How to Publish

by AJ
August 25, 2010
Comments (8)

Reach More Readers, Sell More Books with Upgraded eBook Tool

In How to Publish, Lulu Blog, Lulu News, New Features — Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Interesting read in the Wall Street Journal this morning:

People who buy e-readers tend to spend more time than ever with their nose in a book, preliminary research shows.

That’s great news for authors, because it shows that eBooks are creating ever more sales opportunities for their work. Here’s even better news: Lulu now makes it easier than ever to create eBooks and reach readers all over the world.

We’ve updated our eBook wizard so that you can instantly publish to both U.S. and international versions of the iBookstore, including the U.K., Germany, France and Canada. And we’re hard at work opening even more channels — our goal, in fact, is to create the most vibrant, multi-retail eBook publishing tool available.

Indeed, our revamped tool is designed so authors who upload eBooks today will automatically have them distributed to other regions, marketplaces and devices as they become available. That effectively makes Lulu a one-stop shop for eBook publishing. To quote one of my favorite infomercial personalities:  “Just set it, and forget it.”

Why do all this? Because more eBook channels lead to more sales. In the first three months of iBookstore distribution, Lulu authors sold more than 6,000 eBooks and earned more than $30,000 in revenue. In the first week of our new eBook publishing tool, Lulu authors have sold three times as many eBooks globally than they could in the U.S. alone.

Now, that’s something to get excited about.

by AJ
May 27, 2010
No Comments

Focus: Cookbooks

In How to Publish, Lulu Blog — Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I am a foodie.  I was raised in the south by a mother and grandmother that loved to cook and I can spot a good restaurant a mile away.  If I know anything, it’s food.  Some say I’m a harsh critic when it comes to any dish, but we all know what a little extra attention and care can do for a recipe.  You have to start somewhere though, and Lulu can help you make a cookbook full of your own favorite dishes or you can check out some of the really great ones we have to offer – from healthy eating to down-home comfort food.

Let’s start with what I know best:  soul-food.

Comfort and Joy

by Callie Works-Leary


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This soft-cover cookbook features large, high-quality color pictures and gives you the know-how to make a quick snack or a five-course meal right in your own kitchen.   This book has the perfect mix of “stick-to-your-rib” delights like “Texas Slow-Cooked BBQ Brisket” as well as fun, light dishes like “Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Apricots.”

Comfort and Joy is a collection of recipes for the way that we really cook, eat, and entertain in our rapidly changing times. Most importantly, it is food that is comforting in its simplicity and depth of flavor, but joyous in its creativity and charm.  It is perfect for every-day use or for hosting a party.

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by Gavin
May 13, 2010
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Publishing Your Thesis with Lulu

In How to Publish, Howto — Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

graduation studentsMay marks graduation for many college students, a time of celebration after years of dedication and hard work. It also prompts this eternal question: “Now what?”

It’s time to make your way in the world, earn a living and impress the world with your education. If you wrote an undergraduate thesis, master’s project or doctoral dissertation, Lulu can help on two fronts: earning cash and spreading knowledge.

It’s free and easy to upload your thesis onto Lulu. And getting a professional-quality bound copy of it delivered to your doorstep is quick. Moreover, we offer services that can create a professionally designed cover specifically for your work. To get your research out there, we can assign your work an ISBN and even get it listed on the Apple iPad iBookstore. Most importantly, by publishing on Lulu you retain control of all copyright and permission settings. You determine who can view your work, and when. If you feel that publishing your thesis, final project or dissertation on Lulu sounds like a viable option for you, then please read the steps below for more information on how to get started.

Before you start
First and foremost, check with your department, committee chairs or advisor on any rules you must follow for publishing your academic work. Requirements vary across departments and schools.

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by Jonathan
April 5, 2010
Comments (4)

Some names you know on the iPad

In Author Spotlight, How to Publish, Howto, Lulu News, New Features, Promotions — Tagged: , , , , , , , , , ,

WidemanSampleBookshelfThe iPad hit shelves over the weekend and is already sending ripples through the book world. On the first day, Apple says customers downloaded more than 250,000 eBooks — it calls them iBooks — in its iBookstore.

