I just finished reading a screenplay written by a friend of mine and was looking for some suggestions from my friendly Lulus as to what I should read next. Having worked here for four years, I should have known what to expect. CHAOS. There’s two things about us Lulus that you have to understand, we love books and we’re very opinionated. I made a rookie mistake, and I admit that. I received so many replies to my email that I’ve decided to take each Wednesday in August to highlight just a select few of the books that my fellow Lulus are currently reading.

Sarah is currently reading “The Tales of Beedle the Bard” by J. K. Rowling.  She said, “I’m reading it with my 7 year old. I love Dumbledore’s commentary.”

Shelly is reading “The Nature of Human Nature” by By Dr. Carin Bondar. She explained that “it is a great book with really cute illustrations.” She liked that Bondar looks at Humans from a different point of view.

Cary just finished reading “Eat, Pray, Love” by Elizabeth Gilbert. She said, “it was a wonderful read! If only I could take a year off and travel to Italy, India, and Bali!”

Annie is reading/has recently read 12 books (yes, I said 12). One of her recommendations was Scott Pilgrim vol 1-6 by Bryan Lee O’Malley.

The August Author Sales Contest is underway and Lulu.com is offering cash prizes and additional exposure to the authors who publish the top 3 most purchased books on Lulu throughout the month of August.  To enter the sales contest, simply register using the email address associated with your Lulu account and get started promoting your book.

Registration is free and all entries must be received no later than August 31, 2010 to be eligible.

Winners and runners-up will also receive

• Recognition and books highlighted on the contest results page

• Highlighted in e-mail blast to Lulu authors, and in our newsletter

• Interview highlighted in Lulu blog

This class will teach you what you need to know about media training. We’ll also share with you the media mistakes you never want to make.

Media Training Magic takes place August 9, 2010 at 7pm EST at a computer near you!

At one time or another we all have to learn to distance ourselves from our work. Here’s a little piece of knowledge that you probably already know but are afraid to mutter aloud: all creative folks will be criticized. Let’s face it, you’re going to get it whether you like it or not, so you might as well embrace it and use it to your advantage, right?

You should seek out somebody whose opinion you trust, like a fellow writer whose work you admire. Ask for specific details and take notes. The first draft is never the final draft – we all have to start somewhere. Be honest with yourself, and be humble. Even the best of the best get criticism. Heck, Mark Twain’s Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn books were even banned. The key is to make it constructive.

Of all the things I can tell you, the most important is to not take criticism personally. It is not you that is being picked apart and dissected (though it can sometimes feel that way). The worst thing you could do is to take criticism personally and miss the opportunity to improve your work. It is only when we accept that something isn’t perfect that we can move on and make it better. That is the goal.

A few months back, we announced that we’d be offering FREE Shipping for the entire summer. You may be thinking, “that’s great and all, but my shelves are packed.” Well, if you’ve recently published with Lulu, now is the perfect time to tell your readers. Create a press release and let your fans know they can get your book this summer with FREE shipping. There’s no better time.

If you need help creating your own press release, we’ve got you covered.

We’ll talk about all of the other places you can sell your book and we’ll also look at creative ways to do non-bookstore signings and events. Plus, we’ll discuss how to promote yourself by hosting your very own virtual tour.

10 Super Savvy Ways to Promote Your Book without Setting Foot in a Bookstore takes place July 12, 2010 at 7pm EST at a computer near you.

And… we’re back! Everything went along without a hitch. The biggest change you may have noticed is that the new address for the blog is www.lulu.com/blog. There will be more updates in the near future, so we’ll be sure to keep you informed as changes take place. Stay tuned for more details. Same bat time. Same bat channel. Or, blog for that matter.

Much like Bigfoot and Chupacabra, ISBNs and Distribution remain a mystery to many Lulu authors. While we can’t explain Chupacabra or Bigfoot, we can help you understand Distribution and ISBNs.

What is distribution?
Distribution is a service that gets your book out to the world. We make your book available through bibliographic databases, online marketplaces and distribution catalogs. Lulu currently offers 3 distribution options: extendedREACH, globalREACH, and marketREACH. I will explain each of those in a little bit.

What is an ISBN?
An ISBN (International Standard Book Number) is a controlled, 10- or 13-digit identification number that allows publishers, libraries, and book dealers to locate books. You may get a free ISBN from Lulu or you can bring an ISBN you own and assign it to your book.

In September 2009, Lulu separated distribution and ISBNs so authors could get distribution for ISBNs that they own and bring to Lulu. We offer distribution options for ISBN and non-ISBN titles. Each Lulu project may have one distribution option and/or ISBN. Once an ISBN or distribution option has been applied to a project, you cannot change it.

Our current distribution options:

extendedREACH – Free This distribution option can be applied to books with a free Lulu ISBN that are an eligible size. When your book is approved for extendedREACH distribution, it is submitted to bibliographic databases, Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.

globalREACH – $75 This option can be applied to an eligible size book with an ISBN (bring your own or Lulu ISBN). When you approve your proof copy, your book is submitted to bibliographic databases, Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble.com and other online retailers. Your book will also be listed at Ingram Book Company. Most brick and mortar bookstores can order from this listing.

marketREACH (non-ISBN distribution) -$25  This option is for non-ISBN paperback books, paperback photo books, and calendars. Hardcover books, eBooks, CDs and DVDs are not eligible. Your project will be listed in Amazon’s Marketplace and eBay.com.

You can view the eligible sizes for extendedREACH and globalREACH here.
Read more about getting distribution for your book.

Our current ISBN options:

Lulu-owned ISBN: You can get an ISBN from Lulu FREE in the Lulu Publishing Wizard. You will need to purchase a Distribution package to have your ISBN submitted to Bowker’s Books in Print and Nielsen Book Data (ISBN agencies).

Bring-your-own ISBN: Assign an ISBN you already own to your book. The imprint (publisher name and information) attached to your ISBN will remain the same and Lulu.com will not be listed as the publisher. You must be the owner of the ISBN and cannot use this ISBN with any other distributor. You will need to purchase globalREACH for Lulu to distribute your book.

yourISBN: This is a service for Lulu to obtain an ISBN for you from the US ISBN agency using your registered details as a publisher.  You must be a resident of the U.S., Guam or Puerto Rico to order this service.  After you receive your ISBN, you may assign it to a project as a Bring-your-own ISBN. You will need to purchase globalREACH for Lulu to distribute your book.

Often, I find myself staring down a blank page with a topic rattling around in my head, clouded by a million other thoughts. I was already laying down the groundwork for the upcoming Script Frenzy challenge and thought this would be a great way to get focused and write like I’ve never written before. And it’s really helped.

The days I haven’t written my daily quota, I struggle. It takes me longer to say what I want and I stumble along the way. It’s harder for me to focus and stay motivated. But the days I’ve tackled this writing exercise I fly through pages. The words flow with ease and I’m less stressed about what shows up on the screen.

One of the things I really love about this site are the graphs. Stats are extracted from your writing and displayed after you meet your daily goal. They show you how you are feeling, what you are concerned about, what your mindset is, and highlight your frequently used words. The 750 Words webapp also times you and tracks how many distractions you’ve had. (You can see a sample of my daily stats on the left.) For me, this feature is invaluable when it comes to dissecting my daily brain dump.

If you’ve been wondering how to take your writing to the next level, I highly recommend you try writing 750 words a day.