What Distribution Services does Lulu offer?

KnowledgeBase > Services FAQ > ISBN FAQ > Distribution FAQ > What Distribution Services does Lulu offer?

Lulu offers two choices for distributing your titles – Published by Lulu and Published by You. These options are mutually exclusive and cannot be changed once purchased.

The Basics of Lulu's Amazon Marketplace Pilot

What books were used in this pilot program?
Lulu uploaded a selection of Publicly available / General Access books that have sold on the Lulu Marketplace.

Does the Amazon Marketplace Pilot cost anything?
The pilot program does not cost anything. Once Lulu has the service fully defined, an end date will be chosen for the pilot and Lulu will communicate in advance any changes to the service and you can decide whether to continue to list your title on Amazon's Marketplace or not.

What Amazon sites does Lulu upload the books to?
At this time Lulu is only uploading to the Amazon.com site, not the international Amazon sites.

What if I don't want my book on Amazon?
To opt out of the Amazon Marketplace Pilot send an email to amazon-opt-out@lulu.com with the Project ID of the book(s) you want to remove.

What if something is incorrect on my book's Amazon Marketplace listing?
On the Email Support Page select the "Help with ISBN/Distribution" option. Enter the email address you created your Lulu account with. Select Published by Lulu or Published by You for the Type of Distribution you need assistance with. In the Describe your problem field, supply the Project ID of the book and the correct information that should be on the Amazon Marketplace listing.

What if my book is already on Amazon.com?
The Amazon Marketplace pilot books will show in the New and Used section of the listing.

What if I change the price of my book?
Lulu is making periodic updates to ensure the correct price on Amazon Marketplace listings.

Last updated: 2009-07-09 16:59:10 | Back to top

Published By You - US

Lulu offers the Published by You distribution service for $99.95:
This service allows you, the author, to register to become your own publisher and purchase your own unique ISBN from the official US ISBN Agency. This ISBN is directly mapped to you as the official, registered publisher. The Books In Print database and others will show your registered details as publisher.

Publisher Name
Address
Telephone
E-mail
ISBN

Coordinator Information Rights
Coordinator Information

Book Information
Audience Information
Contributor Information
Categories and Subject Area

Once the service has been purchased, Lulu will work with the US ISBN Agency to process your information. Your ISBN will be assigned within 3-4 business days.

Registration includes:

  • You will be registered as the publisher.
  • A single, unique ISBN which you should allocate to a single, available book title. The ISBN should never be re-used. The ISBN is the property of the registered publisher and as such is non-transferable.
  • A scannable Bookland-EAN bar code placed on the back cover. (Not applicable to one-piece covers.)
  • Bibliographic data on your book will be fed by Lulu to major international bibliographic databases and available to booksellers. At the booksellers' discretion, your book may be made available for sale online or in bookstores.
  • Lulu will convert your retail price into five currencies (US dollars, British pounds, Australian dollars, Euros, and Canadian dollars) to facilitate global availability and purchasing.
  • A listing in a wholesaler's catalog, giving you access to online retailers such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Published By You License Agreement

See also - How do I purchase a Distribution Package?

Last updated: 2009-07-09 16:14:07 | Back to top

Books Eligible for Published By You

Books Eligible for Published by You Distribution Services
U.S. Trade
6 x 9"
15.24 x 22.86 cm
Black & White Perfect Bound books - 48 to 700 Pages
Black & White Casewrap Hardcover books - 108 to 700 pages
Black & White Dust Jacket Hardcover books - 108 to 700 pages
 
U.S. Letter
8.5 x 11"
21.59 x 27.94 cm
Black & White Perfect Bound books - 48 to 700 Pages
Color Saddle Stitch books - 4 to 48 pages
Color Perfect Bound books - 48 to 480 pages
 
Large Square
8.5 x 8.5"
21.59 x 21.59 cm
Color Saddle Stitch books - 4 to 48 pages
Color Perfect Bound books - 48 to 480 pages
 
Royal
15.59 x 23.38 cm
6.13 x 9.21"
Black & White Perfect Bound books - 68 to 700 pages
 
Crown Quarto
18.90 x 24.58 cm
7.44 x 9.68"
Black & White Perfect Bound books - 68 to 700 Pages
 
A4
20.99 x 29.70 cm
8.26 x 11.69"
Black & White Perfect Bound books - 68 to 700 Pages
Note: If the page count is not divisible by 4, the printer adds enough blank pages to the back of the book to make it so.

