Feedback on "A Special Message from Lulu’s Founder & CEO"

[Adam]

Please post your comments on Bob's recent announcement here.

Regards,
Adam

[David G. Malick]

Is there a current price list to compare to the new one. I could not find one. I only found the book cost calculator.

[Tom Kenney]

[kevin dixon]

I have never found Lulu's printing costs to be anything but reasonable. What kills me, and prevents me from being able to use Lulu to print books I can sell is the binding price, and it looks like that has gone up even more. Now we're looking at $4.50+ for saddle staples? Maybe you should charge more for the printing and less for the binding, so the cost of 2 staples doesn't exceed the cost of producing the rest of the book.
Kevin Dixon

[RedBrick]

Hi Team Lulu,

Just got the news on the pricing changes. Given the global instability around business at present, if this is what it takes to keep Lulu in business, then so be it.

How does this affect my company, RedBrick, by way of example?

On a cursory look at our own book offerings (http://store.lulu.com/redbrick), I can see that the base price of our (all B+W):

1) Hardcover books: Goes up ~13%
2) Perfectbound books: Goes up ~24%

That's something that we will either need to absorb or pass on to our customers through a price increase (you can hear the groans already). However, I do note that using the lighter 50# "publisher-grade" (sic) paper, which is the same as is currently used on casewrap 8.5x11 hardcovers, that the price of perfectbound books goes down by ~14%.

This leaves me with an obvious question:

Q1: The price of the 60# paper is increasing from 0.02 to 0.025 per page. Hardcover casewrap books -- specifically 8.5x11 -- have this price listed per page. Does this mean that casewrap hardcover books are now using the heavier 60# paper instead of the current lighter 50# (so-called publisher-grade) paper?

If this is the case, then I think that's great and worth the price increase. If not, and hardcovers are still using the lighter 50# paper, then I would be very concerned at the price increase...

Another question, if I may.

Q2: The lighter 50# "publisher-grade" paper for perfectbound books presumably means changes to the paper used by overseas printers (Publidisa, etc). If not, and if this is only an option used by US printers, does this mean that we can use it as a mechanism to avoid having books printed by Publidisa? (Our main pain continues to come from this printer, so anything that allows us to avoid using them is a "good thing" for our customers. Sorry, but it's the truth.)

I have one last question:

Q3: Hardcover binding costs have increased (casewrap). I know that the pricing for casewrap bindings from your major competitor (begins with B and is owned by a larger company which begins with A) is *much less* than this, per unit. I really hoped the next move in this space would see, at a minimum, the $3 per book discount for purchases of 10 or more books, removed and the base binding price lowered by about the same amount, with a standard volume discount. With the probable volume of books that Lulu prints, is there no way to go back to the drawing board with your hardcover casewrap bindery and renegotiate? (FYI, I've had quotes on a range of prices based on volume, but for quantities of 10 books, still in the realm of $12 per book, including oversewing.)

My apologies if some of these comments sound harsh. They are not intended to be. We have been using Lulu for many years now, and promote and support the service on every opportunity we can. It is the way of the future and, as I noted, price increases to help keep the company profitable are a "good thing" in my opinion.

However, these sorts of changes are also opportunities for changes elsewhere -- reviewing printer performance metrics, customer satisfaction, and so on. Which is why you are asking for feedback, I know.

I guess, high on my own wishlist to go along with these changes, even if it costs the customer a little more for shipping or longer for delivery, is to be able to choose to have their books printed by printers "local" to Lulu (in the US) where the geographical presence means Lulu can keep a closer hand on quality control.

In closing, I love the other changes discussed:

a) Lower quantities for volume pricing breaks (especially if this applies to hardcovers).
b) More up-to-date and more transparent foreign currency rates.
c) Shipping moved earlier in the checkout process (something our customers will like)

That's all I have for now! Still moving in the right direction, Lulu. So please do keep up the good work.

Kind regards,

JAMES FLOWERS
Managing Director, RedBrick Limited
AUCKLAND, NZ, http://www.redbrick.co.nz

[Belinda D'Alessandro]

So, these changes will only affect the costs of printing through the Marketplace printer and NOT the costs of printing through the Distribution printer?

Does that also mean that the changes will flow through to the non-US Marketplace printers (such as the Australian printer)?

[Joan Ellen]

Has the retail price calculator
http://www.lulu.com/en/includes/calc_retail_inc.php
been updated to reflect the new prices, or is it still using the old figures?

Also, I don't see 6x9 listed on the chart. Are the 6x9 books not affected?

[David G. Malick]

[Maribeth]

Wow - my binding cost is going to go up from $4.53 to $5.50... for a 32pg saddle stitch? I wish they could have tried a smaller increase.... like increasing to just $5.00. If we have to raise the price of our books so much that people won't buy them, it's not going to help us OR Lulu any.

Also, my increased price per page will be .05 more per page...

I can definitely understand prices needing to go up a bit with the economy the way it is, but that increase is quite a bite...

Maribeth

[Adam]