Just Got My "Lulu Revenues" Email... Are You Selling Printed Copies Of Your Ebooks Yet?

[Brian Cook]

If you are selling download (ebooks, special reports, etc.),
you may want to try offering a printed version as well.

I use Lulu.com for this and it is pretty easy to set up. They
print it out and mail it to the customer as orders come in.
Lulu then takes their cut and sends me my payment via Paypal.

There are other services you can use besides Lulu.com, but
whatever you use, you may experience an increase in sales if you
start offering a printed version of your downloads.

In my experience, some customers prefer buying a good
old-fashioned book that they can sit down and read. (I think
this is especially true for some niches).

Brian

[gjabiz]

Thanks for the head's up on Lulu.

Bookmasters of Ashland, OH will print your book on demand, and fulfill. They take the cc and ship out the book, it is all hands off for the author. A great way to go if you are new to self-publishing and want to have an actual book on the market. They can even assign an ISBN, which will allow your book to get listed on Amazon and for book store orders too.

Here is a non-affiliate link to their homepage.

Book Printing, Manufacturing, Distribution, Conversion @ BookMasters AND they have a digital division too.

Now you all have NO excuses for not getting your work out there and making you some bux.

gjabiz

[WritingMadwoman]

Brian, I was just thinking yesterday that I needed to do this - I've even had people email me asking if I offered a print version of my ebooks! Maybe your post is a "sign" that I should get off my butt and do it.

Do you find that more people buy the print version, or do most prefer ebooks? Do you also have people buy the ebook and then order the print book later?

One last question, do you specifically promote your print books, or just offer it as an option along with the ebooks?

Wendy

[marciayudkin]

Brian,

How much reformatting do you do on your PDF reports to make them work well as Lulu books?

I'm wondering because it can be a lot of work to create a conventional book layout.

Thanks,
Marcia Yudkin

[Brian Cook]

Wendy,

For me, it really depends on the product. IM products
seem to do well as downloads, but one of my recipes-
type products sells better as a soft-cover booklet.

Although I occasionally specifically promote printed
books of mine, I most often ofter them as a link on
the sales page. (As an aside, I don't do this on sales
pages that affiliates are promoting because I'm not
set up to track their sales of printed books).

Brian

Originally Posted by WritingMadwoman

Do you find that more people buy the print version, or do most prefer ebooks? Do you also have people buy the ebook and then order the print book later?

One last question, do you specifically promote your print books, or just offer it as an option along with the ebooks?

Wendy

[Brian Cook]

Sorry Marcia... I missed your question earlier...

The last book I created on Lulu was actually in the
form of a Word document and it was a piece of
cake to get it all ready. I haven't tried to submit
a PDF document so really not sure how that would
work with Lulu.

Brian

Originally Posted by marciayudkin

Brian,

How much reformatting do you do on your PDF reports to make them work well as Lulu books?

I'm wondering because it can be a lot of work to create a conventional book layout.

Thanks,
Marcia Yudkin

[vagabondette]

Do you list your ebooks on Amazon as well?

[Brian Cook]

Yes, I do sell my printed books on Amazon.com

Lulu.com can help you with that process if you
are using them to create your books.

Brian

Originally Posted by vagabondette

Do you list your ebooks on Amazon as well?

[Simon74]

Originally Posted by gjabiz

Thanks for the head's up on Lulu.

Bookmasters of Ashland, OH will print your book on demand, and fulfill. They take the cc and ship out the book, it is all hands off for the author. A great way to go if you are new to self-publishing and want to have an actual book on the market. They can even assign an ISBN, which will allow your book to get listed on Amazon and for book store orders too.

Here is a non-affiliate link to their homepage.

Book Printing, Manufacturing, Distribution, Conversion @ BookMasters AND they have a digital division too.

Now you all have NO excuses for not getting your work out there and making you some bux.

gjabiz

Thank you for sharing this info with us! I didn't know about it!

Many thanks,
Simon

[WritingMadwoman]

Paul, I really enjoy both ebooks and print books. I guess it depends on the topic.

A non-fiction, "how-to" topic (like IM related) I prefer an ebook - instant delivery, quick reading, tasks are executed online so having the book available on my computer makes sense.

But novels or even non-fiction books with deeper concepts I love to curl up away from the computer with it.

Either way, it's cool to have a choice! In fact, I can think of some ebooks I've bought that I would love to have a print copy of - besides my dog-eared home-printed version.

Wendy

Originally Posted by Paul McQuillan

Thanks Brian!

I HATE ebooks for my use. I am sure there are a number of people
who feel the same way.

