Lulu.com-Affordable Print-On-Demand Publishing for Everyone and Anyone

Let's begin with the assumption that everyone who has written a book they are proud of wants to be published. Let's further suppose that if they decide to publish it themselves they will be interested in getting the best bargain, and that they will only print the number of books they think they ned. Lulu.com offers the ability to publish a book at no cost to the author, unless the author wants to buy his own copy (who wouldn't?).  If the book sells to another client, Lulu pays a royalty set by the author. The author is allowed to purchase books in numbers ranging from one to thousands at a time. It is true, there is a discount depending on how many you buy at once, but the initial cost for one book is very reasonable. Plus, the book can be distributed as a paperback or as a pdf file you can read from your computer.

Lulu offers other services such as an ISBN, book-cover design, editing, and so on at reasonable prices. If you can do all of that yourself or have a friend who will do it for free, you have that option as well. While Lulu is not a panacea for the troubles and travails of an author, it is certainly a nice starting point for someone who wishes to self-publish. Some of things that Lulu does not help you with unless you pay them for the service are marketing and distribution. Still, you must be willing to do some of that when you self-publish. If you are, you can have your book published in a very short period of time.

Lulu offers a system where you can talk to other Lulu authors or their support staff. They offer print services for color and black-and-white interior projects. The books come out looking very professional with a square binding as a standard offering at no extra cost. The covers are neatly-printed color covers. The number of pages in a book is a determining factor in the cost, but you can always decide on whether you think the price is becoming too hefty.