I'm a big fan of Lulu.com, the self-publishing company, not least because the man behind it, Bob Young, also co-founded Red Hat, and is one of the most passionate defenders of the open source way I have come across.
So the news that CreateSpace is going into the on-demand publishing business is interesting - especially since the company is a subsidiary of Amazon, which means that self-published authors will be able to hitch a ride on the Amazon behemoth. But as far as I can tell, Lulu still offers a more thorough vision, with its global reach and finer-grained publishing options. But if nothing else, Amazon's entry into this space will serve to validate the whole idea in the eyes of doubters.
I tried it the other day. Got my book up on Amazon in about 5 days. No charge to set up and very competitive print costs vs lulu. Book looked professional as well. I like Lulu too and have used them but its not the first time an innovator's idea has been taken on by the leader. wordperfect anyone?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the feedback. I'm sure there's room for more than one company here.
ReplyDeleteI published a book on lulu.com 2 months ago. Book looks great but it is still not available on Amazon. Is there some trick to getting it listed on Amazon?
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid I don't know the details: have you asked Lulu directly?
ReplyDeleteApparently I have to buy the US distribution package to get on Amazon through lulu. $100 in the USA.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.lulu.com/en/services/marketing/isbn.php?cid=en_services_main_isbn
Without paying for the distribution, the book is only available on lulu marketplace.