Articles tagged "formatting"

by Colin Lalley
December 6, 2012
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Life After NaNoWriMo

In How To — Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

We’re well into December, and it’s almost the end of the year, but let’s take a minute to talk about last month. How did you spend your November? Maybe getting ready for the change in seasons or braving crowds to get a head start on holiday shopping? If you participated in NaNoWriMo you can add “writing an entire novel” to that list. Fifty thousand words in thirty days is no small feat so first things first: congratulations! Now that you’ve got everything all typed up and had some time to go over it, the most important question is…what’s next? You wrote your book in record time, so why not publish it just as quickly? Lulu has the professional publishing services to put a little shine on things and get your work ready for the world.

Cover Design


They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover but let’s be honest, a nice cover goes a long way and can hook a customer before the first page is even turned.

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by Jessica Schein
June 18, 2012
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Author Success Story: Lucia Cascioli

In Author Success Stories, Marketing Tips — Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

When Lucia Cascioli first finished her novella, Struck, she thought she’d try her hand at traditional publishing, an experience that didn’t pan out as she’d hoped.

“It was frustrating to say the least, especially after one publishing house lost my manuscript,” explains Lucia. The long wait to hear back, coupled with the less-than-stellar royalty and advance rates typically given to authors without a track record, didn’t exactly make Lucia want to continue struggling down the big publisher road.

Then she discovered Lulu, which changed the way she thought about getting her book into the hands of readers.

“Lulu is my one-stop-shop that meets all my needs: professional staff, great editors and cover designers, and the ability to have my books sold in print and online. My project manager explained the process to me and coordinated the services in each of my packages, hassle free.”

To publish Struck, as well as

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by Cary
September 17, 2008
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Customize Your Way to a Published Success

In News — Tagged: , , , ,

When I was in school, nothing stressed me out more than having to edit and format those 10 to 15 page term papers, so I can’t even imagine how much pressure authors must feel when tackling those massive 300 page manuscripts. Now, Lulu authors have it easy! Lulu Services has whipped up some exciting new offerings to better meet everyone’s needs and ease a little of that pre-publishing anxiety.

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!

by admin
March 4, 2008
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Tips and Tricks: Book Formatting 101

In How To, Marketing Tips — Tagged: , ,

Make sure your words don’t end up in the gutter!

You have the story. You’ve edited and re-edited it. Now its time to upload your file and publish your book, but before you press “Save and Continue”, make sure your book is consistent with your vision.

Ready, Set, Format!
Formatting is one of the most important steps in creating your file for Lulu to make sure a cut off head isn’t in a photo book or a word falling off the page. Important things to look out for include consistency, page size, paragraph sizes, etc. Go through the Editing Checklist to make sure your file is ready to go through the PDF process.

The Gutters for the leaves…. And other words in Book Formatting
There are many terms to understand in order to format your book correctly.
Below are just a few of key words to add to your publishing vocabulary. For more visit the Glossary.

Gutter – The inner margins of two facing pages in a publication
White Space – the border around the text; should be at least 1″
Bleed - The portion of an image that extends beyond the post-trim area of a page.
DPI – Dots per Inch; A measure of a device’s resolution; For graphic purposes how big your picture should be.

Want to Know More?
There’s plenty of information on the Book Formatting FAQ and in the Support forums if you get lost or just want more clarification. If you want expert advice and help, visit the Services Marketplace and use one of the many pre-publishing services.