Lulu Vs. Createspace?

Banned 12 years ago

Originally Posted by Dana Forsythe

Does anyone know which of these is better?

I haven't used either.

From my reading of authors' forums (of which I do quite a bit), a few thousand authors who use Lulu seem to be up in arms and whining and complaining about virtually every detail of the company, process and procedure, while one very rarely seems to hear any bad impressions of CreateSpace at all. This is all second-hand information and interpretation, of course, but for myself, there's so much of it that personally I'd stay well away from Lulu.

And now let's hope some people with first-hand answers show up, so you can get some more informed views than mine.

Thanks
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Dana Forsythe 12 years ago

Yeah Lulu is a pain in the rear to work with. No doubt about that..
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spearce000

12 years ago

I haven't used either, but seeing as CreateSpace gets your product listed on Amazon.com, they would be my first choice.

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Chris Chicas

12 years ago

CreateSpace hands down along with SmashWords are the best platforms arounds. You get more for your money and the service is top notch. ; )

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Greg Jeffries 12 years ago

Originally Posted by Christiani

CreateSpace hands down along with SmashWords are the best platforms arounds. You get more for your money and the service is top notch. ; )

I agree. CreateSpace.
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kayshaw

12 years ago

Createspace all the way!

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Dana Forsythe

12 years ago

Lulu actually publishes on amazon and all the same distributors as well. So there is no difference there.

Thanks
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Chris Chicas 12 years ago

Originally Posted by Dana Forsythe

Lulu actually publishes on amazon and all the same distributors as well. So there is no difference there.

So Dana did you come here looking for honest advice or just reassurance on using Lulu?
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- Dana Forsythe 12 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by Christiani
  
  So Dana did you come here looking for honest advice or just reassurance on using Lulu?
  
  Advice.. I'm not sure which is a better company to work with over-all
  
  Thanks
  
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Ben Gordon

12 years ago

I've personally used Lulu for all of my physical products and I've loved it -- opposed to CreateSpace. I'm not sure where people got that Lulu's service is complex, perhaps five years ago, but not now. For me CreateSpace was a pain in the ass because I couldn't get my eCover to format correctly and many other problems arose.

I've been a satisfied customer of Lulu for over a year now and absolutely adore their services. I would highly recommend everybody to use Lulu for self publishing.

Thanks
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Dana Forsythe

12 years ago

Originally Posted by Ben Gordon

I've personally used Lulu for all of my physical products and I've loved it -- opposed to CreateSpace. I'm not sure where people got that Lulu's service is complex, perhaps five years ago, but not now. For me CreateSpace was a pain in the ass because I couldn't get my eCover to format correctly and many other problems arose.

I've been a satisfied customer of Lulu for over a year now and absolutely adore their services. I would highly recommend everybody to use Lulu for self publishing.

Thats awesome news. How are your sales through lulu doing?

Thanks
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Ben Gordon

12 years ago

Originally Posted by Dana Forsythe

Thats awesome news. How are your sales through lulu doing?

Actually I don't quite use Lulu upfront for making sales. It is more of the manufacturer for my book (physical product). As for the quality, it's excellent. I've haven't tried out other services but it's practically as good New York Time hits -- I've compared. The best part of it is that my programmer has actually integrated the API to automatically print and send the book to my customers' mailing address so there's no dirty work I have to manage anymore (handling orders). I really can't say anything bad about Lulu.

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Dana Forsythe

12 years ago

Originally Posted by Ben Gordon

Actually I don't quite use Lulu upfront for making sales. It is more of the manufacturer for my book (physical product). As for the quality, it's excellent. I've haven't tried out other services but it's practically as good New York Time hits -- I've compared. The best part of it is that my programmer has actually integrated the API to automatically print and send the book to my customers' mailing address so there's no dirty work I have to manage anymore (handling orders). I really can't say anything bad about Lulu.

Whoa.. wait a minute, they don't print and ship for you like createspace does? Crap lol.

Whats pissing me off about createspace the most is that you can't print in hardback.

Thanks
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Ben Gordon

12 years ago

Originally Posted by Dana Forsythe

Whoa.. wait a minute, they don't print and ship for you like createspace does? Crap lol.

Whats pissing me off about createspace the most is that you can't print in hardback.

Where did you get that idea?

Of course they print and ship. I'm saying I've automated the process by using their API so I don't have to manually ship the books to every customer.

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Chris Chicas

12 years ago

CreateSpace might not be as easy to format compare to other services for some people but that's always something you can outsource to Fiverr or similar place.

The thing about Lulu and others like Book Baby is that they charge a lot more for POD.

And I just don't like the fact that Lulu names themselves as the publisher of the book.

Here is part of their agreement:

"You accept that Lulu.com is the publisher of record and that any creator revenue you earn through this ISBN meets the true & legal definition of the term 'royalty"
http://connect.lulu.com/t5/ISBN-Dist...ent/ta-p/32002

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ashloren

12 years ago

Having used both, I strongly prefer Lulu. Their printing quality is far superior to Createspace, and the process of designing your book through Lulu is far more user-friendly and doesn't require ordering proof copies since the book will look exactly the way it does when you put it together.

Createspace definitely has the advantage of Amazon and is a way better choice in terms of exposure and will obviously reach a much more significant audience than Lulu can offer.

Also, Lulu is more expensive. I think the better quality is worth the difference in price, personally.

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Kierkegaard

12 years ago

Well Lulu monthly revenues get paid out today and I've just recieved just over £800 (about $1265). I don't promote the books, all the money comes from people browsing the lulu marketplace and from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iTunes (Lulu automatically put your books on there).

Lulu IS expensive if you want to create a magazine or comic book (especially if you want to have them posted to you, to take to a con or book fair).

Createspace have had people knocking the quality of the books (especially after time with covers curling, etc.) but I have to say the printers Lulu use produce excellent work.

Thanks
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Votoshka 12 years ago

Hmm this is interesting. I'm going to have to look into Lulu. I was planning on using Createspace for my book (simply because it's integrated with Amazon and that seemed the logical choice), but if Lulu do a better job?? It's worth investigating more.
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Amy Harrop

12 years ago

Just to mention my own experience with Createspace, I think they are quite good and easy to use, and their customer service is also very good.

I don't know how their quality compares with Lulu however.

One thing I want to mention is that there is no longer any need to order proof copies with Createspace as they don't require them (they used to, I believe), and they have an interior reviewer that will show you exactly what the inside of your book will look like.

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CDarklock

12 years ago

Originally Posted by Dana Forsythe

Does anyone know which of these is better?

Lulu has higher-quality covers. The ones from CreateSpace peel over time, which may not matter if it's a book you only read once or twice, but if it's a book that may get passed around or saved for posterity... the quality difference is significant.

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Lulu Vs. Createspace?

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