Author of Dear Bob, Dear Betty: Love and Marriage During the Great Depression
Articles tagged "knowledge"
The Telepathy Standard
Once upon a time, there was a clear distinction between author and publisher. Despite everyone’s knowledge and expertise, not everyone had access to the tools and resources necessary to make content public. Publishing was a closed system. Now, thanks to the Internet and digital text, publishing is open and more and more opportunities are becoming available to creators, businesses, developers and publishers alike – everyday.
Today we live in a world where it’s possible for someone to share their ideas instantaneously across multiple devices and platforms – electronically or in print.
But what comes next?
Lulu Founder and CEO Bob Young shares his thoughts on that question in the The Telepathy Standard below as he highlights why telepathy is the gold standard by which authors transfer content to their readers and how we are getting closer to that standard everyday with advances in technology.
What is a Book?
In the past, publishing was a closed system with countless barriers of entry an author had to overcome before they could see their work made public.
Lulu empowers a new generation of authors to bring their knowledge and expertise to their customers easier than ever before. With the advent of eBooks and print on demand technology, the question begging to be answered is: “What is a book?”
Watch our video below to find out:
Lulu Support and Connect Update
As many of you are aware, a couple weeks back we launched a new forum and knowledge base platform, Lithium. Since then, we have been monitoring the feedback from our users, and thus far the new platform has been received quite positively. In fact, we’ve even seen some of our longtime customers return to the forums that we haven’t heard from in quite sometime – praising the new system.
We also launched Lithium with the objective of creating a clear distinction between “Support” and “Connect“. Our intention is to have the Support page be the home for issues requiring direct Lulu team member involvement, while Connect is meant to be focused on “self-service” support with our knowledge base and community of fellow users. We have reinforced that distinction consistently within Connect, and we have our users helping to reinforce it with newer customers. In the past week, we have seen over 500 posts made to the new boards, and we continue to receive positive feedback on the changes we have implemented.
Over the coming weeks, we will continue to solicit feedback from our users, and we’ll be setting up polls to help gather that data. Please check the Connect home page to see the active polls on the right-hand side. We’ll also be looking at ways to increase activity and engagement, and we welcome any suggestions you may have.
Congratulations to the Project Team and all who supported the efforts in getting Lithium launched and off to an incredibly successful first couple weeks.
Lulu Launches New Connect and Support Pages for Improved Help
At Lulu, we succeed when you do. That’s why we look to our community to help us grow, adapt and get better. Always. Today Lulu launched an all new area to the Lulu.com site, Connect! The Connect section is our new forum, knowledge base and idea exchange area, and replaces our previous system. We’re quite excited about the improvements this update is offering, including enhanced navigation, speed, and an improved content structure.
The New Connect page
Additionally, it is a launching point for our newly revised Support page. We are striving for ease and speed in getting you the type of help you need, and the Support page is focused on emailing or chatting live with the Lulu customer service team. The link for Support is presented in the upper right-hand corner of every page, which will help you access important tools and resources you may need to reference. Our customer service team is dedicated to responding to you with the best solutions for your needs — whether you’re here to make or find something remarkable.
The New Support Page
While launching Connect and our Support page, we want to clearly distinguish between the functions of the areas served. Connect is designed to be your home for interacting with other Lulu customers, browsing our knowledge base, and sharing new ideas. It’s a self-service option that also hosts our community and will help you find great solutions. In the past, the forums have served as a place to post to get assistance from Lulu team members, as well as fellow customers. Moving forward Connect and Support will be separated so you can more easily get the help you need. That said, this doesn’t mean you can’t ask for help there, or that I’m going anywhere.
Connect continues to be the home of our community, and Lulu team members will still be present there, but it’s not the place to resolve specific cases. The focus moving forward for Connect is one of collaboration, building resources for our customers and helping our product team understand your needs. Feel free to browse our comprehensive knowledge base for answers to your questions about Lulu, join the conversation, or start one of your own, to share ideas, ask questions, make friends, and learn something new.
When it comes to issues that need a team member response to a technical matter or quality concern, we encourage you to use the options available to you on Support. Our team of Lulu Specialists can instantly see your customer history and will work to get you the best solutions.
At Lulu, we’re committed to giving you a more enriched experience. Currently, our customer service team has an 81% customer satisfaction rate, and we are improving on that every week. You’re definitely in good hands! Now get out there and Connect with other Lulu customers!
Author Success: Publishers Weekly Select
The publishing industry is changing. More authors are discovering new platforms and devices to help tell their stories everyday. So much so that, last month, well-known publication Publishers Weekly highlighted approximately 200 self-published works for the first time.
