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April 13, 2022 Post a Comment

Lulu Self-Publishing: Why You Need to Avoid It!

Christine Mokoginta
September 17, 2018
Cocky Publishing
31 Comments

Stop right there. Do non press that push to use Lulu Cocky-Publishing without reading this article!

Yous've spent endless hours perfecting your work. It makes sense that y'all would want to protect that investment. If you are looking to publish, find a better identify to put your trust than Lulu Self-Publishing.

Here's why you need to avoid Lulu Self-Publishing:

Scams are becoming a theme in the self-publishing earth and Lulu is on the list.

Just you lot don't need to be a victim. Here, you'll find valid reasons to await elsewhere for a publisher. The information in this article came from people who have used and been disappointed by Lulu'south publishing services.

You Won't Go Paid

One of the chief problems with using Lulu for your self-publishing needs is getting paid. Customers reported beingness duped into accepting zero royalties and but getting paid if their books were purchased direct from Lulu. Even and then, the author profit was $i per book!

Some accounts were frozen for copyright infringement, simply the offending book wasn't even on the account. That customer couldn't access her royalties merely could not reach a client service representative. She waited weeks to get help.

Yet, the strangest problem with getting paid from your published works seems to be lost somewhere in the pricing structure. Customers report that their book is being sold for $eighteen – $21, yet they only see a $1 or sometimes naught at all in profits! That kind of math only doesn't add up.

Your Investment Doesn't Pay Off

There is a reason authors autumn into the starving artist category. They make coin sporadically and in chunks hither and there from the auction of their work. Imagine trying to heighten a family unit on that and fund selling your books at the same fourth dimension.

You spend a practiced bargain of money to have your book published and you wait it to pay off. At Lulu, publishing tin can run around $two,700 upfront according to customers. Those same customers reported earning effectually $18 in royalties for that cost over a 3 year menses.

On their website, a standard quality, no frills, paperback book costs $iii.25 each to produce. This is the lowest example of what you can purchase with the least amount of features and services. That seems a heavy toll to produce a low-quality production.

Lulu is more than willing to upgrade you to the adjacent, more expensive service. They have an enormous list of add-on services, too.

However, don't expect that quoted price to be the last number. Cocky-publishers reported additional costs were tacked on at the end of the publishing process but non mentioned ahead of time. This happened fifty-fifty when buying the premium parcel.

Reviews Are Misleading

In one case upon a time, this company may take been apparent, but that is certainly not the case now. Unfortunately, some of those earlier reviews skew the results. Newer authors can be misled by such disruptive reviews.

What is very confusing is the Better Business Agency'due south (BBB) good rating of a company that otherwise scores extremely low when it'southward rated by consumers. It doesn't add up. At least until y'all consider the number of reviews on each site.

The BBB has 5 reviews listed for Lulu Publishing, otherwise known as Lulu Self-Publishing, and simply ane of them is negative. Consumer Affairs has 54 reviews, and 35 of those customers but scored Lulu a ane or 2 out of v stars. The divergence between the two reporting agencies is phenomenal!

When yous average it out, things don't look so positive for Lulu.

Customer Complaints Stack Up

Lulu publishing reviews are not very positive at all. While researching for this article, I institute review after review with customer complaints. This listing volition requite you lot insight into why authors are so up in arms over Lulu'southward concern practices.

Here are some of the major complaints:

Long Delays in Formatting and Printing – I'grand not talking nearly a week delay but weeks of waiting. Ane user waited 6 weeks on formatting and had heard nix despite trying to go far contact. Some other even reported waiting 10 weeks and more for their books to be printed.
Distribution Delays – Weeks and weeks without books existence delivered to either the author or the distribution site means no money coming in. Some customers of Lulu reported that there's no fashion to rails their books, either.
Website Defoliation – A few customers complained that the website is not easy to navigate and tin be disruptive.
Illustrations Cost Extra – Can you imagine paying an extra $295 for each illustration you include in a children's book? That'southward exactly what one user was told. Additional fees seem to be a common problem with Lulu Self-Publishing.
Ebook Conversions Unsatisfactory – Ebooks were not formatted correctly in many cases. The icons are not where they should be, the print was cut in half on the page and ebooks were even published with the wrong title.
Poor Print Quality – Some of the quality issues include dark or low-quality photos, lopsided print, headers and margins not formatted correctly and using the wrong font or the font is and so small yous cannot read it.
No Customer Support – This is probably the biggest complaint in all the reviews I read! I found over and over that customers experienced tiresome responses to their requests. No matter whether they used phone or email, customer support responses were no less than 4 days and sometimes more than ii weeks later on!