See Also: Mandatory Requirements for Distribution

Last updated: 2009-07-09 16:13:56 | Back to top

Published By Lulu

Lulu offers the Published by Lulu Distribution Service for $99.95 FREE:
With this service you grant publishing rights to Lulu and receive a Lulu-owned ISBN for your book. This is an ISBN that Lulu purchased in advance and makes "Lulu.com" the registered publisher of the ISBN and the book it is applied to. This distribution package submits your book to ISBN agency databases (Bowker's Books in Print and Nielsen Book Data) and list it for sale at Amazon.com.

Registration includes:

  • Publishing rights granted to Lulu.
  • Immediate assignment of a unique ISBN for your title, visible in your project’s data. "Lulu.com" will be listed as the publisher.
  • A scannable Bookland-EAN bar code placed on the back cover (Not applicable to one-piece covers.)
  • Bibliographic data on your book will be fed by Lulu to major international bibliographic databases and available to booksellers.
  • Lulu will convert your retail price into five currencies (US dollars, British pounds, Australian dollars, Euros, and Canadian dollars) to facilitate global visibility.
  • A listing that makes your book available for purchase at Amazon.com.

Published By Lulu License Agreement

See also - How do I purchase a Distribution Package?

Last updated: 2009-07-09 16:58:17 | Back to top

Books Eligible for Published By Lulu

Books Eligible for Published by Lulu Distribution Services
U.S. Trade
6 x 9"
15.24 x 22.86 cm
Black & White Perfect Bound books - 32 to 740 pages
Color Perfect Bound books - 32 to 200 pages
 
Comic Book
6.625 x 10.25"
16.82 x 26 cm
Black & White Perfect Bound books - 32 to 740 pages
Color Perfect Bound books - 32 to 200 pages
 
Small Square
7.5 x 7.5"
19 x 19 cm
Black & White Perfect Bound books - 32 to 500 pages
Color Perfect Bound books - 32 to 200 pages
 
Pocket Size
4.25 x 6.87"
10.79 x 17.46 cm
Black & White Perfect Bound books - 40 to 740 pages
 
Royal
15.59 x 23.38 cm
6.13 x 9.21"
Black & White Perfect Bound books - 68 to 740 Pages
Color Perfect Bound books - 68 to 200 pages
 
Crown Quarto
18.90 x 24.58 cm
7.44 x 9.68"
Black & White Perfect Bound books - 68 to 740 Pages
Color Perfect Bound books - 68 to 200 pages
 
A5
14.81 x 20.99 cm
5.83 x 8.26"
Black & White Perfect Bound books - 32 to 740 pages
Color Perfect Bound books - 32 to 200 pages
Note: If the page count is not divisible by 4, the printer adds enough blank pages to the back of the book to make it so.

See Also: Mandatory Requirements for Distribution

Last updated: 2009-07-09 16:58:39 | Back to top

Expanded Distribution for Published by Lulu

The Published by Lulu Expanded Distribution Service can be purchased for books with Published by Lulu Distribution (bought after June 23, 2008). The Expanded Distribution service increases your book's visibility to far more channels than just Published by Lulu including BarnesandNoble.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk, and many more online retailers. Your book will also be available for bookstores to order through the wholesaler Ingram.

