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PUBLISH CHOICE 2 Book Formatting
FAQ : Lulu : |
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Content is ideal for young
children. Contains no material that parents would find objectionable.
Content is suitable for people of all ages and tastes.
Content is suitable for persons ages 13 and older. May contain
mild or strong language, mild violence, and/or suggestive themes.
Content is suitable for persons ages 17 and older. May include
intense violence and language and mature sexual themes.
Content is restricted to customers
you select. You will receive a web URL at the end of the publishing
process. Send this link to the people you want to see and purchase
your work. Direct Access content is not searchable on Lulu.
| Printer | Binding | Minimum | Maximum | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lulu Sizes 6" x 9" 8.5" x 11" 7.5" x 7.5" Comic |
Perfect | 35 | 740 | Your book should have 70-80 pages for text to appear on the spine. If it less than 35 pages, it will be saddle-stitched. If your book is more than 740 pages, publish it as a multiple-volume set. |
| Coil | 1 | 470 | Recommended for books less than 1" thick, between 48 and 470 pages. | |
| Saddle stitch | 1 | 88 | Best for very thin books. | |
| Landscape 9" x 7" |
Perfect | 32 | 500 | |
| Coil | 1 | 470 | ||
| Saddle stitch | 1 | 64 | ||
| Global Distribution | Saddle stitch | 48 | 80 | Your page count should be divisible by 4. If it is not, the printer adds enough blank pages to the back of your book to make its page count divisible by 4. |
| Perfect | 81 | 748 |
Why am I not given all three binding options?
There are minimum and maximum page counts for each type of binding.
If you uploaded a document with too many or too few pages to qualify
for a particular type of binding, you will not be shown that option.
See the table above for more information about minimum and maximum
page counts.
How much will my printed book cost?
| Books purchased through Lulu | |||
| Binding Types |  Perfect Bound |
 Saddle Stitch |
 PlastiCoil |
| 6" x 9" | |||
| Binding Fee | $4.53 | $4.53 | $4.53 |
| B&W Per Page | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.02 |
| Color Per Page | $0.15 | $0.15 | $0.15 |
| 8.5" x 11" | |||
| Binding Fee | $4.53 | $4.53 | $4.53 |
| B&W Per Page | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.02 |
| Color Per Page | $0.15 | $0.15 | $0.15 |
| Comic, 6.625" x 10.25" | |||
| Binding Fee | $4.53 | $3.00 | N/A |
| B&W Per Page | $0.02 | $0.11 | |
| Color Per Page | $0.15 | $0.15 | |
| Landscape, 9" x 7" | |||
| Binding Fee | $4.53 | $4.53 | $4.53 |
| B&W Per Page | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.02 |
| Color Per Page | $0.15 | $0.15 | $0.15 |
| Square, 7.5" x 7.5" | |||
| Binding Fee | $4.53 | $4.53 | $4.53 |
| B&W Per Page | $0.02 | $0.02 | $0.02 |
| Color Per Page | $0.15 | $0.15 | $0.15 |
IMPORTANT: The cost of color books (available only for books purchased through Lulu) is significantly more than black & white books. When you select color printing (the Full Color option on the Publish Book page), you are charged $.15 for every page in the book, not just pages with color. The printing costs for a 200-page book would be $34.53 ($30.00 printing + $4.53 setup).
Step 4: Cover Art
See the Book Cover FAQ for cover requirements you
should know before publishing. If you would like to work on
your cover later, click the PUBLISH tab to leave the publishing
process. Your book is saved in Draft status. When you are ready,
go back and refine your cover options. In your Project List, click
your book's Revise icon to return to Step 4: Cover Art.
- What types of files can I upload for my book cover(s)?
- How do I use the Lulu Cover Gallery?
- Can I use a one-piece (wrap-around) cover?
- How do I add an image and description to my back cover?
- How do I customize the colors on my cover?
- What do each of the Cover Options do?
- How do I remove the Lulu logo from the spine?
- How can I make sure my cover will print exactly as I want it to?
What types of files can I upload for my
book cover(s)?
You have two options for uploading your book cover. You may upload
separate front and back covers, or you may upload a single one-piece
(wrap-around) cover. Cover files that are uploaded separately
must be JPG, GIF or PNG files of at least 300dpi in RGB color
mode. One-piece (wrap-around) cover files must be PDF. You may
not use a Word document as your cover.