Many customers detailed weeks of trying to reach a person to solve an outcome with no response. This was particularly truthful if the customer requested a refund for any reason. Customer back up seems to be non-existent according to these reviews.

What Tin You Do?

No matter what you decide, yous need to do your research. Don't settle for a company like Lulu Cocky-Publishing when there are apparent companies to choose from.

There are much better publishing options out at that place. Check out this list from the Alliance of Independent Authors for a comprehensive look at your self-publishing options.

Looking to publish a digital mag? Check out how we do concern at MagLoft!

Christine Mokoginta

Customer Support Champion and Digital Marketing at MagLoft

31 thoughts on "Lulu Self-Publishing: Why You Need to Avoid It!"

I agree. Also had a bad experience where they closed my account and I lost countless hours of piece of work and they did not fifty-fifty requite an explanation. My books are nearly history of science and economic science. They don't answer my emails either. Never received and royalties through them. CreateSpace is a safe option and no incertitude there are others.
I ordered a proof of my newly revised book and LuLu sent me the wrong interior – 700 pages of another writer's content! What'south more, the quality of the cover was horrible, with colors that were over saturated and simply amateur hour. The pages were held together past thick glue along the spine that was yellowish and visible. When I naturally complained and requested a refund it not only took 2 weeks for them to reply but they did and so past like-minded to a refund and SUSPENDING MY Account! They claimed to have received a DMCA copyright infringement complaint for the encompass of one of my books, but in effect deleted four other titles, all my original work, GONE. Heed you lot I take been with them for years. The new format they've rolled out is pure garbage and lots of authors have had their whole accounts gone missing not mention sales dry up due to missing titles! I suggest avoiding them all together unless you want to see your hard work go up in smoke!
1. I'1000 glad I'grand not the only i with this problem! I had literally the same consequence happen to me yesterday. I've been using Lulu for over x years for Private Printing purposes but (ordering copies of my work to keep for myself with zilch intent to sell) and they've ever printed, and ever since they rolled out the new website layout it was awful, merely they sent a canned response email saying that my account had 'violated the fellow member user agreement and they refunded the book that I had ordered, which I guess I would take been fine with if they had left it at that, but and so* they proceeded to suspend and delete my business relationship with no warning whatsoever or a chance to contest their decision, and now hundreds of hours of work, years, even, just gone! I definitely plan to avert them after this incident and volition not* be going back. Hopefully, we can spread the word to others to not employ Lulu for self-publishing when there are many ameliorate alternatives out there!
  1. I had a like feel yesterday. In improver, I institute that about all of my private publications were being offered online by multiple sellers. These included a private edition of my Family History and a white newspaper that I wrote to assistance out some struggling pensioners. How will I ever find out if any of these books actually sold? Volition I go any royalties from illicit sales of my private intellectual property? I doubt information technology!
2. The aforementioned affair happened to me too. I've been self-publishing books for my ain use from them for about ii years. I submitted a ticket about an order falling outside of the estimated commitment date and they terminate my account because "they don't allow fanfiction on their platform". Information technology was a fan made RPG PDF supplement put out for free, that I formatted into book form, plus my account was besides individual so no one but me could purchase it. Besides, they published the same book twice earlier (It was my starting time fourth dimension publishing something using their hardcover format and my cover didn't line upwardly correctly). Furthermore, they refused to refund an order I placed with them (totaling $179.66), that they probable cancelled after terminating my account.
  
  Needless to say I filed a complaint well-nigh with the BBB and contacted Paypal about getting a refund. Hopefully Barnes & Noble Press will be a ameliorate experience.
I've been using Lulu Press for over a decade and have been quite happy using them as a Print on Demand service for books. If they were really equally bad as you write they would have been put out of business organisation by the contest. There is plenty of information technology, including the juggernaut Amazon.
1. you obviously must work for Lulu
  1. I've used them for eleven years, accept had none of the above claimed issues, and I certainly exercise non piece of work for them. I also employ it as a impress-on-demand service. I become paid regularly, definitely brand more than a mere dollar per book, and the quality of my books is top notch. So maybe some 'disgruntled customers' here are working for Lulu's competitors…?
I am surprised past these stories. I have used Lulu for iv years. I marketplace to a niche group, and I have always gotten my coin. I sell print books, and then Lulu must exist paid for printing the volume, like whatsoever printer would. And they take 25% of the profit. I wish it was less, but businesses have to make money or they tin't pay their bills.

