Lulu.com
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Self-publishing |
| Genre | Self-publishing |
| Founded | 2002 |
| Founder | Bob Young |
| Headquarters | , |
Key people | Nigel Lee (CEO) |
| Products | Books, e-books, photo-books, calendars |
| Services | Print on demand and e-book publishing |
| Website | Official website  |
Lulu Press, Inc. is an online print-on-demand, self-publishing and distribution platform. Since its founding in 2002, Lulu has published nearly two million titles by authors in over 225 countries and territories.[1]
The company's founder is Red Hat co-founder Bob Young.[2] Lulu's CEO is Nigel Lee and its headquarters are in Raleigh, North Carolina. On July 12, 2015, Michael Mandiberg completed his art project Print Wikipedia and the 7,600-volume Wikipedia database has been uploaded to Lulu.com and is available for printout.[3]
Products
Lulu.com focuses on both print and digital format books. Printed books are available in multiple formats and sizes including paperback, coil bound, and hardcovers. Books can be printed, in black-and-white or full-color.
In 2009, Lulu.com began publishing and distributing eBooks. Lulu.com also prints and publishes calendars and photobooks.
Process
Authors upload their files. Material is submitted in digital form for publication. Authors can then buy copies of their own book and/or make it available for purchase in the "Lulu Bookstore".
By applying a free ISBN and meeting distribution requirements, books can also be distributed to online retail outlets such as Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and Apple's iBookstore.
The author of a title receives an 80% royalty for print books and a 90% royalty for eBooks when sold.[4] Copyright of works uploaded and distributed via Lulu.com remains with the author.
Replay Photos
In January 2014, Lulu announced that it had acquired Durham-based sports photography company Replay Photos.[5] Replay Photos sells licensed images of collegiate and professional sports teams as photographic prints, custom framed photos, photos on canvas, and original wall art.[6]
Lulu Jr.
In 2014, Lulu launched Lulu Jr., which enables children to become published authors.[7] Lulu Jr. products include My Awesome Book, My Comic Book, IlluStory, and IlluStory Junior.[8] These book-making kits include materials that allow children to create their own books, such as blank story pages and markers. Finished stories and artwork can be submitted digitally or mailed to Lulu Jr. to be printed as a hardcover or a softcover book. In November 2014, Lulu announced a partnership with Crayola to produce new book-making kits.[9]
Picture.com
In December 2015, Lulu relaunched Picture.com, a site dedicated to the creation of photo books and picture on canvas wall décor. This site is currently directed towards the consumer who is creating high quality photo-centric products for personal use.
Lulu Blooker Prize
The Lulu Blooker Prize was a literary award for "blooks" (books based on blogs). It was awarded in 2006 and 2007 and sponsored by Lulu.com. An overall prize was awarded, based on the winners of three subsidiary categories: non-fiction, fiction and comics. The Lulu Blooker Prize was open to any "blook" that had been published "to date" (i.e., by the entry deadline) by any publisher.
2006
The first competition saw 89 entries from over a dozen countries. A panel of three judges decided the winners: Cory Doctorow, Chair of Judges; Paul Jones; and Robin "Roblimo" Miller.[10]
Winners
- Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen by Julie Powell (main prize, non-fiction)
- Four and Twenty Blackbirds by Cherie Priest (fiction)
- Totally Boned: A Joe and Monkey Collection by Zach Miller (comics, self-published through Lulu.com)
Runners-up
- Biodiesel Power by Lyle Estill (runner up, non-fiction, see biodiesel)
- Hackoff.com: An Historic Murder Mystery Set in the Internet Bubble and Rubble by Tom Evslin (runner up, fiction)
- Dinosaur Comics: Huge Eyes, Beaks, Intelligence, and Ambition by Ryan North (runner up, comics)
2007
The 2007 competition had 110 entries from 15 countries. The number of judges was increased to five: Paul Jones (chair), Arianna Huffington, Julie Powell (2006 overall winner), Rohit Gupta, and Nick Cohen.[11]
Winners
- My War: Killing Time in Iraq by Colby Buzzell (Overall Winner and Non-Fiction Winner)
- The Doorbells of Florence by Andrew Losowsky (Fiction Winner)
- Mom's Cancer by Brian Fies (Comics Winner)
Runners-up
- My Secret: A PostSecret Book by Frank Warren (Non-Fiction)
- Island: A Zombie Novel by David Wellington (Fiction)
References
- ^ "Lulu Enters Exclusive Licensing and Distribution Agreement With Easy Student Publishing for Kids' Creativity and Book-Making Products" (Press release).
- ^ Wolf, Alan M. (2009-11-04). "Lulu.com adding thousands of e-books by traditional authors". News & Observer. Retrieved 4 November 2009.
- ^ Greenberg, Will (June 18, 2015). "Ever wondered what a $500,000 version of Wikipedia would look like?". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
- ^ Tilton, Kate (January 25, 2013). "Royalty Rates Comparison". BiblioCrunch. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
- ^ "Lulu acquires Durham-based Replay Photos". newsobserver. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
- ^ "Replay Photos: Help / FAQs". ReplayPhotos.com. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
- ^ "Lulu Launch Lulu Junior Website and Introduce Children's Book-Making Kits". Retrieved 20 June 2015.
- ^ "Lulu Jr". Retrieved 20 June 2015.
- ^ "Lulu Jr.(TM) and Crayola Team Up to Make Children Published Authors". Yahoo Finance. 25 November 2014. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
- ^ Gibson, Owen (3 April 2006). "From blog to book: first awards for online writers who became mainstream successes". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
- ^ "War book wins Blooker blog prize". BBC News. 14 May 2007. Retrieved 16 November 2015.