How do I use the Lulu Cover Gallery?
If you would like to use an image from the Lulu Cover Gallery
for your front or back cover, click a Choose Gallery Image button.
Click the Use as Cover link under the image of your choice.
Can I use a one-piece (wrap-around) cover?
Yes. Lulu offers advanced users the ability to upload one-piece
(wrap-around) covers. To use this feature, click the Upload
my own one-piece cover (Advanced) link on the first page of
the cover wizard.
Your one-piece cover file must be a PDF. Unlike separate front and back covers, the one-piece cover uploader will not accept image files. The correct dimensions of your cover will be given during the cover stage in the publishing process. We will take into account the number of pages in your book as well as the trim size. Please make sure you match these dimensions or your cover will not be accepted. If you have already prepared your manuscript and know its size and page count, you can use this spine size calculator to calculate the width of your spine. Keep in mind that only perfect bound books will have spines.
Will my ISBN barcode be automatically generated
on my one-piece cover?
No. You must include your own bar code for your one-piece cover.
Unlike separate front and back covers, your ISBN bar code will
not be automatically added to your one-piece cover. It is up to
you to add every element you would like to appear on your one-piece
cover, as this type of cover allows for total customization.
For more info on generating bar codes, see http://www.cgpp.com/bookland/isbn.html.
How do I add an image and description to
my back cover?
Click the Add back cover photo and description (Optional)
link on the first page of the cover wizard. For ideal rendering,
your image should be formatted at 675 x 900 pixels. Your description
may not exceed 2048 characters. You will be able to see the changes
you make in this step when you continue to the second part of
the cover process.
When you click Save & Continue from the Cover Images page, you will see the images you chose for your front and back covers. Until you preview the press-ready PDF version of your cover, you will not see your author photo and description rendered on your back cover image.
How do I customize the colors on my cover?
Colors are defined using hexadecimal (hex) values. If you know
your hex values, you can enter them directly in the Background
Color and Text Color fields. To help you select a color, the Font
& Colors section contains color palettes which can be displayed
by clicking on one of the color blocks next to the Background
Color and Text Color fields. Click a color in the palette to select
its corresponding hex value.
Text Color affects title and author name on the front cover, the text on the spine, and the description on the back cover. If you will be displaying text on both front and back covers, make sure you select a text color that will be readable on both covers.
Background Color affects the background of your spine and any background area that is not covered by an image.
What do each of the Cover Options do?
- Display title on front cover. This option will display the title of your book on the front cover with the font and text color options you choose.
- Display author on front cover. This option will display the author name on the front cover with the font and text color options you choose.
- Stretch image to fit cover. Lulu will resize your image to fit the cover, but it will not be resized proportionally. (That is, by an equal percentage of height and width.) For best results, use a picture as close to the size and resolution guidelines as you can.
- Display background color without images. This option will display only the background color you choose and hide the cover images you have selected.
How do I remove the Lulu logo from the
spine?
Displaying the Lulu logo on the spine is optional. To remove it,
click the UPDATE COVER button. You should see the full version
of your cover, including the spine. You will also see an option
at the bottom of the page to Display Lulu logo on spine.
Uncheck this box and click UPDATE COVER again. Your cover will
be shown with the logo removed.
How can I make sure my cover will print
exactly as I want it to?
As you select or change fonts, colors or cover options, click
UPDATE COVER to see the results in the Press-Ready PDF Cover section.
Click the View press-ready PDF version link to view the
full version of your cover exactly as it will be printed.
To see an even more precise preview, including crop marks that indicate where the cover will be trimmed, click the View larger version with crop marks link. The green border in the preview shows approximately where the cover will be trimmed. This is useful if you want the cover image to "bleed" to the edge.
Step 5: Price & Finish
- Can I make my book available only in print and not for download?
- How do I set my royalty and the final price of my book?
- Will I be able to order my book if it is Available only to me (Published)?
- How do I set a license on my work?
Can I make my book available only in print
and not for download?
Yes. Books can be made available in one or both formats. Simply
check the box in front of each format you would like to offer.
Make sure at least one box is checked before completing the publishing
process.
How do I set my royalty and the final price
of my book?
At Lulu, you set the royalty for your own work. Instead of charging
you for publishing services, Lulu earns a 20% commission on each
item sold. (For more details, see How is the Lulu commission calculated?)
