Platform guide · Lulu
How to publish a book with Lulu
A book you want to print for an event and a book you want retailers to list may need different plans. Lulu offers ways to create printed books and sell through different channels. Start with the destination, then select the binding, paper, size and files that support that destination. Not every printable product qualifies for retail distribution.
This is a preparation guide for authors considering Lulu, not a promise of retailer placement. You can work directly with the platform. Publishing Core can discuss optional manuscript, design and production support under a separate service agreement, with your Lulu account remaining under your control.
Choose the route before the print specification
Describe how the first copies will reach readers. Personal copies, sales through the Lulu Bookstore, selling from your own website and Lulu's Retail Distribution service are not interchangeable project goals. A family history with a small private audience may call for different decisions from a trade paperback intended for retailer ordering.
Use Lulu's current product and distribution guidance to check the combination you want. Decide which requirements are essential and which preferences can change. This prevents paying for a finished layout that later needs a different trim size or binding to meet the chosen route.
Prepare a controlled interior and its matching cover
Approve editing before final layout. Supply images with clear captions and placement notes, and flag any tables or special characters for the designer. A representative layout sample should show ordinary text as well as the difficult pages. Confirm how notes, page numbers, contents and intentionally blank pages will be handled.
Use the current template for the exact print specification and final interior. Review the one-piece cover as a complete production file, including the spine and back. Do not stretch another book's wrap or use a flat front-cover screenshot as proof that the print cover fits. Keep separate names for the working cover, proof cover and release cover.
Check retail eligibility and edition information
If retail distribution is the aim, review Lulu's current eligibility rules before committing to the product. Distribution requirements can cover content, edition details, identifiers and the paper, ink, binding and size combination. A product that Lulu can manufacture may still be unsuitable for a particular distribution channel.
Keep the ISBN decision and imprint details with the edition record. Check the treatment of an existing title before attempting another retail submission; duplicated distribution arrangements can create problems. The author should understand the chosen route and any restrictions before approving the project, rather than discovering them after the artwork is complete.
Treat the physical proof as a production decision
Lulu's retail-distribution guidance requires a physical proof review and approval for print submissions. Plan that step into your schedule and budget, including the possibility of revised files and another proof. Check the provider's current process whenever the interior, cover or production specification changes.
Read the proof as a book, away from the layout software. Examine trim, cover legibility, spine placement, image cropping, page order and small type at actual size. Mark the precise page or cover location for each correction. Separate a manufacturing question for the printer from an error in the artwork so the right problem is addressed.
Prepare descriptions and expectations for each channel
Create one approved metadata sheet: title, subtitle, author, edition, description and the appropriate categories. Compare that sheet with the cover and title page. A description should explain the book's subject or story accurately, without using another author's name or an unrelated bestseller as a shortcut to attention.
Make a small channel checklist for the release. It can record where you intend the book to be sold, what needs approval and where the author will check its status. A distribution submission is not proof that every retailer will list the title, keep stock or display it in a physical shop. Each distributor and retailer retains its own acceptance process.
Keep the production package and costs understandable
Separate the service fee for editing, cover design or formatting from printing, shipping, proof copies and platform charges. Confirm which files and revision rounds are included in the work. An attractive per-copy estimate is not a complete project budget if those other items have been overlooked.
At handover, retain the exact interior and cover submitted, the chosen product specification, the metadata record and your final approval. Agree whether editable design files are included. If you later change the book, begin with that record instead of reconstructing the specification from a photograph of the finished copy.
Your next step
Start with one sentence describing the intended route: private printing, Lulu Bookstore sales, direct sales or retail distribution. A free initial consultation can help turn that goal into a production checklist. Any editing, design or publishing service is scoped and quoted separately.
Further reading
Official guidance for the topics above. Platform requirements can change; check the provider's current information for your edition.
References identify external guidance. Publishing Core is independent and does not claim an affiliation or endorsement from these organizations.
If you want support
Discuss the work your book needs.
A free initial consultation helps identify a useful next step. Editing, design, formatting and publishing support are paid services, with deliverables and fees agreed separately before work begins. Read our publishing standards for account ownership and service responsibilities.
Request a free initial consultation