You may recognize some of the titles and names in their lists and reviews because many of the works come from Lulu authors and range in topics on everything from fiction to self-help.
The folks at Lulu wanted to call even more attention to these authors and congratulate them on such an remarkable accomplishment. It makes us proud to see a new generation of authors and publishers use our tools and services to carve out a name for themselves. It is amazing to see all the different kinds of knowledge and expertise our authors are able to bring to their customers.
Please help us congratulate these authors in the comments below and be sure to check out their, now Publishers Weekly Select, works in the Lulu Marketplace.
Shadow Women
by Thérèse Bonvouloir Bayol
The McNulty clan emigrated to Quebec to escape British oppression. This story follows the lives of four women in smalltown St. Brigide and tells a tale of Irish assimilation.Promised Valley Rebellion
by Ron Fritsch
The first of a four-novel sequence set at the end of prehistory, asking whether civilization, with its countless heaven-sanctioned wars and genocides, could’ve begun differently.Four Nails in the Coffin
by Mark Wheaton
A deputy sheriff on the Texas-Mexico border gets more than she bargained for when she pursues three escaped convicts into the high desert—just one of the four horror novellas in this collection by screenwriter and graphic novelist Wheaton.
The Adventurous Life of Reamus Brownloe: From the Appalachians…
by Phillip Bryan Hartsock
A story of survival and faith narrated by a child born into poverty and violence.Spun Gold—Poetic Reflections of Pure Luminosity
by Maren Springsteen
A mandala of poems that point to the “Infinite Heart of Spirit.”Magical Shrinking: Stumbling Through Bipolar Disorder
by Christiane Wells
This journey through severe mental illness and addiction offers insight into what it’s like to hit bottom and come back.Silent M.a.g.i.c. and Other Remedies: A Journey of Transformation, a Spiritual Journey
by Kim O’Kelley-Leigh
Practical tools to living our most fulfilling lives.
Reluctance to Renown: Nobel Prize Winning Books
We’re big fans of books here at Lulu, so the office has been abuzz today about the recipient of the 2010 Nobel Prize for Literature, Mario Vargas Llosa. The 74-year-old Peruvian writer is the first South American author to win the prestigious award since 1982.
He’s been a very influential political figure throughout his life having written over 30 novels that revolve around life and the balance of power in Latin America (check out his works in the Lulu Marketplace). In the early’ 90s, Vargas Llosa even made a run for the presidency in Peru. He’s highly regarded throughout many Spanish-speaking countries for being a vigorous activist devoted to correcting social wrongs.
So I was struck by this line in an article from The New York Times:
“Like most writers toiling, I have always had the uncomfortable feeling that you never know if what you are doing has any real impact,” Vargas Llosa said.
I hear from writers all the time that are worried about whether their work matters, and here is an author who has reached the utmost prestige of literature with the same concern.
It should be an inspiration to all us, no matter the obstacles, to just get our work out there. You never know if The Swedish Academy might be calling you. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Focus: Breast Cancer Awareness Month
October is a very exciting month for many reasons – pumpkins, costumes, football games, etc. But it’s also an important month for one very special reason. I’ll give you a hint…think PINK!
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and according to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, about 207,090 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in women in the United States this year. That’s a scary statistic, but the good news is that there so many foundations, blogs, and, of course, books out there dedicated to keeping people informed and to providing support to those experiencing the disease, firsthand.
On Lulu, we are lucky enough to have some great titles right at our fingertips! Whether you have been personally touched by breast cancer or are just looking for a way to contribute to the cause, here are a couple of books that may be just what you’re looking for.
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Becoming Whole
by Meg Wolff
Written by cancer survivor, Meg Wolff, this book tells the story of her complete recovery from breast cancer after being told that a mastectomy, radiation and chemotherapy couldn’t stop her disease. Instead of giving up, Wolff took a different approach by changing her diet and is now a living testament that changing your diet can save your life.
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Mommy Found a Lump
by Nathalie G. Johnson, M.D.
This children’s book, complete with colored illustrations, was designed as a guide to assist parents in helping their children understand what a family experiences when a parent goes through the treatment of breast cancer. A portion of all sales will be donated to cancer research.
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Eat for the Cure
by Maria Fernandez
This cookbook is a compilation of recipes contributed by women all over the country, dedicated to the discovery of a cure for breast cancer. With recipes ranging from Baked Apple French Toast to Jalapeño Havarti Cheese Grits, your taste buds will thank you! All profits made from sales will benefit the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation.
The Future of the Book
One of our designers sent around a link to this video this morning. It was put together by IDEO, the global design firm, and shows the possibilities it envisions for the book. Some interesting ideas. Let us know what you think!
The Future of the Book. from IDEO on Vimeo.
