Lulu: It's How You Self-Publish for Free

Where Were You When…?
Perhaps I should be ashamed of this fact, but I will tell it to you anyway. Unlike most people I know, I am unable to remember where I was at the moment I heard of this national tragedy or that worldwide catastrophe. However, I do remember exactly where I was when I discovered that self-publishing was an option available to the average Joe. Or Joann, as the case may be.

I was walking endlessly on a path to nowhere, also known as a treadmill at the gym. I had grabbed a random magazine for the sole purpose of hiding those evil digital numbers, the ones that mock you with their in-your-face announcements of how much longer you have to go and how few calories the self-appointed torment is actually burning.

I had already browsed the whole thing and read the articles of interest, there was nothing left to do but scan the advertisements. And there it was, a tiny white square with black letters tucked away in the bottom left corner of the right page. I leaned down real close to make sure I was reading it correctly; I was. It was an invitation to publish your own book as a Christmas present to your family. At that point in time, I had never heard the terms vanity press, self-published work, or print-on-demand. A little Christmas book for the family seemed like a miracle opportunity in itself.

I forgot the name of the company before I got home, but that didn't matter; the Internet search engine was a good friend by that time. I revved that engine right up with the words "self-publish book," and was surprised by the number of items it pulled up! I couldn't believe this was out there and I had never heard of it before. I did some research (not enough), picked a company, and got to work. Then I sent in the manuscript, paid the money, and waited.