I agree that the new format is terrible. But I would say that I forced myself to larn how to format my volume in Word and I learned near press and how to make a pdf. You have to accept on some of the work or pay someone to do information technology.
I take been working with Lulu and I am now at the last stage proof reading my memoir. I have chosen their part at least twenty times. No one has returned my calls or emails. We were supposed to have my books for auction past now. What should I
do? I demand assistance.
This article is, alibi my French , shit and if I were Lulu.com I would sue the writer for slander. I have been using Lulu for years. Not but the quality of their impress is wonderful, in the two occasions I had somethign to say ( over a five years period) their representative Renata called me past phone in a affair of minutes afterward my "complaint" (in 1 occasion to retire a book from Googlebook where I accidentally put information technology). Equally one poster noticed, if they were THAT bad they would take gone out of concern ages ago. They accept paid my royalties even if I did not show a beneficiary . They put them I don't know how in paypal. If somebody thinks to make a living out of POD he is out of his mind. POD is for fun or as a springboard for a writer career in "real" pubblishing Shame on y'all Anna Levi.
I take spent a lot of time writing my story and very naively chose Lulu to publish my piece of work i gave them over £700 pounds this coin was part of my pay by instalment plan i was offered, Thank God i never sent them my manuscript i was still formatting it getting it ready to ship, i must accept tried to contact them at least ten times for help my check in controller i was told was someone called Liz beaumont, i don't even remember she existed i certainly never heard from her or anyone else at Lulu these thieves have stolen my hard earned cash and i want information technology dorsum: Don't use these scammers please you will exist gutted, at that place should be something done about this arrangement pure criminal.
I would rate Lulu to be under satisfactory unfortunately. I used to utilize Amazon before they canned author copies to Australia, and so, when it came time to find a new manufacturing house I decided to give Lulu a get . I ordered 15 proofs. 10 of which were usable, four were canis familiaris-eared beyond selling due to poor packaging and i had come out of their cutting machine incorrectly – the embrace pages nonetheless had inches of excess cardboard attached. I later on got in touch which customer support and they sent out replacement copies mail haste. Quality-wise… they are good enough for the indy-author, however, the cover fine art never being in the same place twice was a challenge. Book stores are a no become…
If you lot don't empathise volume publishing, or how selling books works in a market controlled by greedy retailers and consumers who refuse to pay, shut the duck up and stop posting bullshit articles with nada basis in reality. Even an a grade moron could figure out how lulu works, understand why pricing works how it does, and use it accordingly without spending up. Clearly you lot don't reach those light-headed intellectual heights. Or you are being paid by a competitor. Which is information technology? Idiot or shill? This commodity has nothing facts in it.
I used LULU and did an interview with over three g views and almost of the feedback was wonderful. However, simply two people bought a re-create of my book. This didn't add together up at all. When I did my research, yes, LuLu was indeed defendant of stealing. No doubt it happened to me too. Thieves! Don't walk, run!
Mistakes happen and there will always exist let downs with any service. However, your article strikes me as a publishing company trying to attack a competitor. Lulu is as good as yous make it and there are NO equivalents ANYWHERE else. Anybody that writes their own books or edits books for others knows there is no equivalent of Lulu Cocky Publishing. They have no need to scam anybody and ALL of their pricing scales are public and easily attainable, unlike perhaps, companies who claim to be better but hibernate behind a misty veil.
1. other's
The new format of Lulu is extremely poor, drastically reducing the ability of the user to change and vary cover content and design. The range of colours was huge but is now limited to about ten. Before, title fonts could exist dissimilar colours, types and sizes on the comprehend. Now the type size and font are fixed and new words can't be added. Merely one picture is now permitted on the cover. The choice of type of book format is now also extremely limited. Why would you innovate a format that is far worse than the format being replaced, and with far fewer options? I'thou fortunate that I self-published many books nether the old format but these can't now be changed.
What an utter piece of garbage article. Lulu have their faults (which in my experience a very few and e'er put right) but as many have pointed out, it'due south not like getting a deal with Penguin. This is yous doing all the piece of work and using the platform to produce low runs of books – which is pricey but sometimes the only pick. If y'all're only going to sell ii copies, Lulu is exactly what you demand – otherwise you're going to be sitting on 10,000 books going damp in your garage.
If you can't format your volume yourself in InDesign and wrap it upwardly for print using Acrobat formats, you're non a cocky publisher. You're just a writer. FACT.
I too believe that Lulu are theives. My account shows that but one book was sold. Yet later 12 months my book is on sale all over eBay from various countries being sold as used. They ignored my request to stop all sales. I don't know how to complain against them.
I accept used Lulu for years. Admittedly, I did not do it for profit and did non use an ISBN. I but put a couple of dollars for my profit. Which I had not issue receiving.

