FAQs

Program Basics

Publishing

Selling Books

Ordering Books

Shipping to the United States

Author Support

Refund Policy

Program Basics

What is Borders Personal Publishing?

Borders Personal Publishing is a new service that enables our customers to publish their own books quickly, easily, and cost effectively in paperback or hard cover formats. This new Borders program is powered by Lulu.com. Lulu provides the technology you’ll use to publish your book online. Now, Borders customers can create their own professionally-bound works, whether they are personal gifts for friends, family, and colleagues or works intended for the retail market. Borders Personal Publishing authors can sell their books commercially on the Borders and Lulu online marketplaces. We also offer services to assist authors in creating the picture perfect book of their dreams. Soon, Borders will offer additional opportunities to sell your commercial works in designated areas of our stores or host an author event at your local Borders.

Currently, the Borders Personal Publishing program is in an initial pilot phase for testing purposes, so you may have some questions about how the program works. If the FAQ doesn’t answer your questions, please feel free to email us at borderspub@lulu.com with questions, comments, or suggestions. Thanks for helping us during this pilot program!

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Who is Borders Personal Publishing for?

Borders Personal Publishing is for anyone who ever wanted to create a professional, bookstore-quality book. Here are a few examples of Borders customers who would use the Personal Publishing service:

  • Aspiring authors who want to sell their fiction or non-fiction works to others
  • Artists who wanting a professionally-bound portfolio to showcase their works
  • Individuals who’ve always wanted to write their memoirs
  • Teachers who want to compile their student’s works into a classroom keepsake
  • Subject matter experts who want to share their knowledge with Borders customers
  • Youth groups interested in creating a fundraising project or year book

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How much does it cost to use Borders Personal Publishing?

Publishing through Borders Personal Publishing is free. There is no set-up fee and no requirement that you buy copies of your work.

When someone wants to buy your content, our personal publishing partner, Lulu handles the transaction and pays you the creator revenue you specified.

Lulu takes a small commission when someone else buys your content. Lulu’s commission is a small markup of the amount you set as your creative revenue. The purchase price of books also includes a base cost for raw materials and printing service.

If you want to sell your book in retail channels, we offer several packages that you can buy when you begin the process. They are meant to streamline the publishing process for you, so you can get your book distributed as quickly as possible. (Read about the distribution packages here.)

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How do I register?

To register for the Borders Personal Publishing program, you can sign up at an interactive digital kiosk located in the digital department at select Borders stores or you can sign up online at http://publish.bordersstores.com.

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What is Lulu?

Lulu.com is the premiere marketplace for new digital content on the Internet. Lulu is changing the world of publishing by enabling creators to publish their work themselves with complete editorial and copyright control. Lulu empowers these individuals and corporations to create high-quality products to sell directly to their customers and the rest of the Lulu.com marketplace.

By partnering with Lulu.com, we are opening the door to digital self-publishing at Borders. This program will combine the control and technology of digital media with the wide-reaching audience and customer service you associate with Borders stores.

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Publishing

How do I publish a book?

First, you must join Borders Personal Publishing and open an account.

Once you’re logged into your Borders Personal Publishing account, you’ll see a link to publish a new book. This link will take you to Lulu.com, where you’ll create your book using their publishing process. You will upload your file, choose your cover, and price your book.

If you have any trouble with this process, you have several options:

  • You can peruse Lulu’s Help pages. They have extensive information on how to use their publishing tools.
  • You can email borderspub@lulu.com, which will put you in direct contact with a Borders Personal Publishing representative.
  • You can use the Lulu Live Help chat service. A Lulu specialist can help you with any hurdles you might encounter using their technology.

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Here are some helpful links from Lulu’s Help pages:


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What can I publish with Borders Personal Publishing?

With Borders Personal Publishing, you can publish books online and have your paperback or hard cover book printed and shipped directly to yourself or others. You may keep your published works in a private workspace accessible only to yourself for ordering, or you can sell those works at the Borders and Lulu online marketplaces when you purchase one of our services offering retail distribution. Your book will be available on the new borders.com website launching in 2008.

Authors can have their books published in these formats:

  • Perfect bound Paperback, 6” x 9” or 8.5” x 11”
  • Hard cover with a case wrapped binding, 6” x 9” or 8.5” x 11”
  • Hard cover with dust jacket, 6” x 9”
  • eBook downloadable PDF (available on the Lulu.com marketplace)

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Why are there other book size options on Lulu? Can I choose a size that isn’t listed on the Borders Personal Publishing page?