Some familiar titles appearing on iPad’s virtual bookshelves are Lulu’s very own: PhotoSecrets 101 Tips for Travel Photographers, Getting Real: The smarter, faster, easier way to build a successful web application, Briefs, and Memories of the Future.

WidemanMemoriesOfTheFuture

A few Lulus purchased iPads. Here are a couple screen shots of Briefs and Memories of the Future.

To get on the iBookstore yourself, here are the details.

by Sherrie
April 2, 2010
Comments (2)

Lulu University is FREE!

In How to Publish, Howto, Lulu Help, Marketing Tips, Promotions, Tips and Tricks, Walkthroughs — Tagged: , , , , , , , , ,

Picture 2We offer a variety of free online webinars to help educate our authors on a variety of publishing topics – from how to create a press release to social networking. We’ll be adding to our list of topics and even have guest speakers joining the classes. Take advantage of our knowledgeable experts and learn the tips and tricks of publishing and marketing your books.

Please let us know what other classes you would be interested in seeing in our course catalog.

April 5 @ 7PM EST- Red Hot Internet Basics: Touring Yourself Online
If you’re ready to market your book online but don’t know where to start, you’ll love this class. We’ll look at creating and launching your very own Virtual Author Tour. During this class we’ll look at:

by Sherrie
March 31, 2010
Comments (9)

Free iPad with any All-Inclusive Pack Purchase

In How to Publish, Lulu News, Marketing Tips, Promotions — Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

FreeiPadReady to publish your next book? Let us help. Lulu’s all-Inclusive Publishing Packages are fantastic for getting the professional pre-publishing services your book deserves. Our publishing experts will make your title bookstore-ready and, for a limited time, we’ll help you celebrate the momentous occasion with a free iPad!

That’s right, we will give you a Free iPad with the purchase of any All-Inclusive Package between now and April 10, 2010. Choose from three options —  3 Star, 5 Star or  7 Star — all carefully crafted to meet the varying needs of our authors.

You’ll work with the industry’s best — a publishing consultant to guide you through the process, professional designers to create your cover and format your manuscript, and our team of editors to fine-tune your work.  Throw in 125 books to get you through your first book signing, and you’ll be inspired to write your next bestseller.

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by Nick
February 12, 2010
Comments (14)

Copyrighting Your Work 101

In How to Publish, Howto, Tips and Tricks, Walkthroughs —

Copyright_symbol_9Something we get asked about a lot is copyright.  As creators, we want to make sure our work is protected from intellectual property theft, and ensure that we control the publication, distribution and adaptation of what we’ve created. The problem is that copyright can be confusing and there are a lot of misconceptions about it. Hopefully, I can help clear some things up and give you some resources for more information on copyright if you’re interested in that sort of thing.

Please note that this information is focused on copyright in the United States. For more information on International copyrights, please check out the links at the bottom of the post.

What is Copyright?

To begin with, I’m going to get the easy stuff out of the way. With a quick Google search, you can find the basics of what copyright is as well as in-depth discussion and even some analysis. As such, I am going to keep this as simple as possible. Copyright protects the rights of creators of literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works. Specifically, it gives the owner of the copyright the exclusive right to, and to authorize others the right to, reproduce, distribute, perform, or display the work. It is illegal for anyone to violate any of the rights provided by the law to copyright holders.

For more information on what copyright entails, check out the US Copyright Office’s Copyright Basics.

How Do I Protect My Work?

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by Leon
February 5, 2010
Comments (12)

Easy DVD Creation Tutorial

In How to Publish, Howto, Lulu Blog, Lulu Help, Lulu News, Tips and Tricks, Walkthroughs —

Did you know that in addition to books and calendars, Lulu also publishes CDs & DVDs? If you’re interested in creating an audio book, video tutorials, your latest music album, or home videos, Lulu can help.

