Does it conflict to publish w/Lulu and Createspace?

[Belinda D'Alessandro]

"Julie Dawson"">

"Elmore Hammes"">

"Julie Dawson" wrote:

And unless something has changed, you can't use your own ISBN for distribution through Lulu anyway.

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Something has changed. When the distribution plans were modified a little while ago, that was one of the changes: http://www.lulu.com/en/help/isbn_faq#byo_isbn_agreement
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Quote:

Lulu, on behalf of you, the publisher, will be the sole source of bibliographic data on your book. Lulu will feed data to the U.S. ISBN Agency as well as to Bowker's Books In Print ® and other industry databases. The data will identify you as the publisher.

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All the more reason NOT to use Lulu if you want to use Createspace. This is the clause Lulu used to interfer with my Createspace listings. Lulu tried to prevent me from using Createspace by claiming Amazon is an "industry database" even though they are a private retailer.

I certainly would not spend money on my own ISBN and then allow Lulu to dictate which printers and other services I can use.
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I've asked that this clause (the part about the "sole source of bibliographic data on your book") be removed to the way it was before when a creator could enter their own ISBN and not get a distribution package (i.e. not get the combined ISBN/distributiuon package as it was under the old "PBY" package and being able to enter their own ISBN from their local ISBN agency).

Lulu is working on that (and a couple of other issues I raised in a ticket in September): see my conversation with Nick Poppio in this blog entry: http://lulublog.com/2009/11/02/lulu-lens-what-can-we-do-to-improve-the-publishing-process/

[TheresaMMoore]

"Lisa Frase" wrote:

I am going to contact Bowkers and find out about the difference in size. It's so slight I don't think anyone would ever notice. I want to make absolutely certain before I publish. If I am listing my own publishing company (by purchasing my own ISBN), I can't help but wonder if Amazon would delete the Lulu listing. I am going to make the retail price the same, even if I have to take less royalty with Lulu on Amazon. Any other thoughts on this?

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*SNORT* Honey, Amazon don't delete NOTHIN'. They'll just list it first since the Lulu listing came first. Any new editions will get buried under the oldest as part of their box showing which editions you can get, including any Kindle ebook connected to it. The only way to get out from under all that is to purchase your own ISBN from Bowker and then don't use Lulu or Createspace at all. Use Lightning Source, since Amazon orders from them too. That way you can actually earn more in royalty and set your own price. The problem with LSI is that you will have to pay for absolutely everything, including the set up of the book, the proof copy (if you want one), the catalog fee (annual) and manage your own listings on Bowker. You will also have to accept returns and grant Amazon a huge wholesale discount, which leaves you basically back at square one. You are better off taking the less royalty with Lulu and let Amazon do whatever it wants. It has a notorious habit of charging less than the list price if you don't print it on the book cover, so there is a better chance to sell the book. And don't worry about the SRP. It is what it is and if you are so inclined you can just get your own web site and sell from there for less.

[gryphonwood]

Just an FYI. CreateSpace just announced a new partnership with LSI that will give you the kind of expanded distribution Lulu has been offering, but at the much lower CS prices (both in terms of cover price and up-front charge.) If you're a total noob, Lulu is probably more user-friendly for you, but experienced self-pubbers might want to look at CS. It's a brand new program, so I don't know what kinks might still need to be worked out. Not endorsing it- just sharing info.

[TheresaMMoore]

At the moment Lulu is the LEAST complicated to work with. It's a pain in the tuchas, but it does deliver good print. So I'll stick until something easier comes along. It used to be I had to go down to my printer and have the pages printed, then the cover, then stick them all together. Since I don't have to do that, most of the drudge work is done, and then I can concentrate on whacking Amoazon on the head with a rolled up newspaper.

[TrouserPressLLC]

Sorry if i'm joining this late, but I have a similar concern and no clear sense of what to do. I have my own ISBNs.

I signed up for Global Reach, waited a couple of months (as warned) for the book to show up on Amazon, and -- just before it did -- in the course of entering Amazon Breakthrough Novel contest, put my book on Amazon via CreateSpace, using a different ISBN. Now they're both up there and I can't find any way to remove the Lulu version from Amazon. I know I don't have to, but it's weird to have the same title listed twice at two different prices on the same site. Any suggestions?

[Keith Dixon]

Well, you can retire/delete your book from Lulu and eventually it will die out on all the other online sites. But why would you do that? If your book is on Amazon through Createspace, isn't it only on Amazon? I stand to be corrected here, but I thought if you published through Createspace they will only put it on the Amazon sites, whereas of course with Lulu's GlobalReach your book shows up on online retailers all over the place ... even Canada ...

In which case it would make more sense to pull it from Createspace so that the book is still visible on other online retailers' sites via Lulu's GlobalReach.

[katie123]

i love writing?!!!!"
 

[macphil]

Julie Ann Dawson: that last one did it for me! Bravo. Marketing it yourself is the key since it could be 'universal' and nobody would know either way.
CS v Lulu = doesnt matter for the little people. We have to do it ourselves in the end.

[Ken Anderson]

Unfortunately Julie left Lulu several years ago.

A great loss as she helped thousands of fellow Lulu'ers.

But Lulu just crapped on her as they do on anyone who dares to criticise.

Great shame.