About self-publishing and Lulu

The decision to self-publish was not taken lightly. Books which are not published by reputable publishers are suspected of being sub-standard, and undoubtedly many are. So are some by the big guys. 

Versatile books are professionally editted and designed. And thanks to the extraordinary print-on-demand (POD) technology, they are professionally printed and distributed. After a period of looking around and trying them out, Lulu became the POD service of choice. 

This screenshot is an example of an author's Spotlight page that Lulu automatically generates when someone published a book.

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​Self publishing

• new editions can be created easily, which is important to books related to any evolving field
• professional standard of printing
• no need for a print run and storage – Lulu prints when they receive an order through their online shop
• the author makes all decisions
• the author is responsible for editing, design, graphics. This costs money before the books generate income.
• many ELT publishers do not have the resources to promote most of their books, which makes the author responsible for promotion - no different from self-publishing
  

Lulu

• no set-up fees for authors
• online help is always available to authors and emails are answered within a day or two
• customers buy directly from Lulu, which means that Versatile does not deal directly with customers
• the Lulu online store offers discounts such as 4 books for the price of 3 or free shipping, on an ad hoc basis
• Lulu generates an author's home page, Spotlight, as they call it
• Lulu links authors' publications through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kindle, Nook, iBooks and many other retailers