Over at Artmark, there’s a good article giving some more indepth details about Lulu for self publishing.

In summation, it seems that in addition to publishing, they also have a little side deal going where they “guarantee” clicks to your page listing your work. I’m agreement with the author, I’m not sure how that would work out, and it’s something to probably avoid. 30 clicks for $45? That’s ridiculously high priced.

One thing I’ve thought about with audience on both the Lulu site and the Createspace page selling my book is that those sites are made with the authors (or creators, as the case may be) in mind. They showcase the work that can be done for your art, and not much else. Contrast this with Amazon, which is made SOLELY with the customer in mind. The focus of amazon’s site is purely to sell items that you may be interested in. Sure, it’s evil capitalism, but when you’re trying to make a living off your book, do you want to invest money selling it to readers, or selling it to other writers?

It seems to me that advertising your book on lulu or createspace is akin to trying to sell knives at a blacksmith convention. Sure, they’re your knives and there aren’t any like it, but the blacksmiths can make their own, and aren’t really that interested in buying yours. Compared to amazon, which is akin to selling knives at a chicken roasting convention. The audience WANTS your product.

Keep that in mind when promoting your book: put money towards the correct audience, and avoid blacksmith conventions like Lulu.com for advertising.

Comments? Questions? Want me to babble about something? Drop me an email, or leave a comment.

That’s all for now, you keep on writing!