LULU.COM: The future of publishing?

Mark Weber used lulu.com to release his first book, "Christian Music Makers." Lulu.com is changing the way writers publish books as well as the way people buy them.

BUFFALO, NY (PRWEB) April 11, 2004 -—Forrester Research estimates that U.S. consumers alone will spend more than $96 billion online this year. And lots of those consumers are buying books online, through specialty websites like lulu.com.

I buy books online. Its the modern way of shopping," says Mark Weber, whose own book, Christian Music Makers, is on sale at lulu.com/christianmusic. I love the idea that my book is available worldwide because of the Internet."

Traditional bookstores typically stock between 10,000 and 25,000 titles, while online retailers can list an unlimited number of titles, including out of print and hard to find books. Plus, certains websites, such as lulu.com, cater to niches that retailers might ignore.

When I visit a typical bookstore, I can count the number of books about Christian music available for purchase there on one hand," says Weber. And I know that some of my potential readers dont live near a bookstore, but they do use the Internet, so it makes sense to have my book available for purchase 24 hours a day, worldwide, through lulu.com/christianmusic."

Lulu.com is a unique site because writers can instantly publish their own book at a price they set, edit it whenever they want, and best of all, retain the rights to their work. In other words, lulu.com does not own the book, so it can be sold elsewhere. Lulu.com also makes available ISBN numbers so a person could conceivably order a lulu" book from a traditional bookstore. Lulu pays writers royalty checks, based on payments received from book buyers during the prior quarter. Best of all, lulu.com requires no initial investment on the part of content creators.

Lulu.com gives me a spot on the Internet to sell my book. When someone goes there and buys it, lulu.com's printer prints the book (which I carefully designed myself using my own computer as well as their online forms) and it gets shipped to the buyer's door. We split the profits in a mutally satisfying way," says Weber.

Lulu.com is designed so that authors have maximum control over the work they create. In addition to books, lulu.com also allows sellers to upload images, music and other original items. Lulu considers itself a marketplace for a world of digital content."

I was able to write, edit and design my own book. I uploaded a Word document, with embedded jpeg photos, and Lulu.com effectively allowed me to be my own publisher for Christian Music Makers," says Weber. I wanted my book done my way, and lulu.com helped make that a reality. If I could do it, then all aspiring authors out there can do it too. I highly recommend it."

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