Articles by admin

by admin
January 22, 2009
Comments (1)

Buy Now Buttons for Lulu Products

In Marketing Tips — Tagged: ,

One of the great features that often goes unnoticed on Lulu is our pre-made Buy Now Buttons.

Scatter customized buttons and banner ads on pertinent websites and link them directly to your product on Lulu. People who are browsing see them, click on them and, in many cases, become buyers.

All you have to do to make it happen is to go to the “My Lulu” page and click on the “Promote” icon (a star) next to one of the available products. Customized code is created and can then be placed on other websites to generate a button or banner ad.

Visit this page to learn more about how to add these great buttons to your blog or website. For best results, add them below a picture of your cover or description of your content.

For more great ideas on how Lulu can help you sell, visit our Writer Marketing Services page.

by admin
January 5, 2009
Comments (2)

Lulu Author Interview: Chad Moutray

In Author Success Stories —

Lulu is home to thousands of books. You can find cookbooks, books about golf, puppy calendars, business guides and more. While I was browsing the Lulu marketplace happened across a book that stood out to me. Chad Moutray’s touching memoir of his brief, but intense, relationship with his wife Laura is a great example of how people turn to Lulu to publish their most intense personal memories.

Continue Reading »

by admin
December 19, 2008
No Comments

Last Minute Holiday Gifts

In News —

If you you are like me, you probably have put off buying gifts and now are facing the horrible task of going to a mall the weekend before Christmas. After worrying about getting beaten up in the parking lot over a parking space I decided to just do my shopping at Lulu.com.

Here are some of the great gifts that I found:

Bawdy & Soul by R.A. Christmas is the result of R. A. Christmas’ lifetime interest in American Folk and Popular music—specifically, his roughly ten-year quest (ca.1975-85) for success in the “music business,” in and around Hollywood.

 

Christmas… Relax your spirit with the gentle sounds of pure piano holiday favorites, 
celebrating the serenity and beauty of Christmas. An outstanding collection of Christmas classics played by Marilyn Byrnes in a moving and contemporary style.

 

The Thorner Historical Society 2009 Calendar is twelve months of fantastic archive photos of Thorner in Leeds, capturing the good old days of horse drawn carriages and steam trains, no longer to be seen in Thorner.

 

There are thousands of great last-minute gift ideas available at the Lulu.com marketplace.

by admin
November 20, 2008
Comments (2)

Lulu.com Author Interview: Bob McDonald

In Author Success Stories — Tagged: , ,

I love using Twitter to find out what the Lulu community is up to.  Often, I head over to Summize.com and type Lulu.com in the search field to see how our authors are promoting themselves via Twitter.  There are hundreds of recent messages from authors and buyers that have been sent talking about Lulu.com.  I decided to find one of the Lulu.com authors who actively uses Twitter to find out what kind of success they have had promoting their work.

Bob McDonald, author of Flagrant Foul and Dilemma, was kind enough to conduct an interview with me via Twitter today about how he has used the latest social networking tools to promote his books.

Continue Reading »

by admin
October 9, 2008
Comments (6)

Taking it to the Web: Tools for online marketing and promotion

In News —

The Lulu “Mini-Storefront” widget and website banners are the unsung heroes for online marketing.  Last month we talked about how press releases are a great way to spread the word about your book.  With the Lulu widget and website banners, you can encourage people to buy your book wherever you are on the web.

The Lulu “Mini-Storefront” widget attracts visitors from your blog, MySpace page, Facebook profile or personal website to your Lulu content.  With the Mini-Storefront, your captive audience can view your book, read the description and – the best part – buy your book(!) all from the comforts of your website.
Let’s try the Facebook Widget – Here are a few tips to keep in mind when setting up your widget with your Facebook profile:

Continue Reading »

by admin
October 7, 2008
Comments (18)

So You Think You Can Write a Book

In Author Success Stories, How To, Marketing Tips — Tagged: ,

Anthony S. Policastro is not just the Senior Business Analyst at Lulu.com, he is also an author. He was kind enough to take the time out of his day to write a great post on how to write and market your book using Lulu.com and other great tools.

The Jenkins Group , an independent publishing services company, says four out of five people they surveyed said they believe they have a book to write. Even fewer actually sit down and write a book and even fewer get published. Many established literary agencies in New York and elsewhere get upwards of 500 email and snail mail book queries a week and less than one percent of them are considered for representation.

So how do you get published with those odds?

Continue Reading »

by admin
September 29, 2008
Comments (14)

Gain an Audience Using Twitter

In Marketing Tips, News — Tagged: , , ,

One key to selling your book, photo book or calendar is finding an audience who is interested in your topic. Website forums have been a good way to speak to people who share your same interests, but finding the right websites to post on can take quite a bit of time and effort.