I take washed 4 books. I was very happy with the first three books. On the fourth book, the quality suffered a little bit. I was not equally happy with the flexibility of the exterior cover design tool as opposed as te o to first 3 books.

However, I never felt they were scamming me.

I always suspect articles where at the end, they use our production instead.
I have been using Lulu for years now, overall it has been OK (I can't say stellar, nobody in the PoD business rates that).
"Duped into aught royalties?" Hardly – the numbers are at that place for you to choose, with a written alarm that if you select the minimum price you will get no royalties. You can update the pricing any time.
"Terrible print quality"? Yes it sometimes happens. When I complained to Lulu almost a proof copy they said, to ship it back for a replacement. I said, but it's only a proof re-create, it doesn't thing, I was really just asking if this was typical. They said no, do transport it back, so we can hit the printer over the caput with it. I did, they did, and the replacement copy came fast and perfect!
But yep, the web site revamp is terrible – I am always whining to their customer back up how to do what I need. Maybe that's why the support is then tedious, their web site is only not doing its job properly. Like so many businesses who rely on circuitous web engines, they are proud of their dorsum end and cannot grasp that a spider web tool is only as skillful equally the users observe it to be.
Would I use Lulu again? Well, you lot evidence me a better PoD service with the same sophisticated file normalising formatter, writer mistake handling and broad range of publishing and pricing options and perchance I would. Simply I am not waiting upward!
I published with LULU 3 months ago and they have yet to ship me my coin for sales. The final time I emailed them it took them 1 month to get back to me. I worked then difficult on my book and my heart is breaking thinking of having to first over. It's not about the coin information technology's near feeling taken advantage of. My family and friends bought my volume, not to support a company but to back up the person they dearest, me. Stay away from this company.
I used Lulu for years and on the few occasions that in that location was a problem, they rectified it speedily. I stopped using them for a while due to one of their contracted printers producing sub-standard product. I am now going dorsum to them equally they have sorted that out. The quality is good and I get paid. I'm sure that at that place are people that have problems but Lulu are nowhere virtually the worst.
I tried to self-publish my book through Lulu back in 2012. Back then I was very naive almost publishing. They don't do any active promotion or advertising unless you pay actress coin. Equally a result my book languished on their site, as well as on Amazon and Apple eBook, for over ii years. After merely 3 sales in two years I had finally had enough. In 2014 I requested that my volume exist taken off the market and shut my Lulu account. Information technology took about ninety days but my book did finally disappear from Apple tree, Barns & Noble, and other affiliates. I thought that was it, just then I noticed my book still on Amazon. I contacted Lulu and asked them why information technology was all the same there. They said that the copy being listed on Amazon was from some other book dealer that they had no control over. Since the copy this book dealer was selling was listed equally used I just assumed that when that re-create sold it would finally be completely off the market place. Now roll alee to today, June 12th, 2021. While doing a search for my book title to see how it was displaying on a site chosen TaleFlick where I was trying to sell it now I discovered in the search results it was yet listed on Amazon. I clicked the link and saw that it was being sold as NEW past Amazon. The publisher was listed as LULU. For some reason Lulu was now selling my book once more even though I told them to have it off the market place years ago. I sent LULU an email enervating information technology be removed or I would have legal action for copyright infringement. I have all the same to get a response and probably won't until adjacent week. But this is just more proof that LULU is stealing authors' stories. DON'T USE LULU EVER!
I've been a designer for forty years, with a scattering of volume projects in my portfolio. Even with that, I had questions regarding Lulu'due south needs that aren't answered ANYWHERE. And then I tried Chat. Oh, bully, a robot that tells me to click links, just it forgets to requite me the links which wouldn't take answered my questions anyhow. How about emailing client support? That was smooth, except they NEVER, NEVER, EVER Reply. Okay, it'south time to talk to a human. I'm used to sites that advisedly hide their phone number, but Lulu doesn't offer ane anywhere. Yous're on your ain. They were my client's choice. This must never happen once again.
Wow, I am shocked by this article, and the negative comments. Having published a number of books all through Lulu, not merely take I never paid up front except for my commencement set of ISBNs, I have been paid every month since 2008 for sales in multiple channels.
Marketing… Lulu, like any publisher volition never marketplace for you, you lot have to put in the work yourself.
Customer services … rarely needed, but I had a query this week, emailed them, got a reply within 24 hours.
Research, aye, done that on both fronts publishers, and my market …I spent a long fourth dimension researching self publishing companies, and my niche, and still cull to use Lulu, and self hundreds of books every month.
Amazon volition list whatever book they can so once you accept an ISBN that's it, they'll listing it whether they can actually provide it or not – I've had run ins with amazon over that, and had to enquire them to remove my titles that I know they won't deliver.
It'due south similar getting a website and expecting sales, information technology won't happen unless you work difficult at it. That'south downwards to you, not Lulu.
If y'all're non selling books through any channel inquire yourself Who am I selling to? Where are they? and how can I attain them to tell them about my book? Then go do it.
I did magazine articles, radio interviews, blogging and more to get the sales I get. The balance is done generally by the amazon algorithm.
I call back if you're doing fiction you're upwards confronting the big names, but if information technology's non fiction you lot need to do all of this.
I've been cocky publishing with Lulu for over 10 years. My feel has been 100% positive. To date have received over £20,000 in royalties and information technology increases each year. I find their customer service superb. I cannot understand why so many people are trying to ignominy them. Of course if you lot write a crap book that no one buys y'all'll not make any money, but this wouldn't be the fault of Lulu.
Not the best simply not the worst.

