Contest

by Carol
August 2, 2010
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August Sales Contest – $2750 in Total Prize Winnings!

In Contest — Tagged: , , , , , , ,

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
by Jonathan
May 18, 2010
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And the Microstory winner is…

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A TEST by Shayla Hawkins

On April 1, John Edgar Wideman invited aspiring writers everywhere to submit their own microstory for possible inclusion in future copies of Briefs. It was a unique way for this literary master to connect with his readers.

The competition was fierce, submissions plenty and the talent overwhelming. But the time has come to announce the winner of The John Edgar Wideman Microstory Contest.

We are pleased to say that Shayla Hawkins’ microstory “A Test” was chosen to be  included in a special edition of Briefs. She will also receive a complimentary signed copy of the book from Wideman. “A Test” is about how even the smallest actions of our mundane daily lives are actually tests that we all pass or fail .

A heart-felt congratulations to Shayla Hawkins and special thanks to all the very talented writers who submitted their microstories.

by Jonathan
May 14, 2010
Comments (1)

Wideman Contest Winner to be Named Tuesday

In Author Spotlight, Contest — Tagged: , , , , , ,

John Edgar WidemanOne thing we’ve learned from the Wideman flash fiction contest: There are many talented writers out there. We’re thrilled to have received a large number of entries for the contest. But that volume of quality work combined with Mr. Wideman’s travel schedule have caused a bit of a delay in announcing a winner.

Check back Tuesday when we will reveal the winning entry. Good luck!

by Carol
May 3, 2010
Comments (4)

Mother's Day Twitter Giveaway!

In Contest, Lulu News, Promotions — Tagged: , , , , , ,
We love books. And we love moms. So what better way to combine our two loves than with a Mother’s Day themed book giveaway?
Today through Thursday, we’re giving away one book a day to a lucky Twitter follower who gives the best answer to our tweeted question about Mom. The daily winner will be announced at 8pm EST each day and will be chosen from the tweeted answers of that particular day.
We’re also giving away a Grand Prize on Friday (5/7/10) — a year’s supply of books (that’s 12 free books!). The winner for the Grand Prize will be chosen RANDOMLY from all the tweeted answers of the entire week. The Grand Prize winner will be announced at 8pm EST on Friday.
To take part in our book giveaway, here’s what you need to do:
Follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/Luludotcom
Answer each daily question about your Mom
Use the hashtag #LuluMom in your answer
RT our question to your followers for some hilarious twitter dialogue
Remember, there’s no limit on daily tweets. Your chances of winning the Grand Prize increase with each tweeted answer so tweet as much as you can! Be funny and clever – it increases your chances of winning the daily prize and helps us understand why your Mom thinks you are so special.
See? Following us on Twitter really does have its perks!

Mom

We love books. And we love moms. So what better way to combine our two loves than with a Mother’s Day themed book giveaway?

Today through Thursday, we’re giving away one book a day (up to $20 value) to a lucky Twitter follower who gives the best answer to our tweeted question about Mom. The daily winner will be announced at 8pm EST each evening and will be chosen from the tweeted answers of that particular day.

We’re also giving away a Grand Prize on Friday (5/7/10) — a year’s supply of books (that’s 12 free books – a value of $240!). The winner for the Grand Prize will be chosen RANDOMLY from all the tweeted answers of the entire week and will be announced at 8pm EST on Friday.

To take part in our book giveaway, here’s what you need to do:

  • Answer each daily question about your Mom
  • Use the hashtag #LuluMom in your answer
  • RT our question to your followers for some hilarious twitter dialogue

Remember, there’s no limit on daily tweets. Your chances of winning the Grand Prize increase with each tweeted answer so tweet as much as you can! Be funny and clever – it increases your chances of winning the daily prize and helps us understand why your Mom thinks you are so special.

See? Following us on Twitter really does have its perks!

by Carol
April 16, 2010
Comments (2)

What's Your Lulu Find?

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Picture 1

To celebrate our newly expanded open marketplace, we’re giving away a book a day to one lucky follower! From April 16 -21, follow Lulu on Twitter and tweet us your favorite Lulu find (make sure to use #LuluFind in your tweet). You could be the lucky daily winner of a $20 coupon for your favorite Lulu find!

by AJ
April 7, 2010
Comments (2)

Update on the "Ask. Answer. Win." Contest

In Contest, Lulu Blog, Lulu News, Promotions — Tagged: , , , , , , , , , ,

KnowledgeBaseContest_BlogBanner

Hello everyone!  I just wanted to give a quick recap of our Ask. Answer. Win. contest.


It’s going great.  We’ve gained a number of new contributors eager to join the conversation. And we’ve had fun rewarding those with a strong presence in our online community.