Purchase "Published by Lulu Expanded Distribution Service"

Last updated: 2009-07-09 16:58:49 | Back to top

Published by Lulu Expanded Distribution Eligibility

Books Eligible for Expanded Published by Lulu Services
U.S. Trade
6 x 9"
15.24 x 22.86 cm
Black & White Perfect Bound books - 48 to 700 pages
Black & White Casewrap Hardcover books - 108 to 700 pages
Black & White Dust Jacket Hardcover books - 108 to 700 pages
 
Royal
15.59 x 23.38 cm
6.13 x 9.21"
Black & White Perfect Bound books - 68 to 700 Pages
 
Crown Quarto
18.90 x 24.58 cm
7.44 x 9.68"
Black & White Perfect Bound books - 68 to 700 Pages
 
A4
20.99 x 29.70 cm
8.27 x 11.69"
Black & White Perfect Bound books - 68 to 700 Pages
 
Large Square
8.5 x 8.5"
21.59 x 21.59 cm
Color Perfect Bound books - 48 to 480 Pages
Color Saddle Stitch books - 4 to 48 Pages
 
U.S. Letter
8.5 x 11"
21.59 x 27.94 cm
Black & White Perfect Bound books - 48 to 700 Pages
Color Perfect Bound books - 48 to 480 Pages
Color Saddle Stitch books - 4 to 48 Pages
Note: If the page count is not divisible by 4, the printer will add enough blank pages to the back of the book to make it so.

 

Your book must also meet the Mandatory Distribution Requirements and be approved for distribution (approve your book in your account after you have reviewed your proof copy).

Last updated: 2009-07-09 16:13:50 | Back to top

Which books are eligible for Distribution?

Published by Lulu and Published by You Distribution Services are available for the following sizes and pages counts:

U.S. Trade
6 x 9"
15.24 x 22.86 cm
Published by You
Black and White Perfect Bound books - 48 to 700 Pages
Black and White Casewrap Hardcover books - 108 to 700 pages
Black and White Dust Jacket Hardcover books - 108 to 700 pages
Published by Lulu
Black and White Perfect Bound books - 32 to 740 pages
Color Perfect Bound books - 32 to 200 pages
 
U.S. Letter
8.5 x 11"
21.59 x 27.94 cm
Published by You
Black and White Perfect Bound books - 48 to 700 Pages
Color Perfect Bound books - 48 to 480 pages
Color Saddle Stitch books - 4 to 48 pages
 
Comic Book
6.625 x 10.25"
16.82 x 26 cm
Published by Lulu
Black and White Perfect Bound books - 32 to 740 pages
Color Perfect Bound books - 32 to 200 pages
 
Small Square
7.5 x 7.5"
19 x 19 cm
Published by Lulu
Black and White Perfect Bound books - 32 to 500 pages
Color Perfect Bound books - 32 to 200 pages
 
Large Square
8.5 x 8.5"
21.59 x 21.59 cm
Published by You
Color Saddle Stitch books - 4 to 48 pages
Color Perfect Bound books - 48 to 480 pages
 
Pocket Size
4.25 x 6.87"
10.79 x 17.46 cm
Published by Lulu
Black and White Perfect Bound books - 40 to 740 pages
 
Royal
15.59 x 23.38 cm
6.13 x 9.21"
Published by You
Black & White Perfect Bound books - 68 to 700 pages

Published by Lulu
Black and White Perfect Bound books - 68 to 740 pages
Color Perfect Bound books - 68 to 200 pages

 
Crown Quatro
18.90 x 24.58 cm
7.44 x 9.68"
Published by You
Black and White Perfect Bound books - 68 to 700 Pages
Published by Lulu
Black and White Perfect Bound books - 68 to 740 Pages
Color Perfect Bound books - 68 to 200 pages
 
A4
20.99 x 29.70 cm
8.26 x 11.69"
Published by You
Black and White Perfect Bound books - 68 to 700 Pages
 
A5
14.81 x 20.99 cm
5.83 x 8.26"
Published by Lulu
Black and White Perfect Bound books - 32 to 740 pages
Color Perfect Bound books - 32 to 200 pages
Note: If the page count is not divisible by 4, the printer adds enough blank pages to the back of the book to make it so.

See Also: Mandatory Requirements for Distribution.

