ISBN: doesn't give me an option for such with an e-Book

[adXok]

Hi, there

I am new author here and of course like every beginner I have difficulties operating through the publishing options. Here is the deal and the problems.

1. I have a .pdf file prepared accurately in InDesign for an e-Book (all pages including front and back covers on separate pages, no spine of course)

2. It is just na e-Book (it is in RGB color space, transperancy and so on) ≈ 40 MB size .pdf

3. I went through the publishing process but it never gave me an option for the free ISBN (guess such is good for an e-Book)

4. It doesn't show my Preview (two inner pages of the book ≈1.6 MB) - my book is only using vector illustrations, invluding pages bckground, tables, fonts, diagrams, sketches... It just converts my .png marketing image to a .pdf priview image!

5. It doesn't show me the option to Copy protect my .pdf file during publishing process! (you do not accept password protected .pdf though I just protect them against text copying and against printing, opening and reading is allowed)

Please, can you help me solve these strange issues? I know maybe there might be something very small where I should check and click but I have troubles obviously. I managed to publish the project but I didn't find it appropriately shown because of these issues above, so i deleted it. I want evereything to be perfect, that's all.

[Pipa]

At the start of the publishing process you must select the Sell Everywhere option. The next step will then allow you to add an ISBN. 
You may have to scrap the first project and start again to get that option.

You cannot  copy protect the file or ebook.

[adXok]

Pipa, thank you very much. Yes, I am aware of that but:

- I do not want my book converted in epub to sell it on iBookStore or whatever; just the custumer to be able to download it (if agreed to the price of course) as a .pdf and view it in pdf-viewer (Adobe Reader, Foxit, PDF-Xchange, Nitro pdf...)

- I wonder why there is no option for a DMR for a .pdf file, cause I do not want to see my book copied and submited under a different title or whatever, InDesign allows me to protect my .pdf agains printing and text copiyng but lulu do not accept such protected .pdf files and do not guarantee any D

- Lulu does not offer ISBN for .pdf files I suppose and still cannot understand why is that... (converting or exporting to epub result to some major issues that is why I prefer using .pdf despite the limited portbale devices that could open it)

- Anyway I do not expect that book to make me rich or lulu.com to satisfy the needs of every single author here so let it be the way it is

Thank you once again for your reply.

[Pipa]

OK so you just want a PDF.
In that case you also have to make a hard copy book.
Then the both the book and PDF will have the ISBN bit of course the PDF can only be sold through Lulu.
No copy protection, no DMR.

If you want those then sell the book from your own website - that's what I do for my Cookery books.

[adXok]

Issues solved by my own. Converted the pdf priviews to a .png and now the privew renders and shows correctly.

I will know that for the future!

Ok, so my e-book (PDF format) is available on lulu.com!

Now off to the Spotlight Area.

Thank you again, Pipa.

I do not like the idea of releasing a hard copy availability. The design is such that it requiers absolutely high-quality paper and press printing (all illustrations are in CMYK color and vectors, the background of the pages is allso made of big vector illsutrations - resembling an old paper and so on...) that would make a hard-copy of a very high price. Probably around $80 or even $100. 

I went through all the porcess of publishing my e-book once again and the big problem with the priview iamges is still present (I choose a Standart License, though my .pdf is not protected against text copying and printing, the last of which would be a suicide for your printer of course; also choose General Access).

Seems there is a problem with showing my .pdf priview file (2 inner pages form the book ≈ 1.6 MB together) and still the priview is just converting my marketing image (.png file) to a .pdf which is really strange issue here.

Seems there (in my project files list) are two versions of the single named .pdf - why I do not understand.

- lulu.com makes a default preview of the book, which seems is the second file maybe... and I cannot find the option to prevent taht and just upload only two inner pages... I tried Revise the project... 

- previously it allowed me to choose my country, now I cannot choose it, still cannot understand why, it shows the default (god, has this to be so tough and complicated?!)

Anyway... i just wanted the custumers to see the inner pages of the book as they are designed and written, so to catch their attention. Maybe there is something wrong with my pdf... do not know, seems fine to me and it appears in my project files list but not in the priview section of the e-book. 

Thank you for your kind patience, Pipa. 

[NickPopio]

adXok,
I'm glad you were able to get everything sorted!

[adXok]

Hi, Nick Popio

Finally I managed to get the free ISBN number ONLY when I choose Sell Everywhere (despite the .epub format required in Apple book stores which is... wrong, they should support .pdf but they obviously have "strange" conceptual fight with Adobe in general). 

But I have allready uploaded my .pdf so how to attach the .pdf bar-code (ISBN number)? Seems like I have to re-upload the main .pdf file properly edited to include the sent .pdf bar-code on some of the inner pages. Maybe I missed the sent .pdf ISBN bar-code in hurry to upload the main file. If so - my mistake. Do I have to reupload again the whole project properly edited to have the bar-code in it?

I have also prepared the very same e-book in CMYK color space and having the lulu.com export preferences, though I do not like the idea printing the book because of its design - colored backgrounds of pages, vector illustration images and font's and object's effects. I do not want to sound perky but my book design is an art of itself thus very pretensions in print style, paper quality and so on.

• Unfortunately I still have problems with the lulu.com Preview Images conversion. 
• I think that no matter what type of files I upload (either .pdf or .png .jpg) lulu.com still force to convert them to pdf without success for me - gives just a blank page. Two days ago the same procedure took success with .png after various failures when tried to upload two pages .pdf privew file (≈ 1.6 MB total, the requierment is not more than 2 MB).
• The priview images are of great importance to me, because I want my customers to see the actual inside of the book, so to know what they are going to pay for!

Conclusion:

think the problem is with the conversion lulu.com makes each time uploading custom priview files either pdf or jpg\png.

[NickPopio]

The wizard should automatically add the barcode to your product. As for your preview, I would recommend using our Support page. There you can find our Live Chat and Email Support options. Our customer service team currently has an 88% satisfaction rate, so you know you're in good hands!

[mscottcampbell]

I published 2 books before I finally found a discussion in some forum (not sure where, and can't relocate) that mentioned the "everywhere" selection in order to get assigned an ISBN...

Would have been nice to know -- would be really cool if there was messaging in bold at that step which said something along the lines of: SELECT THIS OPTION IF YOU WANT LULU TO ASSIGN YOU A FREE ISBN...

Just sayin...

Still can't figure out how to get ISBN's assigned to the first two books I published -- but spending a LOT of time running in circles in forums, helps, FAQs, and discussion threads... what a waste of time... NEEDING SOME HELP HERE LULU... otherwise, I love ya!

[mscottcampbell]

oops... I stand (slightly) corrected... the third option does mention the ISBN...

but here's my issue -- when I'm developing a draft, I'm going through multiple edits and uploads (sometimes just to get the lulu format just right, etc.), so, for my first two books, I selected "private" until I was ready to make it "public"  -- that's the confusion!  This whole step should be placed at the very end, when you are ready to obtain your ISBN and present to the world, or, keep private...  until then, I was treating them as "private" drafts...