mostly | ||
| Basic fees: | Paperback publishing | Basic paperback fee is $629.00. | |
| Hardcover publishing | Basic hardcover fee is $629.00 | ||
| Combo publishing | Basic combo publishing is probably around the $704.00 mark (this is an estimate at best) | ||
| Color publishing | Basic color publishing fee is $549.00 | ||
| eBook publishing | Optional eBook publishing free if you submit your own file, otherwise it is a $99.00/$299.00 add on for the conversion costs. Royalties are 80% of net receipts. |
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| Royalties: | Royalties are 80% of net receipts. | ||
| Author's discount: | Authors can purchase copies of their book paying only their printing costs (a word of caution here: their printing costs are more expensive than those of other companies). | ||
| Break-even point: | Less than 200 copies of an average length book sold through external channels using their example (between 400 and 500 if you go for something remotely ressembling a competitive retail price, see below). | ||
| Basic retail price: | Up to the author but the fact that you are starting with an inflated printing cost tends to balloon nicely (according to their own example it is $21.00 for an average length book, though this example also features a less-than-realistic royalty). | ||
| Layout: | Your choice out of six possible layouts. | ||
| Graphics: | Up to 15. | ||
| Cover options: | You have eleven templates to choose from. | ||
| Trim size: | Two trim sizes to choose from if you want external distribution. | ||
| Additional options: | They offer a couple of more expensive publishing packages costin $1,429.00 (adds eBook conversion and custom layout and cover) and $4,729.00 (adds full editing services, publishing as both paperback and hardcover) respectively. On the other hand you can publish for free without an ISBN (though this is not necessarily a good idea), you can also publish under your own imprint (U.S. residents only) and you can purchase a Global Reach distribution package alone for $75.00 if you are willing to supply your own cover and layout (this one is actually a pretty good deal). |
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| Pros*: | *Good royalties. *Good distribution. *You get to choose your own retail price. *You can buy copies of your book paying only your printing costs (though these costs seem to be somewhat inflated). *You can publish your book for as little as $75.00 and get full distribution. *Lots of freedom. *A fairly competitieve eBook publishing deal (no, it's not the best but if you want a one-stop-shop publisher covering both print and electronic version Lulu does offer a reasonable deal). |
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| Cons*: | *Somewhat expensive setup fee for their publishing packages. *Contract as such is not available online though chances are that there is a huge problem with it. *Very expensive retail price based on their own example (though realistically you can get it down to a more reasonable level by scaling back your royalties). *Only two trim sizes available if you want external distribution. *Their printing costs for books that qualify for external distribution are too high for comfort. |
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| Comments*: | Their site may seem very professional but trying to make sense of their FAQ section to find the relevant information is a nightmare, a situation that may well hide some surprises. They offer a series of additional services, such as CD and DVD distribution that makes them appealling for projects that call for additional media (though chances are that these can't be combined with their distribution package). |
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| The Bottom Line*: | While there are some problems that arise --both in terms of costs and format-- if you want external distribution, to say nothing of a number of important unanswered questions in their site and what may well be a very significant problem lurking within their publishing agreement, Lulu gets the fourth place in this comparison (in a tie with WingSpan Press) because it offers what is probably the best deal for those authors looking for a 'one stop shop' that covers both print and electronic publishing (though it is important to note that when taken separately they are not the best choice in either of these fields). As is the case with CreateSpace, the fact that authors who can supply their own ready to print layout and cover can theoretically publish for less than $100.00 doesn't hurt matters either. |
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| Visit the publisher's site | |||
| Last updated: 08-20-2011 | |||
Before you choose a publisher you may want to read: