May 26, 2010
ARE YOU AN UNHAPPY LULU AUTHOR?
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We've been getting lots of inquiries from Lulu.com authors who are upset about Lulu's prices, high shipping costs, and customer service problems (see quotes below from Lulu's own forum).
WHAT'S THE CATCH
1. Currently applies to black and white-interior, paperback books only. If your book has a hardcover counterpart, it would qualify for our "$149 returning author setup fee special."
2. You must first submit your manuscript (MSWord, text-only, or pdf file) for consideration to unhappy@booklocker.com. No formal book proposal required. Your manuscript will speak for itself. (If you don't hear from us within 72 hours, check your spam filter. We respond to ALL submissions.)
3. If your book is accepted (BookLocker does not publish every manuscript submitted and, in fact, rejects most manuscripts for quality problems), you must sign up for Booklocker's service THIS WEEK (the special ends on Sunday). We assist with formatting at no additional charge.
4. There is an $18 annual POD file hosting fee that must be paid by all authors. This enables us to keep the book on our site and in Ingram's system. Cover design is not included in this special but we may be able to use your existing cover or you can submit your own cover at no charge. Cover Design at BookLocker.com - $200 original cover; $150 template cover; or, again, submit your own cover at no charge.
YES, OUR SERVICE INCLUDES EXTENDED DISTRIBUTION. Our print books are listed on Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, booksamillion.com and many other smaller, online bookstores, both domestic and foreign. Any bookstore with an Ingram account can pick up Ingram's feed, so you'll find your book listed in stores you've never heard of. While all of these stores currently add our books automatically, and have never refused to add one of our books, we can't guarantee that every book will be added by all of Ingram's bookstore clients, nor that any of their clients will continue to list/sell a particular book for eternity. Nobody can guarantee that.
BOOKLOCKER'S ROYALTIES
Royalties are always based on the list price YOU choose so you'll always know how much you'll make on each sale.
JUST A FEW OF THE COMPLAINTS POSTED TO LULU'S OWN FORUM:
"HIDEOUS Print Quality!!! - I am so upset right now that I am shaking! I have just received my SECOND proof copy done by some local printer that Lulu has farmed this work out to here in Australia and the print quality is utterly vile." SOURCE
"How do I get a response to my complaint about faulty printing?" SOURCE
"I recently received a defective book from your company. Attached is a photograph of one page in which text was cut off. Many pages have cut off text. Some pages were printed upside down." SOURCE
"I agree completely with those who are disgusted with Lulu. Not only is the service terrible, they do not make it easy to find a Contact at Lulu, at least one who is capable of reading and responding to complaints." SOURCE
"Lulu-read the thread before this-very irate customers! On the thread before this one, there are about 8 other customers, besides myself, who are very irate and fed up with getting no answers to what has happened to our orders." SOURCE
"I ordered eight copies of my thesis. Six were in good condition. Two had extra pages included in the back from some random books. I have tried contacting Lulu five times and sent proof of the defect twice but I have still not gotten a response." SOURCE
"A customer receive the wrong book. No one is helping - Has anyone had a complaint about Lulu from a buyer? A woman in my community has ordered my book and is now saying things to me like, 'I hate Lulu!'" SOURCE
"My order still hasn't arrived?! - This product still hasn't arrived, can somebody tell me how I can go about getting a refund?" SOURCE
More HERE.