Grumpy Old Bookman, may his shadow never grow less, gives a very, very good run down of which projects it might suit and which not, and the real nuts-and-bolts of the process, here:

http://grumpyoldbookman.blogspot.com/

Emma

I usually say to people who consider this option, 'how many books have you bought from Lulu?'

but now I've got to hold my own hand up and say, "one! Practical Devilworship (For all the family)"

still waiting for it to arrive though.

I know! The point he makes, though, is that it's probably very little use for fiction you're wanting to sell, but for the history you've written of your local church, or a beautiful book to celebrate a Golden Wedding, or something like that, the fact that you don't put in any money up front, and can order one or twenty as and when you want them, makes it very suitable.

Emma

I've just ordered a printed copy of my novel from Lulu, just for the thrill of seeing it in print. However, I ordered it 9 days ago and it has only shipped today! The wait is so long, I'm not sure book buyers would ever be prepared to put up with waits that long.

Give us an update on the quality. Are there quality options on Lulu, or do you get whatever they give you?

Apologies if I'm wrong, but didn't someone on another thread say they'd bought JB's book and were disappointed with the quality, which looked like just sheets of paper stapled together and a cover put on top?

Seem to remember this somewhere.

Katerina



<Added>

Yes, thought so, here it is

The only downside, which I'm reluctant to mention, but feel it is important as this is my first LULU product, is the quality of the book. On the website, the image made me imagine something quite small: an A6 chapbook with perfect binding (flat edge and glued). What I got is essentially laser printed paper, stapled in the middle and folded (anyone remember "thirteen magazine?"), so the result feels a bit cheap: a booklet, taller than A5, with a laminated cover. No ISBN or barcode and a very basic cover design. This is a real shame because had it been self-published through other channels, JW Bennet could have insisted on a quality more fitting to the story and produced something that would sit very well on the cash desk of Forbidden Planet or any reputable bookshop/comic store.

Yeah, that was me, but JB's book was really small, so I'm curious to know if that was because it was published by Twisted Tongue through Lulu, that it was a magazine, or that it was downt to the word count. With a novel being so much longer, I'd like to know if it looks and feels like a real novel.

The first year I did NaNoWriMo I went to a local participants' meeting and one person brought along a Lulu book of her previous year's NaNo novel. I thought the quality of the book was excellent. The main downside was that the contents hadn't been proofread or edited. Still, the book's owner was pleased with it, and it really did look good.

Alexia, I often wait a couple of weeks for books when I order them from abroad. I don't know if a nine-day wait plus shipping would put me off a book I really wanted.

Everything I ever buy from Amazon always seems to take at least three weeks.

Emma