I am going to check this out

Paul

[Kristy Taylor]

If you're serious about publishing books POD you could skip Lulu altogether and use the same digital printer/distributor that Lulu uses and get your books on nearly all on-line bookstores as well as off-line bookstores being able to special order your book (and they are also much cheaper to print with):
Lightning Source


Ta
Kristy

[Brian Cook]

Thanks Kristy... I'm always interested in learning
about other POD's.

I hadn't heard of Lightning Source before you
mentioned it, and found this review on line...
Getting an Account with Lightning Source

It looks like it offers a unique service, though
it may not be as "newbie-friendly" as some of
the others?

Brian

Originally Posted by Kristy Taylor

If you're serious about publishing books POD you could skip Lulu altogether and use the same digital printer/distributor that Lulu uses and get your books on nearly all on-line bookstores as well as off-line bookstores being able to special order your book (and they are also much cheaper to print with):
Lightning Source


Ta
Kristy

[Kristy Taylor]

It's worth it though if you want your books automatically listed with the largest distributor in America - Ingram (and their new Espresso book printing machines that are about to be released in most countries). You can also drop-ship direct to your customers if need be.

And you can always outsource the PDF file creation. With prices starting at $2.30 for printing, and no need to store inventory, it's a no-brainer.

(LS is who Lulu usually uses if you select their "Distribution" package, and they charge nicely for the privilege.)

Ta
Kristy

[Steven Carl Kelly]

I used to use Lulu but I've moved over to CreateSpace. Lightning Source is also good.

[jschop]

I use Createspace. Createspace is like Lulu, but you get a bigger cut from Amazon, and your book is automatically listed on Amazon once you approve your proof copy.

[mannex]

LightningSource charges a setup fee. Lulu doesn't unless you choose to make your book available through bookstore distribution.

Lulu also has an online automated cover designer, so you can make simple book covers. Printed book cover designers are more expensive than ebook cover designers.

Lulu also sells electronic downloads, so that their one page can offer both an ebook and a printed book. Of course, you'd probably make more money if you separately offered the ebook yourself.

Formatting for Lulu is super-easy. They have MS Word templates that you can download. The paper size needs to fit the book: 6" x 9" is a good choice for a standard book. Then, you just upload the MS Word document and use the cover designer. Very easy if you want to get started quickly.

[Vijay M]

I did try lulu as an option for buyers to gift the book to their loved ones during the holiday season. It was a mildly successful campaign.

never heard about LS. Thanks for the info.

[ecoverartist]

I use createspace - www.createspace.com to publish my book. Easy and direct way to get on Amazon and Target.com for what it's worth.

[Brian Cook]

I just used CreateSpace for the first time after reading
more about it in this thread...

The most difficult part for me was submitting my pdf
document... I kept getting errors regarding the margins...
aargh...

Anyway, once I got past that the process has been
moving pretty fast... my proof was shipped the next
day (yesterday) and I should receive it early next
week. I'm anxious to see how it looks 'cause I never
was sure if I got the margin thing all figured out!

Sidenote: part of the process allows you to input
several keywords that people might search for when
using Amazon.com. So, I plugged in a few long-tail
keywords but the system made me change them as
it only allows 25-characters per keyword/phrase.

Brian

Originally Posted by ecoverartist

I use createspace - www.createspace.com to publish my book. Easy and direct way to get on Amazon and Target.com for what it's worth.

[mpruben]

I'm also interested in a UK service. I've been looking for a while but haven't found anything yet.

[Brian Cook]

I saw this site while searching for POD's...
Print On Demand Self Publishing - Welcome To The London Press

Brian

Originally Posted by mpruben

I'm also interested in a UK service. I've been looking for a while but haven't found anything yet.

[AdInventive]

Don't forget about the kindle and iphone formats.

Also you can create an audio book from your book and sell the audio mp3's on amazon/itunes/wherever else as well.

[marciayudkin]

I saw this site while searching for POD's...
Print On Demand Self Publishing - Welcome To The London Press

This company is NOT comparable to Lightning Source or Lulu because they charge a considerable up-front fee and they are the publisher of record, not you.

They are more comparable to Infinity Publishing or AuthorSource in the U.S.

Marcia Yudkin

[Brian Cook]

That's good to know. Thanks

Originally Posted by marciayudkin

This company is NOT comparable to Lightning Source or Lulu because they charge a considerable up-front fee and they are the publisher of record, not you.

They are more comparable to Infinity Publishing or AuthorSource in the U.S.

Marcia Yudkin

[k998]

Brian, I just registered so that I could post on here and ask you how you're getting on with Create Space?