Last updated: 2009-07-09 16:14:17 | Back to top

Distribution Package Comparison

Retail Channel Availability
Published By You
Published By Lulu
Before 06/24/08
Published By Lulu
After 06/23/08
Expanded Distribution
Amazon.com
X
X
X
X
International Amazons
(Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.ca, etc.)
X
X
 
X
BarnesandNoble.com and many other online retailers
X
X
 
X
Wholesale availability through Ingram
X
X
 
X
Bibliographic data sent to US and UK ISBN Agencies
X
X
X
X
ISBN assignment
X
X
X
X
Lulu is publisher (Lulu owns the ISBN)
X
X
X
You are the publisher (You own the ISBN)
X
     

Last updated: 2009-07-09 16:58:15 | Back to top

Mandatory Requirements for Distribution

The industry requires that your book adhere to certain standards, and it is up to you to ensure your book meets these requirements. If your book is submitted before it meets these requirements, it will be rejected and your book distribution will be delayed while you work to bring your book into compliance.

  1. Requirements for all book covers
    1. If including the retail price on the cover, it must exactly match the retail price for the book. Lulu does not add the price to the book cover.
    2. Keep all important text and images at least 0.375" (.25" bleed area + .125" safety area) from all sides (including the spine) of the cover. This area may be trimmed off or obscured by the cover bend.
    3. Keep in mind that B&W 8.5 x 11" books will be printed at 8.25" x 11" through the retail channels, so you may need to increase the distance of any text or images from the edges to take this into account.
    4. Spine text must be at least .0625" away from all edges of the spine. Text that is too close to the edge of the spine will be reduced in size to fit. (This may result in very small text on the spine of the book.)
      1. Additional requirements for one-piece covers:
        1. Use these dimensions.
        2. Cover must have correct 13-digit ISBN/EAN.
        3. Bar codes must be provided in black and white.
        4. Bar codes should be 1.833" wide by 1" high.
        5. There cannot be spine text on books with less than 80 pages.
  2. Requirements for book interiors
    1. If providing a PDF it must be distilled using Adobe; if uploading a word processing document, Lulu will distill it using Adobe.)
    2. Embed all fonts (and all font family members used) when distilling the PDF.
    3. Book must have a Title page.
    4. Book must have a Copyright page with your correct 13-digit ISBN/EAN and a copyright notice. The Copyright page must come after the Title page.
    5. Final page of each book must be completely blank.
    6. Margins must be at least .5" on all sides. The left margin must be equal to the right margin, and the top margin must be equal to the bottom margin.
    7. A gutter may be added to the document in addition to the margins. (What does this mean?)
    8. Page numbering must be correct. No page numbers may be skipped. A page can go without a number, but it must be counted and consistent.
    9. All files should be submitted at high-resolution (between 300 dpi and 600dpi).
    10. If any page in the book will have color or images that extend to the edge of a page (full bleed), format the document according to the full bleed specifications.
    11. If the page count is not divisible by 4, the printer adds enough blank pages to the back of the book to make it so.
  3. Requirements for the Publishing Wizard
    1. Book Description, Author and Title must use a Latin Character set. We cannot accept Russian, Chinese, Japanese and other non-Latin characters.

See also - Which books are eligible for Distribution?

Last updated: 2009-07-09 16:56:20 | Back to top

How do I purchase a Distribution package?

  1. Go to the "My Lulu" tab.
  2. Go to your "My Projects" list.
  3. Click the "Purchase a distribution package." link by the book title.

Last updated: 2009-07-09 16:56:25 | Back to top

Common issues purchasing a Distribution Service

  • Your book is not eligible for either Distribution type, Books eligible for Published by You or Books eligible for Published by Lulu
  • You may only purchase one Distribution package at a time. Clean out your shopping cart and try again.
  • You cannot purchase Distribution when you have already entered an ISBN into your book’s information page. Remove the ISBN, and try purchasing again.
  • In order to purchase Distribution, your book must either be “Direct Access” or “Available to the Public”. Go to your My Projects page and revise the book's access.
  • To see the Published by You option, your account’s country must be set to United States, and you need a U.S. address and telephone number. Change your account's country here.

Last updated: 2009-07-09 16:56:21 | Back to top

Last updated: 2009-07-09 16:13:15

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