ISBN

First things first, your book needs an ISBN. Whether you decide to register for one on your own through an ISBN agency such as Bowker (http://www.bowker.com/) or opt for a free Lulu-owned ISBN, this number will be the key identifier for your book and is also a requirement for the next tip.

globalREACH Distribution

globalReach distribution is essential for any author looking to increase their readership in stores because it enables your book to be available through the wholesaler, Ingram Book Company, which is the preferred go-between of most big-name retailers.

Go Local

Try visiting your local, independent bookstore (like Quail Ridge Books here in Raleigh) to see if there would be any interest in carrying your book. Typically, these retailers feel more open to supporting the work of homegrown authors. It may even sweeten the deal if you already have buyers lined up.

If you’ve tried and tried and still haven’t made the leap into bookstores, don’t feel discouraged. According to Book Industry Study Group, less than 40% of books are purchased in actual stores versus online. And the Lulu Marketplace is home to over 2.5 million unique visitors – that’s a lot of folks just itching to discover your remarkable work.

Take the Short Road

Take a look at The New York Times Best Seller List and you will notice that, most often than not, today’s most popular titles are 3 words or less. If that isn’t enough to convince you, think of some of the books that you have read in the past. Here are a few of mine – The Help, The Scarlet Letter, What Remains, Pride and Prejudice, etc. Do you see a pattern? If you’re afraid that a couple of words or a short phrase won’t sum up your book, consider using a subtitle to provide further explanation.

Be Original

Since titles aren’t copyrighted, there could be a chance that the title you choose may already be spoken for. In the case that your title (or one very similar) is in use, it may be best to reevaluate what you have chosen to avoid confusion. Not sure if your book title has a twin? Try checking out an online book database or catalog like Project Gutenberg.

Share Your Ideas

Once you have had the chance to brainstorm a few title possibilities, bounce them off of your friends, family, and coworkers. Make sure to provide several ideas and poll them for which ones they better. Like your potential readers, they won’t know much about your book and can only judge it based on the title.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and according to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, about 207,090 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in women in the United States this year. That’s a scary statistic, but the good news is that there so many foundations, blogs, and, of course, books out there dedicated to keeping people informed and to providing support to those experiencing the disease, firsthand.

On Lulu, we are lucky enough to have some great titles right at our fingertips! Whether you have been personally touched by breast cancer or are just looking for a way to contribute to the cause, here are a couple of books that may be just what you’re looking for.

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Becoming Whole
by Meg Wolff

Written by cancer survivor, Meg Wolff, this book tells the story of her complete recovery from breast cancer after being told that a mastectomy, radiation and chemotherapy couldn’t stop her disease. Instead of giving up, Wolff took a different approach by changing her diet and is now a living testament that changing your diet can save your life.

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Mommy Found a Lump
by Nathalie G. Johnson, M.D.

This children’s book, complete with colored illustrations, was designed as a guide to assist parents in helping their children understand what a family experiences when a parent goes through the treatment of breast cancer.  A portion of all sales will be donated to cancer research.

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Eat for the Cure
by Maria Fernandez

This cookbook is a compilation of recipes contributed by women all over the country, dedicated to the discovery of a cure for breast cancer. With recipes ranging from Baked Apple French Toast to Jalapeño Havarti Cheese Grits, your taste buds will thank you! All profits made from sales will benefit the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation.

* Pick up a scrumptious copy of Cookies and Cocktails . This festive cookbook has recipes sure to please even the pickiest of party palates. Whether you serve the Jack Frost Martini or the Kris Kringle cookies, your guests are guaranteed to come back for seconds and, who knows, maybe thirds.

* Whether you’re hosting or attending, a digital camera is a must have. Capture all of your party’s unforgettable moments and create a Lulu photo book to share with friends at the party and those who couldn’t make it. With the easy-to-use Lulu Studio™ photo book tool, you could have it ready before the next party. Could be a great gift idea…(hint hint.)

However you choose to celebrate your upcoming holiday event, have a very merry Happy Holidays from Lulu.com.

For that special sports fanatic in your life, pick up Dugout Wisdom: Life Lessons from Baseball by Dan Migala. This book features a compilation of words of wisdom from 55 greats of the game such as Sparky Anderson, Wade Boggs, Rod Carew, Whitey Ford, Goose Gossage, Monte Irvin, Kirby Puckett, Nolan Ryan, Ryne Sandberg, Ron Santo and Mike Schmidt. As a plus, you can even order a custom cover complete with your own personal holiday message!

For those cooking enthusiasts, the options on Lulu are limitless. In fact, there are even options for those non-cooking enthusiasts, which brings me to my next gift idea: Paul Gaj’s How to Cook: A Guide for Men Who Don’t. Through this cookbook, Gaj provides (for the price of an average meal) a guide to help the average man, whether he be 18 to 80, prepare his own food.

Of course, if you’re looking to add a personal touch, you can take advantage of the Lulu Studio™ and compile all of those family photos and put together a fabulous photo book that puts all of those gift certificates to shame.

Luckily, I’m here to ease your tensions with a list of books from Lulu to help alleviate some of those money woes.

One of the most common financial problems experienced today is debt. If you find yourself in that boat, check out Janine Bolon’s book, Ditching Debt . This financial guide provides easy principles on how to deal with the debt you already have and how to prevent yourself from incurring more.

Also plaguing the minds of most working Americans today is retirement. In Secure Your Retirement , Lulu author John Mahaney shares his personal story of how, after his early retirement at age 41, he took his net worth from $40,000 to $1,000,000 in just ten years. (Seriously, where do I sign up?)

