Lulu.com is a place where people of all ages, backgrounds, and professions can publish, sell, discover, and purchase novels, memoirs, poetry, cookbooks, technical manuals, articles, photography books, children’s books, calendars, and a host of other creative content. Lulu provides a safe, friendly, respectful, fun yet serious environment to help people tell their stories, distribute ideas, and share their art. Buyers who browse the Lulu bookstore will discover a wide variety of products with an equally wide range of subject matters. Lulu exists so that creators can create; however, we do not encourage content that could make a majority of our customers uncomfortable. 


Welcome to the Lulu community of creators!


Please Note: Lulu is not a publisher, but instead provides users with tools to publish their own content. Because Lulu is not a publisher, we do not review work published through our site. We expect all content to be consistent with our Membership Agreement and Terms of Use and reserve the right to remove content we deem to be illegal or inappropriate.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Can I Publish Using a Pen Name?

Yes! If you wish to use a pen name, stage name, pseudonym, alias, etc., enter it in the Author field when you create a new project. If you haven’t quite settled on your nom de plume, you can edit the author name before publishing or revise the project after it’s published to change the author name. 


For more information, see How Do I Revise My Published Book?

Who Is the Publisher – Me or Lulu?

You, as the creator, are both the copyright holder and publisher of all works created and distributed using the tools and services provided by Lulu.com. Therefore, you should list yourself as the copyright holder and publisher on both the copyright page in your work and when creating your project. If you wish, you may list Lulu.com as the distributor.


Keep in mind:

  • Lulu is not a publisher. We do not review work published through our site; however, we expect all content to be consistent with our Member Agreement and reserve the right to remove content we deem to be illegal or inappropriate.
  • A copyright page will NOT be created and inserted into your book when published through our site. Authors are responsible for creating this page and recording themselves as the copyright holder (Copyright © Year by YOUR NAME) and publisher of their work (Published by <PUBLISHER NAME>).
  • If you choose to use a free Lulu ISBN, Lulu will register the pertinent information about your book with bibliographic services.
  • Lulu does not register ISBNs with the United States of America Library of Congress or any other country-specific copyright office.
  • If you choose to use your own ISBN, you must enter the bibliographic information (title, author, format, publisher, etc.) required to associate the ISBN with your book. As a best practice, list the same information on your book’s copyright page that was used to register your ISBN.

What Is Print-on-Demand?

Print-on-demand (POD) is a method of producing books or other media at the time of purchase using a digital file.


In contrast, traditional publishers typically produce thousands of copies in each print run. Although this approach costs less per copy, it also requires a publishing company to print and store all that merchandise.


For more information, see How Does Print-On-Demand Work?

Lulu.com holds no rights or copyright on your work and makes no claims or restrictions on the ownership of your work. Rights and copyrights remain with you as the author and creator. You continue to own the rights in your name or, on behalf of others if you have contractual arrangements. The Content section of the Membership Agreement outlines rights maintained by both Lulu.com and the account holder. Lulu complies with the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). As such, we will do everything we can to discourage the violation of intellectual property rights. 


As a member of the Lulu community, you may only publish or post content that you own or have permission to publish. We take allegations of copyright and privacy violations seriously. To that end, if you believe the material offered for sale on our site violates your copyright or right to privacy, you are encouraged to notify Lulu via the “Report This Content to Lulu” button displayed with each work offered for sale in the Lulu bookstore. If a user infringes copyrights, intellectual property, or privacy rights, Lulu may, in its discretion, terminate use or deny access to its website. If terminated for those reasons, Lulu has no obligation to provide a refund of any amounts previously paid to Lulu or owed to the user.

How Much Does It Cost To Use Lulu?

For authors, creating a book and offering it for sale in the Lulu bookstore doesn't cost anything. The only costs are when you purchase an item! To calculate the cost of a product, use our calculator on our Products page.


When a customer purchases your content, Lulu takes a small commission:  20% of the profit for printed books and 10% for ebooks. The purchase price for all printed products includes a base price to cover raw materials and printing services. Profit is calculated by subtracting those costs from the purchase price. Production costs for specific products are listed in Product Information specifications and the Cost Calculators provided as part of the design process. 

Can I Use Lulu in Conjunction With Another Publishing Company?

Lulu does not restrict the marketing of your work. Unlike some companies, we urge authors to take advantage of all the sales venues available to them and to share their successes with us and with other authors.


We recommend that you fully understand the terms and conditions of all businesses with which you deal. 


Note: If you published your book using a free Lulu ISBN, you must obtain a new ISBN if you choose to publish your book with another publisher/distributor.

Is There a Minimum Quantity I Have To Order?

At Lulu, there is no minimum (or maximum) order. Authors and creators can purchase the number of copies they need and distribute books themselves. Or, customers can buy any number of books directly from the Lulu bookstore or other retail sites.   

Does Lulu Provide Free Proof Copies to Authors?

Authors who wish to distribute and sell their print books to online retailers such as Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble must purchase and approve a proof copy to qualify for retail distribution.


Note: Even if you do not intend to distribute your print book to retail sites, we strongly urge authors to purchase a single copy of their work to review before purchasing a large number of copies.

Will All Orders of My Book Look Like the Proof Copy?

The Lulu global network of printers produces books based on the best fit for the job in a given region of the world. Some of the factors that determine where your book will print are book size, binding type, order quantity, page count, delivery destination, etc. We take great pains to ensure consistency in the look and feel of our printed products, but there can be slight variations in printing and binding between orders. This variation is not a workmanship or manufacturing defect and does not qualify for a refund or return.

What Kind of Digital Press Does Lulu Use?

Lulu's global network of printers utilizes a variety of the latest digital print technology:


Black & white interiors are printed on a combination of Kodak, Xerox, Hewlett Packard, and Oce equipment.


Color products are printed on a combination of HP, Xerox, Xiekon, and Kodak equipment.

Is Lulu the Right Choice for Me?

Lulu pretty much invented online self-publishing. We’ve been around for a long time and have figured out what authors need to create, publish, distribute, and sell their books online. However, no matter how hard we try, we can never be all things to all people. If you fit into any of the following categories, Lulu may not be right for you.


You Don’t Want To Be the One Selling Your Book

Traditionally, publishers do all the marketing for their authors' books. That takes resources, which is why it is difficult to get a book accepted by a traditional publisher. Lulu lets you publish your work without going through a publisher, but that means the burden of selling and marketing your book falls to you. There are ways to do this and the internet provides many avenues for self-marketing including tips for marketing your book that can be found in the Lulu blog.


If You Are Looking To Sell Your Book Primarily Through “Brick & Mortar” Bookstores

While we offer ISBNs for books published through Lulu (which means your book can be ordered through bookstores), print-on-demand economics cannot provide the large discounts bookstores require to stock books. Don’t despair, some bookstores will carry self-published books, though it might mean a little more effort on your part. 

How Do I Get Answers to Questions Not in the Knowledge Base?

Over the years we have put together an extensive collection of how-to articles that walk you through the creation, publishing, and distribution of your work. You can access this wealth of knowledge under ‘Resources’ in the main header. 


If you need more assistance, click the Support link, choose a topic, and browse a curated list of help articles. If you can’t find the answer there, click I Still Need Help to submit a request for assistance from our support team.