While we are in the initial pilot phase of the program, you will see book size other options on Lulu.com. However, they don’t all apply to this program and you shouldn’t choose them. Not all Lulu projects qualify for ISBNs or retail distribution. Borders Personal Publishing will provide you with opportunities you won’t find on Lulu, so you’ll need to make sure that your book follows the guidelines of our test program. Please also make sure that you don’t purchase a Distribution Package on Lulu. We want to provide you with a Borders-owned ISBN and the ability to have your book appear in Borders stores, in addition to other retail sites. Making another retail distribution choice won’t give you these great Borders opportunities. If you’re unsure about what kind of choices you can make, please don’t hesitate to email borderspub@lulu.com.

For your reference, the books you may create for this program are:

  • 6 x 9 perfect bound black & white or color book Example PDF
  • 8.5 x 11 perfect bound black & white or color book Example PDF
  • 6 x 9 hardcover casewrap black & white or color book Example PDF
  • 8.5 x 11 hardcover casewrap black & white or color book Example PDF
  • 6 x 9 hardcover dust jacket black & white or color books Example PDF
  • eBook of any size in PDF format to sell at Lulu.com

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What services does Borders Personal Publishing offer?

Borders Personal Publishing offers exclusive services to assist authors in creating their own polished, professional works from cover to cover. We provide support by offering you, the author, help in styling and editing your book to ensure that your ideas are communicated well to readers. Let Borders Personal Publishing guide you toward developing a high-quality book with these author services:

  • Interior Page Design: A skilled page designer will implement your ideal page design. Choose from Borders’s exclusive interior page styles, and let our experts apply these design elements throughout your book. Please allow 2 weeks for service completion.

  • Editorial Evaluation: Would you like a professional editor to review and assess your book and provide you with valuable feedback about how various writing principles are used throughout? The Editorial Evaluation service provides authors with an unbiased assessment of a work’s strengths and provides recommendations for those areas needing additional editorial consideration. This service is the perfect precursor to the full Copy Edit service. As an added bonus, your editor will include an actual copy edit of five pages of your book to demonstrate the difference a professional copy edit can make. Please allow 2 weeks for service completion

  • Copy Edit: By selecting one of the Borders Personal Publishing Copy Edit services, you have made an investment in the overall quality of your book. Depending on the level of editing required, an experienced copy editor will review your book page by page and correct grammar, punctuation, spelling, word choice, and style errors. According to the service level recommended in the Editorial Evaluation, the editor will perform minor or major sentence restructuring throughout the book to help improve the flow and clarity of your work where needed. Our skilled editors will also look for instances where an author may need to cite other works or obtain permission from an external source to use certain content. The Borders Copy Edit services will provide the most valuable and noticeable improvement to your book. Please allow 3 weeks for service completion

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Does my book need editing?

Typically, all books that will be sold through retail channels should undergo at least one copy edit. A copy edit provides valuable feedback to the Author directly in the work itself. Our editors will check your entire book for spelling and grammar errors, word choice accuracy, and consistent use of standard writing principles. Our editors will also make recommendations where light sentence restructuring may be required to help improve the clarity of your ideas.

Borders recommends purchasing an Editorial Evaluation prior to the formal copy edit. The evaluation will provide more general feedback for an author to apply throughout the book. Once the author has had an opportunity to incorporate our editors’ feedback, he may resubmit the work for another evaluation or move forward with the copy edit service. At that point, the copy edit will provide the most value to the author’s work.

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Does my book need page design?

If you are unfamiliar with standard book formatting principles, would like assistance in designing the interior layout or your work, or want to give your book a professional polish, then the Borders Personal Publishing Page Design service is perfect for you. A Borders Personal Publishing page designer will apply an interior style of your choice to make your book shine.

We have developed exclusive designs depending on the type of book you are working on. We can accommodate the following types of books:


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How do I make a cover for my book?

Once you login to Borders Personal Publishing and then enter Lulu’s publishing process, you’ll begin to create your book. Although we are offering you exclusive page design and editing services for the inside of your book, you’ll have to create your own cover in Lulu’s cover wizard. There are two kinds of covers that we accept, and they’re described here:

Two-piece covers:

  • The easiest way to make a cover for your book is to use one of the cover design templates from Lulu’s cover gallery, which you’ll see during the cover step of the publishing process. You can choose from a wide array of front and back covers, and include a description and author picture on the back. (Remember that all images should be 300 dpi.)
  • Another easy way to create your cover is to use your own images. During the cover step, you can upload images for the front and back cover and customize the colors and text on the front, back, and spine. Remember that you can only use JPG, GIF, or PNG files for the front or back cover, and that the image(s) must be high-resolution: at least 300 dpi.
  • If you choose to use a two-piece cover, we will generate a barcode to go with your ISBN (if you have one). This makes the two-piece cover much easier, since you won’t have to generate and place the barcode on your book cover.