As the DVD specialist at Lulu, I’ve noticed that if an author has a DVD problem, it is usually due to a disc formatting error. We offer two distinct DVD formatting options – one for video and one for data. It helps to know how the file type you upload determines whether you create a data DVD or a video DVD.

A. DVD-Data: This type of DVD will work only on a computer, not in a household DVD player like the one connected to your TV. This DVD is similar to a store-bought software disc and can contain audio, pictures, software, and almost any other file type you desire. The most common DVD error happens when an author tries to make a DVD for video, but uploads a file that isn’t formatted casual playback. Improper formatting of a DVD-Video disc will create a DVD-Data disc by default.

B. DVD-Video: This kind of DVD is great for capturing and sharing your favorite moments through video. When you put a DVD in a household player, the player looks for one master file to pull information from and then displays it to you on your TV. Authors can use a number of file formats as the source for their videos ( .mpeg/.avi/.wma/.wmv), but then comes the tricky part. When you are making your video DVD, all of your video files have to be in a video_TS file and all of your audio must be in an audio_TS file. These two files then go in the master file, which can either be a ZIP Archive file or an ISO-9660 file. Sounds hard right? Well, fortunately, there are many third-party software programs, including Nero (PC) and Toast (Mac), that are made just for this purpose. These programs will convert your files into an ISO-9660 disc image or VIDEO_TS directory. I recommend an ISO0-9660 disc image.

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by Sherrie
January 29, 2010
Comments (32)

The only thing more difficult than getting started is finishing

In Author Spotlight, How to Publish, Howto, Lulu Blog, Promotions —

I’m a Lulu team member responsible for the Lulu Publishing Services Division where we provide the publishing services you need to help make your book a reality. As a published author (courtesy of Lulu) I understand what it takes to produce a top-selling book and have very high hopes that this blog will help you in your quest to produce your own. Although I still love to write, I have discovered another passion, too: Helping others experience the wonderful feeling that comes with successfully becoming published.

When I began writing many years ago, I found that the complexities, trials and tribulations of publishing distracted from the joy of writing. Like most authors, I began my quest to get published long before I actually finished writing my first book. Cover design, editing, formatting, ISBNs were all new to me, and although they were essential topics, I often wished that the publishing system was simpler. I just wanted to finish my first book and get started on my second. I was fortunate to stumble across Lulu in my search for publishing help and still remain thankful. I was rescued from the deep abyss of “I’ll never get published.” Working with Lulu truly empowered me as an author by reducing frustration and minimizing distraction that consumed so much of my creative time. On a very practical level, Lulu also helped me get published much quicker and allowed me to sell quite a few books. In turn, this allowed me to eat something besides Ramen noodles and tomato soup. I so enjoyed the experience that I actually came to work at Lulu in August ’09 so that I could help others.

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by Harish Abbott
January 27, 2010
Comments (21)

Be iPad Ready with Lulu

In How to Publish, Lulu Blog, Lulu News, Marketing Tips —

Unless you were hiding under a rock today, you know that Apple announced a new tablet computer that also functions as an eBook reader. Speculation about the device has been building for months and the actual gadget is still about 60 days from appearing in stores. So additional speculating, no doubt, will ensue.

But having followed Steve Jobs’ presentation today, here’s one thing we don’t have to speculate about: If you publish an eBook on Lulu, it can be read on the iPad.

That’s because Apple will use the ePub file format, an open standard. We added ePub to our creation tools last year because the format is open, allows flexibility, and ensures that our authors will be ready for the future no matter the evolution of digital devices. It stems from our mission to build the world’s best open publishing platform so that authors can reach anyone, anywhere — and to our commitment to help creators navigate the rapidly changing world of digital content.

Clearly, our authors see value in ePub. Since we introduced the format, the number of eBooks created on Lulu has increased 40 percent. And Apple’s announcement of the iPad today is another win for this open approach.

So if you want to be ready for the iPad — not to mention many other popular devices, including the Sony Reader, already available — get started with your ePub eBook on Lulu today.