An Incomplete Guide to POD Publishers

An Incomplete Guide to Print On Demand Publishers

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Lulu
Manuscript screening:	No
Kind of contract:	Non-Exclusive
Distribution:	Through their site and online retailers mostly
Basic fees:	Paperback publishing	Basic paperback fee is $99.95.
	Hardcover publishing	Not available
	Combo publishing	Not available
	Color publishing	Not available
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 direct printing costs are $3.00 more expensive than their external printing costs).
Break-even point:	Less than 200 copies of an average length book sold through external channels.
Basic retail price:	Up to the author but it is possible to set it so that it is competitive.
Layout:	You must supply your own layout.
Graphics:	As many as you want seeing how you must provide your own layout.
Cover options:	You must submit your own, though they do provide you with some templates to help you.
Trim size:	Two trim sizes to choose from.
Additional options:	You can publish for free without an ISBN (though this is not a good idea), you can also publish your book under your own inprint for $149.95. Color publishing and hardcovers are an option in their free package. There are some additional services you can hire, but those are by independent providers.
Pros*:	Reasonable setup fee. Good royalties. Good distribution. Competitive retail price. You can buy copies of your book paying only you printing costs (though these costs seem to be somewhat inflated). Lots of freedom.
Cons*:	*You are pretty much on your own.
Comments*:	Trying to make sense of their FAQ section to find the relevant information can be quite a challenge. This is more a tool for self-publishing than a full fledged publisher. Their own printing costs are about $3.00 more expensive than that of books intended for external distribution, that may be seen as a way to artificially inflate the author's royalties ('officially' you get 80%, but they get an extra $3.00) and the author's discount (again, you pay your 'printing costs' but they still make a $3.00 profit). Printing costs for external distribution too are a little higher than those of other publishers using the same printing service but the differences there aren't as dramatic.
Visit the publisher's site		Visit the publisher's forum
Last updated: 2007-03-18

* These represent my personal opinion based on what I've seen in the publisher's site.

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