One-piece covers:

You may also choose to use a one-piece cover of your own design. This means that the front and back covers are not separate, and the cover design includes the back, spine, and front in one PDF file. We will allow you to upload this type of cover, but please keep in mind that this kind of cover is more complicated; you must calculate the spine correctly, and you’ll have to create the barcode for the back of your book. Lulu’s Help center has information on one-piece covers, and information on barcodes.

If you need general help with covers, read over Lulu’s Cover FAQ

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What requirements does my book have to follow?

In order to sell your book through retailers, there are certain industry standards to which your book must adhere. If you’ve decided to use the exclusive Borders Services, like the Page Design, these requirements will be met automatically. If you’re creating your book largely on your own, you’ll need to take care to see that these requirements are met.

We are committed to making sure that your book looks as polished and professional as possible, so it’s important that you follow these requirements to ensure that your book is held to the same standards as traditionally published books.

**Please note that if your book is a private project without an ISBN, you don’t have to follow these guidelines**

Requirements for all book covers

  • If you include your retail price on the cover, it must exactly match the retail price you set on your book. Borders will not add the price to your book cover, which is fine. Many books do not have the price coded or listed on the cover.
  • Keep all text and images at least 0.375" from all sides of the cover. This area may be trimmed off. (This includes .25" bleed area and .125" safety area.)
  • Keep in mind that paperback B&W 8.5x11 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.
  • 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 your book.) If your book is thin, you may wish to eliminate the spine text.

Additional requirements for one-piece covers

  • Cover must have correct 13-digit ISBN/EAN.
  • Bar codes must be provided in black and white.
  • Bar codes should be 1.833" wide by 1" high.
  • Requirements for book data and interiors
  • The book description should be between 40 and 1,000 characters; longer descriptions may not be displayed by booksellers.
  • Text must be an Adobe distilled PDF. (If you provide your own PDF it must be distilled using Adobe; if you upload a word processing document, we will distill it using Adobe.)
  • Embed all fonts (and all font family members used) when distilling your PDF.
  • Final page of each book must be completely blank.
  • Book must have a Title page.
  • Book must have a Copyright page with your correct 13-digit ISBN/EAN. The Copyright page must come after the Title page.
  • Margins must be at least .5" on all sides. Your left margin must be equal to your right margin, and your top margin must be equal to your bottom margin.
  • You may add a gutter to your document in addition to your margins. A “gutter” is just a little bit of extra space on the facing pages of the document, which corrects for the bit of paper that is bound in the spine. We suggest a gutter of 3/8” if you choose to have one.
  • Page numbering must be correct. No page numbers may be skipped. You can have a page without a page number on it, but it must be counted and consistent.
  • All files should be submitted at high-resolution (300 dpi).

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Why don’t I see “Borders” while I’m creating my book?

During the pilot phase of Borders Personal Publishing, you won’t see the Borders name while you’re on Lulu creating your book. However, your book will be included in the Borders program when you’ve finished creating it. Borders and Lulu are working together to develop a seamless publishing experience in the near future. If you have questions about the Borders Personal Publishing program, Lulu, or are concerned about your account, please email borderspub@lulu.com.

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How do I get back to the Borders page after I’ve begun creating my book on Lulu?

There are several Borders pages to which you may log in:


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What rights does Borders Personal Publishing have over my published work?

Borders Personal Publishing is designed to give control directly to the creators and owners of content. When publishing through Borders Personal Publishing, you hold the copyright over all of your content, and we never ask you to give up any rights to us.

You continue to own the rights in your name or, if you have arrangements, on behalf of others. Your purchase and use of any Borders Personal Publishing services does not undermine your rights or copyright.

We do not approve of any violation of intellectual property rights. The Content section of the Lulu Membership Agreement outlines rights maintained by Borders Personal Publishing, Lulu, and the account holder.

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Who is the publisher — me or Borders Personal Publishing?

Borders Personal Publishing handles publishing and distribution outside of the Borders Personal Publishing and Lulu marketplaces on websites such as Amazon.com, Barnes&Noble.com, and other online retail sites. Your book’s ISBN will identify Borders Personal Publishing as the publisher of the work, but you will retain all of the rights to the content of your book.

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Selling Books

How do I sell my book with Borders Personal Publishing?