In the past year, another great way to find and communicate with people who share your interests has emerged: Twitter. This web-based communication tool allows you to have conversations with numerous people whether they share your interests or are simply interesting in their own right. If you’re shy, you don’t have to actively engage people in conversation; you can follow people that interest you and sit back and watch the conversations unfold.

Continue Reading »

by admin
September 23, 2008
Comments (2)

Get Fit on Lulu!

In News — Tagged: , , , , , ,

September 27th is Family Health and Fitness Day USA (I know, I didn’t have it on my calendar either!).  Good thing I’m here to give you a cool list of books on Lulu on how to get your family out in the fresh air, and well-fed, the healthy way.

A family that’s fit together has fun together – especially if you’re playing one of the fun games in Kathi Wyldeck’s Family Games.  Filled with games like “Robin’s Nest”, “Crusts and Crumbs” “Red Rover” and other outdoor games, you’ll be playing till the streetlights come on and it’s dinnertime.

Speaking of dinner…let’s work on the healthy part of the day.  With organic and health food stores everywhere, slow food movements and even fast food places offering a fruit cup instead of fries, eating healthy is becoming easier. If you’re looking for some new and inventive recipes, try the Runner’s Cookbook (ooo..running and cooking) .

Think health equals a long time to cook?  Au contraire! With Healthy Meals in 30 Minutes you can create a variety of gluten-, dairy-, sugar- and soy-free meals without having to slave over a stove all day.

So with plans in hand for a fun day, go enjoy Health and Fitness Day with friends and family.  The more the merrier and the better the games!

by admin
September 10, 2008
Comments (8)

What Makes a Good Press Release? How to get the word out in 5 steps

In Marketing Tips, News — Tagged:

In the world of blogs, tweets and social networking, creating buzz around your book is easier than ever. But how do you reach reporters from traditional media? The traditional press release is still a great way to let people know of your newest book project.

Wait! How to I achieve fame and fortune with a traditional press release you ask. We can’t guarantee fame and fortune but with these five steps and a little elbow grease, you will be well on your way.

Try these steps when putting together your next release:

1. Keep the editor(s) in mind. Hundreds of releases vie for their attention each week, so make yours relevant and accurate.

2. Write your press release!  Keep these things in mind while crafting your release-

  • Be catchy! Write a headline that grabs attention and summarizes your main point. Then, because the first paragraph is often the only one that’s read, make sure it covers who, what, when, where, why and how.
  • Be brief. Keep your release to one page or 400 words. The end.
  • Be current. Highlight something about your product in your release that’s relevant to current events.
  • Be available. Make sure you put your current contact information (E-mail, phone number, fax…) so that those that are interested can reach you.

3. Create a relationship! With your local lifestyles, arts section, book reviewers, local bookstores and editors. The more they know about you and your book the more willing to read your press release.

4. Send it out! Either to a targeted list of regional and local reporters or an e-press release over a news wire service – choose a list that you can handle when following up.

5. Ask for help. If you’re having trouble, visit Lulu Services and look into a professional press release.

by admin
September 3, 2008
Comments (7)

Excited by Lulu.com? Let the world know!

In News —

Calling all Lulus! We need you to raise your voice and shout from the rooftops how Lulu energizes you by handing over control of publishing and profiting from creative content like novels, photo books and calendars. Be part of the Lulu Groundswell!

Groundswell, the book written by Forrester Research analysts Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff, focuses on how people use technologies to get the things they need from each other, rather than from traditional institutions like mammoth corporations – a trend and principle on which Lulu.com has built its company.  The book has become the ultimate guide for the Lulu team, as we seek to give YOU the best, most innovative social tools to collaboratively create, market and sell your creative works and interact directly with your audience, whether it is one reader or 10,000.

So naturally, we entered the Second Annual Forrester Groundswell Awards, in the ‘energize’ category and your reviews will help spread the word about how Lulu helps authors through our community.

Here’s how you can review Lulu.com:
1. Go to http://www.forrester.com/Groundswell/energizing.html to see the Lulu entry.
2. Go to the Lulu listing and click ‘Review’.
3. Rate Lulu and write a review of how you think Lulu is doing when it comes to energizing you as an author.
4. Click submit.

It’s that simple!

A widget user? Member of the Facebook Lulu group? Always ready for the next post from the Lulu blog team? Let us (and the judges) know how you connect to your audience and other Lulus through the offerings on the Lulu community page:

People like you, ready to connect with you...

People like you, ready to connect with you...