Of course, if you’re looking for a more lighthearted read, pick up The Girl’s Guide to Money Etiquette by Julianne Pekarthy and Heidi Farr. Jam-packed with hilarious anecdotes of when money and personal relationships collide, this money etiquette guide is sure to keep you advised and entertained.

So before you go into panic mode, pick up one of these great books and educate yourself!

Introducing (drum roll, please)…Customizable Publishing Packs!

The standard Publishing Pack is PERFECT for anyone who is feeling a little overwhelmed about putting the finishing touches on their work, because this service bundle has industry professionals take care of pre-publishing needs like editorial work and custom cover design.

Wait…it gets better! Now, anyone interested in the pack can choose to customize their bundle with one of Lulu’s four formatting services. These offerings range from a basic service for text-only manuscripts to a custom service for longer books with an unlimited number of images.

If you’re looking for a way to move your project to the next level, a Lulu publishing pack will take you there and beyond!

Four years have finally passed, and you know what that means – no not a lunar eclipse – the Olympics! Today, the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics will mark the official start of the competitions. Let the games begin!

Every new Olympics brings stories of inspiration, courage, and perseverance; and even though you may not be in China to personally witness them, Lulu has plenty of stories of athletic glory that are sure to give you goosebumps.

When you think of world-class runners several notable names come to mind- Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Carl Lewis, and, of course, Steve Prefontaine or “Pre.” Steve Prefontaine – Rocketman (), written by Bree Donovan and the late runner’s, sister, Linda Prefontaine, is the true story of Pre told through the eyes and voice of the fictional character Owen Morgan.

Donovan, a social service educator, became inspired by Prefontaine after watching a movie about his life on television and wanted to bring his story to the kids she worked with.

Of course, if you are looking for a moving sports story directed at an older audience, then check out The Gift – A Runner’s Story written by Paul Maurer. This novel centers on runner Brett Rogers and his quest for personal and athletic redemption.

If reading about other people’s athletic glory leaves you wanting to experience some for yourself in, say, gymnastics, Lulu even has a book for you

In the guide Gymnastics Drills and Conditioning Exercises , author and gymnast coach Karen M. Goeller can have you tumbling your way to the gold in no time.

Don’t sit on the sidelines if you have your own story to tell. Use Lulu.com to publish your own tale of Olympic greatness.

1. How did you know Ms. MacElroy?

As I explained in the book,

“I contacted her during my research for The Oz Factors because I was led to believe, through a very circuitous line of investigation, that this woman was suspected of having been involved with alien contact at Area 51, or the Roswell crash site, or something similar. Through a sequence of circumstantial inferences and accidental referrals, I actually found a number in the phone book and called just on the chance that there might really be such a person.

Since I have never met Mrs. MacElroy in person, and spoke with her over the phone only once for about 20 minutes. In fact, I cannot factually substantiate that such a person actually existed, accept that I did speak with her on the phone and I received handwritten material in the mail which was sent from a physical address in Ireland. ”

2. Was it her wish to have them published?

Yes. Here is an excerpt from one of the two letters she mailed to me:

“Please accept this material and make it known to as many people as possible.

Mankind needs to know the answers to questions which are contained in these documents. Who are we? Where did we come from? What is our purpose on Earth? Is Mankind alone in the universe? If there is intelligent life elsewhere why have they not contacted us?”

3. Why, as editor, did you feel you had to put a disclaimer at the beginning of the book?

Again, I quote from the book:

“I decided to publish this book in order to pass along a subjective communication I received from Mrs. MacElroy to other people who may be interested in it.

Personally, I am not assuming that anything I received from Mrs. MacElroy is in any way authentic, with the exception of the envelope and the paper inside the envelope. I cannot substantiate any of it. Indeed, I can’t truly verify that there was ever such a person as Mrs. MacElroy other than a voice I heard over the phone in 1998. The voice could have been anyone.”

4. In the disclaimer, it says that you are no longer in possession of the original documents. Where are they now?

I quote, again, from the book:

“I have burned all of the original documents, including the envelope I received from Mrs. MacElroy. I do not want to spend the rest of my life being hounded by UFO researchers, government agents, grocery store tabloids reporters, UFO advocates and de-bunkers alike, or anyone else. Any “proofs” or attempts to authenticate the assertion that Mrs. MacElroy actually interviewed an alien in 1947 will have to be done by others.”

5. To who, would you recommend Alien Interview?

To anyone interested in the UFO crash at Roswell in 1947, or contact with extraterrestrials.

6. You have several different projects on Lulu. What is your favorite kind of genre to write?

Primarily, I’m interested in human history and mythology. It could be said that both of these are the same subject.

7. Do you have any new projects in the works?

Not at this time.

Check out these other great titles, from Spencer, published on Lulu.com

• The Oz Factors
• Pan- God of the Woods
• The Big Bleep: The Mystery of the Universe

If you’re like me, then you probably still have all the pictures from that fabulous vacation you took last year taking up memory on your digital camera, or if you were really productive, then you might have transferred them to your computer. Now they’re sitting in your “My Pictures” folder, and you’re wondering what to do with them.

Fortunately, we have an answer; publish a photo book on Lulu!

Recently, I took the pictures from my trip to Europe last spring (yes, as in 2007) and made a book using the Lulu studio. I was amazed at how easy it was. The entire process took less than two hours of my time, and most of that was choosing which pictures I wanted to use. Did I mention I had a lot of them?

With the Lulu Studio photo book tool, you can control

• The binding and trim size
• Which of the different themes you want to add to the style and look of your book (ex: modern, wedding, summer vacation, holiday, etc.)
• The various formats for each page complete with allotments for captions and text.

Once you’re done, voila…you have designed and published your very own photo book. Not to mention, freed up a little more space on your memory card.

Helpful Hint: Remember to edit your pictures, if need be, before uploading them.