There are several ways to sell your Borders Personal Publishing book with retailers. The easiest way is to purchase one of the following publishing packages:

  • Premium Package – $499 - This is our premier publishing service. In addition to an ISBN for your book, you will also receive professional publishing and editorial support, plus a complimentary proof copy of your book. When you choose this service, your book is distributed with retailers worldwide, and it also becomes automatically eligible for future in-store programs and services.
  • Standard Package – $299- With this package, you’ll receive an ISBN, a professional page design service, and a complimentary proof copy of the book to help prepare your book for publishing. With this service, your book is distributed with retailers worldwide.
  • ISBN Registration Service – $49 - With this basic offering, your book will be assigned an ISBN and will be listed for sale through online retail channels, including through Borders stores. You can also choose to create your book without one of these packages, and purchase an ISBN and distribution from Borders Personal Publishing later. These options will be available on the Borders Personal Publishing Services page at http://publish.bordersstores.com. You’ll still have to register for the program at a Borders store, but you don’t have to buy a package up-front to qualify for the program.

Remember that there are requirements your book must meet if you intend to sell it in the retail market. Please see these requirements here.

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Who should buy the Borders Personal Publishing Premium Package?

If you are serious about shaping up your book for the retail market, the Premium Package is the best choice. Since it comes with an Editorial Analysis and an Interior Page Design service, you know that you’ll be receiving the treatment a traditional publishing house would provide its authors. You will get an ISBN for your book and the custom U-Publish guide, which provides an overview of how to self-publish. We will also give you a free proof copy of the book, and you’ll have peace of mind in the knowledge that your book will be as polished as any best-seller when it hits the marketplace. Buy it here.

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Who should buy the Borders Personal Publishing Standard Package?

The Standard Package is perfect if you are new to self publishing and would like limited professional assistance with your book. You’ll receive an ISBN and the custom U-Publish guide. This package also includes an Interior Page Design service to enhance the look of your book, and you’ll get a free proof copy for your perusal. You will still have the opportunity to order additional services for your book before it’s distributed for retail sale.

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Who should buy the Borders Personal Publishing ISBN Registration Service?

ISBN Registration is the most basic package we offer to sell your book through online retailers and ensure your work is available to order at any Borders store. You will have the opportunity to order professional editing or page design services later, if you wish. If flexibility is the most important thing to you, this is a great starting place. Buy it here.

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What is an ISBN?

ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number. An ISBN is the universal book identifier that allows booksellers to sell new and existing titles. Typically, publishers assign ISBN’s for new works published by their authors but Borders Personal Publishing also offers our authors the same opportunity to have an ISBN for selling their books through online and in-store retail channels.

Books must meet certain format and page requirements to qualify for an ISBN. Below are the types of books and page count specifications that must be met to qualify for an ISBN:

Book and Page Count Specifications Page Min Page Max
Perfect bound Paperback, 6” x 9” or 8.5” x 11” (B&W) 48 700
Perfect bound Paperback, 8.5” x 11” only (Color) 48 480
Hard cover with a case wrapped binding, 6” x 9” or 8.5” x 11” (B&W) 108 700
Hard cover with dust jacket, 6” x 9” (B&W) 108 700

Note: Your page count should be divisible by 4. If it is not, the printer adds enough blank pages to the back of your book to make its page count divisible by 4.

Note: Perfect Bound books with less than 77 pages will not have any spine text.

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Does my book need an ISBN?

Authors who would like to sell books commercially through retail channels do need an ISBN for each book. Borders Personal Publishing authors can purchase unique ISBNs for their books and sell those works on the Borders Personal Publishing Marketplace, bordersstores.com, and the Lulu online marketplace, as well as many other retailers globally. An ISBN will also allow your customers to order and purchase your book at any Borders store. If Borders does not have a book in stock, customers can place their orders on a kiosk terminal or directly with a Borders employee.

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What are royalties?

As a Borders Personal Publishing author, you have the opportunity to sell your books commercially and collect a royalty for each work sold. When an author buys one of the Borders Personal Publishing Services offering retail distribution, the author’s book is assigned a Borders Personal Publishing-owned ISBN. The creator revenue generated by sales of this material with a Borders Personal Publishing-owned ISBN meet the true and legal definition of a royalty. Royalties are reported to the IRS and are subject to withholding.

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Will Borders carry my book in the store?

Currently, Borders does not have a program for in-store placement of books published through Borders Personal Publishing. However, in-store services are being developed and are scheduled to launch in 2008.

To be eligible for these future in-store programs, an Editorial Evaluation must be performed and the book must also have an ISBN assigned to it. Additional requirements to qualify for in-store programs will be outlined when each new in-store service is announced. If you intend to participate in our future in-store programs, you should consider getting an editorial evaluation now, so that your book is prepared when our new programs are released next year.