I'm looking at print-on-demand options myself and your experience is very valuable.

[Brian Cook]

So far my experience with CreateSpace has been
positive.

However, I am still waiting for my copy of the book
(the "proof") to arrive despite it having shipped on
the 18th of Sept (I paid for the cheapest delivery
method!)

I will update here once I receive the proof and let
you know how it looks.

Brian

Originally Posted by k998

Brian, I just registered so that I could post on here and ask you how you're getting on with Create Space?

I'm looking at print-on-demand options myself and your experience is very valuable.

[Clint]

In my experience we live in a microwave age where people want it now. I have found that when I sold my info product as a physical product. My sales dropped.

This has just been my experience

Clint S

[SimonHarrison]

Originally Posted by Clint

In my experience we live in a microwave age where people want it now. I have found that when I sold my info product as a physical product. My sales dropped.

This has just been my experience

Clint S

I think for many of us the point is we offer e-books already however wish to add a physical option for upsell purposes.

[marciayudkin]

In my experience we live in a microwave age where people want it now. I have found that when I sold my info product as a physical product. My sales dropped.

It's not either-or. It's a matter of providing options.

One of my colleagues has, as a byproduct of her newsletter, a collection of jokes that one can buy as an ebook. Every year I have wished that I could buy it as a gift for a friend who would love to read it and have it on her bookshelf.

An ebook makes a horrible gift!

I asked her about it, and she said basically, it's too much trouble to turn it into a paperback book. She is definitely losing sales - not only mine but others who feel the way I do.

Marcia Yudkin

[k998]

Originally Posted by Brian Cook

I will update here once I receive the proof and let
you know how it looks.

Brian

Thanks Brian.

It really is good to hear everyone's experiences on here, especially for someone just entering this new world.

[Brian Cook]

An update... I received the book yesterday (took 12
days to get here using the cheapest shipping option.)

The good news is it looks great... despite the errors I
kept getting regarding the margins (never did figure
out what was allegedly wrong).

Now that I see this particular book in print I've noticed
a few things I want to change. So, I'll make the changes
and then order another proof.

Patience, patience I keep telling myself

Originally Posted by k998

Thanks Brian.

It really is good to hear everyone's experiences on here, especially for someone just entering this new world.

[Karen Connell]

Would anyone give an approximate cost of the self publishing options that have been discussed here?

I have a book that I would like to self publish but don't want to jump into one company until I know a little more.

Thanks

Karen

[Daniel Brock]

I have been considering doing this for both my products - however one problem remains:

How to offer your affiliates commission on your printed book if you are already offering your ebook as a clickbank download?

This is pretty much easy money, the only problem is integrating it into your affiliate network...

[SageSound]

Personally, I'd only offer it as a 100% back-end up-sell. I wouldn't try giving affiliates a cut, and I wouldn't expect them to complain.

That said, one of the benefits of using CreateSpace.com is that the book gets listed just like any other Amazon product, and Amazon Associates can earn commissions on sales.

So, to answer your question directly, you can offer your affiliates commissions on sales of the printed book by using CreateSpace and telling them to sell it through their Amazon affiliate link.

Whether an affiliate makes the sale or you do it yourself, I think you earn the same amount either way.

-David

[Mary Gallivan]

I've published a book on Lulu although I found it a steep learning curve to format it for them. Maybe I was having a bad day that day.

The more options you can provide your customers the better.

Will now go and look at Lightning Source.

Mary

[Alexa Smith]

Originally Posted by Mary Gallivan

I've published a book on Lulu although I found it a steep learning curve to format it for them. Maybe I was having a bad day that day.

Maybe not! I gather that many authors find Lulu considerably more difficult to deal with (on formatting and other fronts) than Create-Space.

[taylordstuff]

I have a couple of books published through CreateSpace. I found them to be a very easy way to get your content published. They were my easiest way to get my own content out there as I previously only promoted other people's products. As far the revenue, I believe that I probably would have earned more if I sold my books as eBooks.

[Kristy Taylor]

Originally Posted by Karen Connell

Would anyone give an approximate cost of the self publishing options that have been discussed here?

I have a book that I would like to self publish but don't want to jump into one company until I know a little more.

Thanks

Karen

That's an opened-ended question. It would depend on how serious you are. Do you want world-wide distribution or just a few copies to give to family and friends?

You could spend from $0 up to a few thousand, again, depending on what you want, and if you want your book to look like a real book.

Note: there is no such thing as a self-publishing company! YOU are the only one who can self-publish (you = self). Don't fall for the vanity/subsidy publishers (most of these use LSI anyway, so why pay for a middleman).

Ta
Kristy