Our winners for most active posters have been:

Belinda D’ Alessandro

Keith Dixon

Valerie J Long

Tammys_books

Ron Miller

Julie Ann Dawson

veinglory

theresa_moore

john_jenatcomcastdotnet

Ken Anderson

Mad Dog Wilson

GiuseppeFurnari

holesinthehills

Jean-Charles
tony_hawken

Continue Reading »

by Jonathan
April 1, 2010
Comments (4)

The John Edgar Wideman Microstory Contest

In Author Spotlight, Contest — Tagged: , , , , , ,

John Edgar WidemanWith his latest book, Briefs: Stories for the Palm of the Mind, two-time Faulkner award-winning author John Edgar Wideman has broken with tradition to partner with Lulu for greater control over the publishing process and a more direct connection with readers.

Briefs is a masterful collage of “microstories” that challenges assumptions about the genre. With a variety of voices, characters and compass points, Wideman unveils a unique structure—hip-hop Zen—where each story provides a single breath, to be caught, held, shared and savored.

Now Wideman is taking publishing innovation with Lulu one step further. With The John Edgar Wideman Microstory Contest, he’s inviting aspiring writers everywhere to submit their own microstory for possible inclusion in future copies of Briefs. What better way for a literary master to connect with readers than to share space with them in his latest book?

Here are the details: You can learn about Wideman’s storytelling style by getting a copy of Briefs and reading his introduction to microfiction. Then, starting today, submit your own microstory (up to 600 words) to pr@lulu.com. The submission period ends May 1. Anyone can enter. Just summon your creativity and show us your literary prowess in microstory form.

After the contest, Wideman will choose his favorite story. The winning entry will be announced on the Lulu Blog May 14 and include in a special edition of Briefs. The winner will also receive a complimentary signed copy of the book from Wideman.

Have a story to tell? Let us hear your voice and enter the The John Edgar Wideman Microstory Contest for a chance to be published alongside a literary giant.

by AJ
March 23, 2010
Comments (49)

Win a Prize for Contributing to Our Knowledge-Base

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KnowledgeBaseContest_BlogBanner

We see success every day in the vibrant community of authors, artists, and creators that has gathered around Lulu.  Creators come together on our Facebook page, Twitter feed and blog to give advice and cheer on each other as they realize their dreams and ambitions.

We’re particularly excited by the strong response to our improved — and expanding — knowledge base. In the past seven weeks, more than 6,000 items have been added in six different languages and thousands of customers have used our tools to check out popular articles, add to the community discussion, and recommend ideas.

Just the other day I saw how author Keith Dixon helped a new author decide what her best print options would be for the project she has in mind.  It’s great to see that kind of support and encouragement from one passionate creator to another.

And we want to reward it.

From now through April 23rd, we will give away daily prizes to knowledge base users with the most posts, highest ranked posts, best questions, and best answers.  Daily winners will receive a coveted Lulu hat (you should see how fast these things go at conferences) and bragging rights.  Once a week, we’ll randomly select a winner for a grand prize ranging from an iPod Nano to a Book Lover’s Bonanza Service Pack (a $1,895 value), one of our newest service offerings.

We truly appreciate the Lulu community and all the ways you help us grow, adapt, and improve.  So join the conversation, or start one of your own.  Check out our knowledge base to share ideas, ask questions, make friends, and learn something new while inspiring creativity in your fellow creators.


by Ricci
March 12, 2010
Comments (17)

Publish an ePub. Win an iPad

In Contest, Lulu Blog, Lulu News, Marketing Tips, Promotions — Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

iPadContest_BlogBannerThe time to get in on the gold rush for ePub books has never been better.  From now until March 22, 2010, simply publish an ePub version of your book, and you’ll be automatically eligible to win one of three Apple iPads.  Yep, that’s right – just create an ePub book and you could score a brand new iPad…on us.

Continue Reading »

by AJ
March 12, 2010
Comments (50)

How to Make an eBook Anyone Can Read with ePub

In Contest, Events, Howto, Lulu Blog, Lulu Help, Lulu News, Marketing Tips, Promotions, Tips and Tricks, Walkthroughs — Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

In a recent post I talked about how all of you would-be eBook authors should know your file formats, or at least be somewhat familiar with the most commonly used ones.  As an author, you want to make your work as accessible as possible, which means making your content able to be read on as many devices as you can.  Since it is Read an eBook Week, and Lulu is giving away three Apple iPads, I thought it might be useful to provide a how-to tutorial for the most universal eBook format: ePub.

Many new authors might make the mistake of thinking that if they have a portable document format (PDF) of their book it means that it can be read on an e-reader or other mobile device.  While in many cases the PDF can be opened, the text is far too small because it is a static or unchangeable image.  ePub makes it so your text is resized to fit the screen of any given device.  Since the text in ePub format can be changed in terms of size, font and color, reading an ePub book becomes a much more personal experience for the reader.  Sounds great right?  But how do you make an ePub book?

You really have three options:  let Lulu do the work for you with our conversion services, use a conversion program like (Adobe InDesign, eCub, Calibre, Google ePub Toolkit, etc.), or you can do-it-yourself.  If you decide to do-it-yourself, I’ve added some great directions I found over at jedisaber.com.


What You’ll Need:

* A text editor (like Text Edit or Notepad) that can edit text files, HTML, and XML.
* A program that can create .zip files (which should be built into OS X or Windows).

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