We recommend our Premium Package for authors interested in participating in book placement programs or in-store event services. It includes the editorial evaluation and page design that will qualify your book for these future programs. There’s no better way to make your book stand out than to have supplementary support during the authoring process.

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Do I have to list my book for sale?

No. You may host private works, books only available to you for modifying and ordering, within your online account. Private works can be converted to public works at a later date, allowing you to sell books through online and in-store channels.

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Who can buy my book?

If you select to distribute your work through retail channels, anyone can buy your book online at Lulu.com or the Borders Personal Publishing marketplace. Customers will also be able to visit Borders stores and purchase your book on a Digital Center Kiosk or allow our store employees assist you with a special order to ship to your home. Soon, you will also be able to sell your work in designated sections of your local Borders store and at the new borders.com website launching in 2008.

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Ordering Books

How much will my printed book cost?

Privately sold works follow an easy cost calculation, just calculate the price of a book cover and add in the cost for each interior page. Cover prices are as follows: $4.53 for a paperback cover; $14 for a hard cover case wrap, $15 for a hard cover plus dust jacket. Interior pages cost $0.02 per black and white page or $0.15 for color pages. For example, a 200 page black and white paperback book costs $8.53: $4.53 for the cover + $4.00 (which is 200 X $.02) for interior pages = $8.53 total.

If a book is sold through retail, the selling price is higher. Authors can choose to collect creator revenues, which increases the price of the book. In additional to creator revenue markups, books are subject to a mandatory retail markup of 50%.

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Do I get a discount if I buy in bulk?

  • Bulk order discounts for paperback books are available in quantities as low as 26 copies
  • If you purchase 10 or more copies of a hardcover book, you will receive a discount of $3.00 off the binding fee for each book.

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Shipping to the United States

Expect paperback books to ship within 4 business days after your order date and hardcover books to ship within 10 business days after your order date. Borders Personal Publishing sends you an email when an item ships.

See the table below for average delivery times for orders with at least one ship-to destination in the United States.

US Shipping Methods:

  • UPS Ground 2-6 business days
  • UPS 2nd Day Air 2 business days
  • UPS Next Day Air Saver Next business day
  • USPS Priority Mail 2-3 business days average
  • USPS Media Mail No time guarantees (usually 1-3 weeks)
  • We do not offer shipping insurance.

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How long should it take to receive an order?

When you purchase Borders Personal Publishing content on Lulu.com, the amount of time it takes for you to receive your purchase varies. It depends on the format you select (for example, print or download) and the shipping method you choose. (If your order stays in a Fulfilling state for longer than the stated fulfillment time, please report the problem from your order history page.)

  • Paperback books must go through the print on demand manufacturing process. They usually ship within 4 business days after your order date. (Orders of more than 25 may take from 6-8 business days.)
  • Expect your order to arrive in about a week plus the shipment time associated with the class of shipping you selected.
  • Hardcover books go through a more extensive print on demand manufacturing process. They usually ship within 10 business days after your order date.
  • You will receive an email from Lulu when the Borders Personal Publishing item ships.
  • If you feel that your shipment time has been exceeded, make sure you entered the correct address for the order. Many times orders are returned to us with undeliverable addresses. You can find the shipping address in your order receipt email or by checking your order history.
  • If you purchased a title in download format, it is available immediately in your downloads/purchases.

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Author Support

Where do I go for help with my book?

If you cannot find the answers you are searching for in the Borders Personal Publishing FAQ, the Author Services page or the Program Information page, please visit our publishing partner’s help page at http://www.lulu.com/help, where Lulu provides in depth publishing information. If you need additional assistance, Lulu also provides a free live online chat service available on its website, or you can email a customer service representative directly at borderspub@lulu.com.

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Refund Policy

What is the Borders Personal Publishing refund policy regarding Books?

Refunds will not be issued if your title has already been submitted for page formatting, editorial analysis or a copy edit. For ISBN registrations, refunds will not be issued once the ISBN has been assigned.

If you are experiencing any problems with Borders Personal Publishing services, please email borderspub@lulu.com and we will be happy to assist you.

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What is the Borders Personal Publishing refund policy regarding Services?

Borders Personal Publishing books are printed as they are ordered. Borders Personal Publishing cannot cancel orders, accept returns or provide refunds on these products because of the production expense of print on demand manufacturing.

We recommend that you carefully check your order for accuracy before confirming your purchase. Select the shipping option that best meets your needs.

Borders Personal Publishing accepts no responsibility for the quality of the content (including misspelled words, grammatical errors, etc.), its formatting, design or overall appearance. We provide a creator-controlled publishing tool, so the author approves the visual presentation and content of each item. Our staff does not monitor or check individual content prior to publication through our web site.

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