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I’ll go through a case study of sorts with both types. Firstly, take “Bloke.” He’s a professional photographer in England who’s become a friend of mine. Check out this photo of a little girl at a wedding… Bloke wonders, “do you think she knows it’s a lemon?” I could gush for paragraphs about how much I love this shot. But I’ll let you do your own gushing. The point is, Bloke is a brilliant photographer – and he’s a fan of Lulu photo books. They work for him because they look like “real published ‘coffee table’ books, not chunky heavy albums with bits that fall out when you pick them up”. Great for clients, too.
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Second example: the point-and-shooter (like me). I took this shot in Cape Haitian, Haiti in June 2007. The sign is in Haitian Creole, and reads “Protect the environment- it guarantees life”.  This picture sums up my experience in Haiti pretty nicely- bright colors, joy, hope, and a smidgen of desolation. By no means is it professional grade. The lighting is all wrong, I’m sure my angles are laughable, etcetera (pros don’t hate on me too hard!). But that’s not what matters- it’s a memory. I love this shot for its nostalgic value, not artistic brilliance. I’m putting it into a photo book for the sole sake of remembering. The only person who’d appreciate the photo book as much is my dad- and that’s completely fine.

So – are you a professional (a la Bloke) or a point-and-shooter like me? Maybe a little of both? Either way- check out Lulu photo books and Bloke’s photography website for some eye candy.

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Never Iron When Your Are Naked
by Trevor Perry

Advice your mother should have given you, but never did. Trevor Perry has a gift for taking the complicated things in life and turning them into good advice.  While ironing naked may be dangerous, Perry also reminds us to live with passion, to laugh often, and to constantly stand in awe of life itself.

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The Things Your Don’t Know You Don’t Know
by Harland Williams

Get ready to laugh yourself silly, scratch your head in wonder, and perhaps even cry as you delve into the hilarious and often bizarre mind of renowned actor/comedian Harland Williams.  Here, Williams shares his ridiculous and sometimes poignant observations on…well…everything. Some are things you may have overlooked, others you just not have cared to notice.  But with Williams unique spin on life and the things we interact with, you’ll start second guessing how you take things in.

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The Torture Device Coloring Book
by Erik Ruhling

You might feel slightly guilty as you snicker at this coloring book clearly not intended for children.  This coloring book’s irreverent humor is reminiscent of artwork by one of my favorite artists Brandon Bird. In Ruhling’s book, colorers can explore all sorts of historical torture devices, each with an accompanying rhyme. Stay within the lines or you will be punished.

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.

The Internet’s and Lulu’s best defense against the dishonest among us is to harness the 99 percent of honest Internet users to monitor and notify us of any illegally posted material as soon as they see it. That’s why we fully endorse Slashdot’s efforts to remind us all “the price of honesty is eternal vigilance” (with apologies to Wendell Phillips).

If you ever find questionable content on Lulu, do not hesitate to click the “Report This Content to Lulu” link at the bottom of every content page or email us at questionablecontent@lulu.com. We will always act swiftly to protect the intellectual property and hard work of authors.

Do you have a preferred payment method other than a credit card or Paypal? If so, what is it?

Lately, we’ve been thinking about how we could make the monthly newsletter better, how we can use it to help you reach your goals. What is it that interests you? Do you want to see more Lulu Author success stories? Would you like tips on how to use Twitter and Facebook, advice on how to best market your book, industry news updates? We want give you more of what you need to help you be as successful as you’d like to be.

Tell us what you think in the comments section below. We’d love your feedback to help make the Lulu newsletter better than ever.

Why market your book on a blog?
It’s an inexpensive way to get your book out to lots of people in your target market- all at once. If you play your cards right, your book could get quality exposure at a really low cost.

Do your research – and participate.
This is the crucial step—finding the right blogs. Think about your market. Where does your average reader hang out online? Read a lot of blogs (really read them) and figure out where your book fits best. Start commenting on posts, subscribing to feeds, and mentioning snippets you liked in various social media endeavors. Always be nice! Bloggers will be glad to have a new active reader.

Give a little to get a little.
One of the best ways to get mentioned is to give a blogger something relevant to them. Once you’ve identified bloggers that you think would be interested in your material, send them a sample copy of your book. I’d write a little note saying why you think they’d like it and follow up with an email. Don’t be pushy; if you’ve done your research and sent your book to the right blogger, they’ll be interested.

Make friends.
We’ve all heard it before – “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” Get to know the people behind your favorite blogs. Email. Comment on posts. Talk about the weather, your pet rabbit, their new obsession with kite-flying. Build quality relationships with these people. They’ve got great stories, I assure you. They might just inspire your next work…

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!