Lulu Publishing for Authors

 Have you considered Lulu Publishing?

As self-publishing becomes more and more popular with writers, we are all looking for every avenue we can find to make sales. The invention of print-on-demand has made huge inroads into helping keep costs down for the self-published author, with Amazon, as usual leading the way. I want to concentrate on another player in the market I am sure you have read about and that is Lulu.

many writers are looking for options to help them succeed as authors. The good thing is that we have also seen an influx of businesses offering print-on-demand services, while others also include distribution services for self-published books. Lulu, or as it’s also known, as Lulu Press, is one of the most popular names for self-publishing. Lulu is strongly considered along with KDP Print and other mainstream players in the print-on-demand industry. 

Lulu, however, has received criticism for the substantial cut of their royalties, driving  authors to consider unreasonably high prices for their books or opt for very low royalties. This opens up the question: is working with Lulu Press worth it? 

I hope to help you make an informed decision as to decide if self-publishing through Lulu Press is of value to you in an unbiased way. I will take into consideration:

·        Costs,

·        Output quality,

·        Comparisons to other companies offering similar services. 

 

The first question is: Is Lulu Publishing Genuine? 

Lulu is a legitimate bona fide organisation offering print-on-demand services for self-published books, comic books, photo books, and many other kinds of printed output. 

If you are self-publishing a novel you will be required to upload a formatted PDF that meets Lulu’s requirements.

Then, Lulu allows you to customise the following: 

·        Interior design to suit your needs 

·        Paper type 

·        You also have the usual choice between paperback, hardcover, coil, saddle-stitch, or linen wrap. You can also choose a matte or glossy cover? 

For bookbinding, hardcover books need at least 20 pages, while saddle stitch only works for pamphlets. 

 

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How Much Does It Cost to Publish with Lulu? 

The cost of printing depends on the choices you make in the process, however, the selection is made easy with the click of a button. 

Lulu does not offer any editing, design, or marketing services. However, they have affiliates lists to choose from,

 So to the costs lets say you are self-publishing a 5.5 x 8.5-inch paperback book, with 200 pages of standard black and white pages on 60# cream paper with a matte cover, the estimated cost would be around £5.00. The exact cost would show as you go through the Lulu book setup. 

 

An advantage of lulu print on demand is that the quality is amongst the best on the market, and superior to most.

The covers have a good resolution, the pages are thick, and the print is well-aligned without any bleed-through. 

With this in mind, Lulu can be considered an excellent choice.

I found that when you complete the information to get the book ready for market, I found it more time-consuming than Amazon but quicker than IngramSpark.

 

So: Is Print Distribution: Recommended?  

I guess the first point you need to understand is that you are not paying to have your books “distributed” through Lulu, in fact you pay to get your books printed with Lulu, whilst the distribution plans come with the printing as a package deal.

However, Lulu is a good choice for distribution, as it forwards self-published books to its own Lulu Bookstore, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, the Ingram network, and other smaller distributors, this equates to over 35,000 retailers worldwide.

The downside to this is that Lulu will charge you for the sourcing it offers. Lulu offers decreased royalties at 80% of revenue or profits. Many consider this to be a high percentage, often ending up disappointed at the lower earnings potential.

 

But What Does 80% Actually Mean? 

 

The first point is that 80% does not mean you get 80% of the sale price, it is after costs, such as printing and distribution costs

Currently, as a guide only, let us assume the print cost is £5.20, along with a distribution fee is about £6.00, you will need to sell your book at more than £11.20 which means you would need to sell your book at £13.20 to earn £1.60. 

If you sell only through Lulu distribution the distribution fee would not be made, but that comes at a cost of losing the other outlets, of which some are big players!

 

eBook Distribution? 

 

eBook distribution through Lulu would make your book probably uncompetitive because they still charge you distribution fees, which will give you the same issue as print-on-demand books your retail selling price would need to increase and with so many Amazon eBooks at anywhere below £2.00, you could struggle. 

 

Cost of Printing with Lulu vs. Other Companies

 

To help you decide, we have compiled a table showing the costs of printing and distributing with Lulu versus some of the bigger names like Amazon’s KDP and Ingram:

	Lulu	KDP Print	Ingram Spark
Print cost per unit (estimated, using a basic design)	$5.34	$4.35	$4.71
Offers volume discount?	Yes	No	Yes
Distribution Setup fee	None	None	$49
Distribution fee (as % of list price)	50-65%	40% for Amazon, 60% for others	Author can decide to give wholesale discount
Direct distribution network (no distribution fee applied)	Lulu Bookstore	Amazon	None (no Ingram bookstore)
Expanded distribution networks	All major retailers	All major retailers	All major retailers

 

Is Lulu Publishing Worth It? 

If you want Lulu is a good choice to print out a small number of quality self-published print books, or if you are an author who doesn’t write books for a profit, 

However, if you do require a profit through book sales, or if you intend to sell your eBook through the same company, other options like KDP and Ingram Spark may be better options. Always make sure you compare the costs, as they can change in a cutthroat market. Costings can also vary depending on the type of book you want to publish.