Pricing is a simple equation: Price = Production Cost + Royalty + Lulu Commission (shipping is extra)
- Downloads have no production costs. Your royalty constitutes 80% of the selling price.
- Print products have production costs. The selling price of the content reflects the production cost, your royalty and the Lulu commission.
- Enter a royalty amount and let Lulu calculate the selling prices.
- Enter a selling price for one format and Lulu calculates your royalty and the other selling price.
- Enter $0 in the Your Royalty field to reset the amounts back to production costs.
We do not offer dynamic pricing, meaning you cannot set different royalties for each distribution format. Pricing for download and print formats is interrelated; the same royalty and Lulu commission are added to the selling price for each format.
How is the Lulu commission calculated?
As a creator, you set the amount of royalty on the items you publish.
The Lulu commission is 25% of the royalty you set. The Lulu commission
therefore equals 20% of the total profit of each item sold.
For example, if your royalty is $4.00, we add a $1.00 Lulu commission. The total profit from the item is $5.00.
$1.00 is 25% of $4.00 (your royalty) and 20% of $5.00 (the total profit).
This leaves 80% of the total profit to you, the creator! In traditional publishing, it's rare for an author to see even 20% of the total markup.
Will I be able to order my book if it is
Available only to me (Published)?
Yes. Making your book Available only to me (Published) will allow
you, the creator, to view and purchase your work, but it will
not be available for viewing or purchase by others.
How do I set a license on my work?
Click the SET LICENSE button. Click on the linked name of any
of the default licenses to learn more about it. Here is a quick
summary of each license:
- Standard Copyright License: All of your rights under copyright law apply to the work.
- Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0: People are allowed to copy, alter, and distribute your work as long as you are given proper credit and the license is attached to the copy.
- GNU Free Documentation License: This license is similar in scope, but works under this license may be used for commercial purposes.
Why should I set a license on my work?
There are a number of problems with copyright as it exists in
the USA today. The basic issue is this: copyright is automatically
applied to any created work, and it lasts for the author's lifetime
plus seventy years. This has several negative side effects. It
means that a lot of material will simply drop out of sight when
it is no longer generating revenue. If the copyright holder does
not take steps to ensure that the work enters the public domain,
there is every chance it will be lost. It also has the effect
of stifling innovation, since creators are not free to make creative
use of others' work without seeking permission. In many cases,
this is not a huge burden, but for older works it may be difficult
or even impossible to find the copyright holder in order to get
their permission. The Creative Commons is one of several organizations
that seeks to improve this situation while still preserving the
protections granted to creators under copyright law. More information
about the legal concepts involved in licensing your work is available
at http://creativecommons.org/learn/legal/.
In general, licenses provide a way of waiving some of the rights provided by copyright law. For example, you can say that it's OK to make and distribute copies of your work. Under normal circumstances, this would be a violation of your copyright, but with a license you can indicate that you have no problem with people doing this. Some authors have found that giving people the ability to make whatever uses of content that they wish actually boosts sales. Think of it as a way of doing a little guerilla marketing: if people share your work with their friends, you're getting free advertising.
Don't worry about losing sales after setting a license. Even though people can make copies of your work and give them away, those copies aren't likely to be of the same quality as a Lulu book. If people really like your work, chances are good that they'll buy their own copies. Keep in mind, too, that nearly any file can be duplicated. It's almost impossible to prevent that from happening. Doing so usually places a big burden on the customer who purchased your book as a download. What you may want to consider is that getting your book out there and seen is more important than protecting it so fewer people can read it.
What kinds of licenses can I put on my
work?
Lulu offers a range of Creative Commons licenses and GNU licenses
under the MORE LICENSES button. For a full explanation of these
licenses, see these websites:
- Creative Commons Licenses Explained: http://creativecommons.org/about/licenses/
- GNU Licenses: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/licenses.html
Can I use my own license on my work?
Yes. You are free to create your own license, but if you do, you
should post the license text on the web where it can be linked
to. Clicking the USE MY OWN LICENSE button lets you specify the
name, URL and attributes of the license you wish to use. The attributes
you choose must match the terms of your license. They will be
considered part of your license, and in any disagreement between
the attributes you choose and the text of your license, the attributes
you choose will have primacy, since they appear in the HTML header
of your content page.
You may also use another Lulu's license. If you enter the URL of a license that another Lulu user has already chosen, the information that has already been entered (title and attributes) will replace the information you submit.