Lulu started out as a multi-media company. I was able to sell anything, photos, videos, books. Then they decided they wanted to be a book publisher. At least they gave me a few months to begin changing my zipped image files to PDF. That was tricky because back so every image in the pdf had to be the same size (that's non the case today). Plus yous couldn't password protect the book (again, now you tin can for digital PDFs).

I've been using them for years. Things have, absolutely gone downhill. Customer service takes days. If you lot file a ticket, exist very thorough, clarify the problem, and everything you've done to correct it so you don't have to expect another week with the "did you try this?" response.

I had a recent club, a photograph book, where I had properly formatted it, checked information technology on their preview window, all was correct with the world. It took virtually two weeks to get the order, and when I showed upward, 3 of my iv books were wrong. The images were rotated xc degrees. It took a couple of days to hear back but they apologizes and said they would reprint it and expedite the lodge. The replacement books were correct, I was just annoyed that information technology took a month to get the right books from the fourth dimension I'd place my order.

I don't understand their rampant closing accounts and removing books without "due process" for their members. Seems like in today's globe, communication would exist high priority for a business concern. And while I haven't suffered too much from the Lulu Tyranny, I've read stories such equally posted here, and know from the experiences of some that I know that Lulu is ruthless. They are not a people-friendly company.

They accept recently inverse their ISBN policy. It used to come gratis, but now there's a $four.99 accuse.

Equally far as royalties are concerned, I don't utilise Lulu for distribution. The amount that you get subsequently it goes through their channels, and everyone else gets their cut is ridiculous. As some other observed, KDP Print (formerly Create Space) lets you create and sell books directly through Amazon. It's a scrap more work, but you'll get a lot more than revenue from them than using Lulu to distribute it to them.

All that said, I've had basically good luck with Lulu, but then I practice ALL my work. I've never bought one of their packages, and anyone that has modest computer skills should never need them. You can format your ain books with complimentary tools like Open Role, y'all can apply basic Grammarly for free (or upgrade for a month if you lot want avant-garde features for your book). There are dozens of royalty costless images sources for your cover. You don't need advanced, expensive photograph-editing programs when there are options like Gimp and Photopea.

Good luck to all. Be safe, be happy.
1. I had to threaten to sue them to let me back into my account. I discovered they are distributing the UNREVISED edition of all my books after all that necessary editing I did. I too no longer take a mode to download and revise my manuscripts as needed.
  I also am noticing original lines from my books either inverse or removed. How shady is lulu🤦🙄😒🤔
I've published four books with Lulu—latest one just recently (2021). No problems to report. Plan to utilise them again.