20% off everything at Lulu (UK only?)

[pdurrant]

http://www.lulu.com/ is currently running an Easter promotion. Use the code EASTER at the checkout and get 20% off. (Max. savings £25)

This apparently includes my new DRM-free ePub publication, Kai Lung Raises His Voice - so now would be a good time to pick up a copy!

[mr ploppy]

I just tried to buy an ebook but it said the voucher code was invalid. I'm in the UK.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by mr ploppy

I just tried to buy an ebook but it said the voucher code was invalid. I'm in the UK.

How odd. I found it on the front page. Here's the image:

http://static.lulu.com/static/images...le_HP1.png?v=1

So it does look like it's a UK-only sale. Perhaps they've put up the graphic early and it doesn't kick in until Good Friday.

[dickon25]

Thanks for the tip! Looks an interesting site and one I've not seen before. However, every book I looked at was in PDF........what's that all about??

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by dickon25

Thanks for the tip! Looks an interesting site and one I've not seen before. However, every book I looked at was in PDF........what's that all about??

Lulu started off as a no-start-up-fee Print-on-Demand printer. They have slowly extended into electronic files, including, recently, ePub. But since its roots and members are in the print-on-demand market, most of the ebooks uploaded have been PDFs.

However, they are one of the few sites that make it easy to upload unencrypted ePubs for sale, and don't completely rip off the publisher in the percentage they take.

I've found Lulu.com to be great for doing first-hardcopy of my books, and to host sales of my ePubs. They do also take the feed of ebooks from Ingram Digital, at least the ePubs and PDFs, which results in the odd situation that "Desbarollda", one of my other ebooks, is available there both as encrypted ePub (through Ingram Digital) and unencrypted ePub (through me uploading directly). Weirdly enough, I'd get more from an encrypted ePub sale, although I have added a comment pointing people to the unencrypted version.

[GA Russell]

I met the owner/founder of lulu, Bob Young, last year. He also owns the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Nice guy.

I bought a book on the CFL from them. The price of the book was quite fair, but the shipping was way too high IMO. I understand that at least one competitor whose name I forget has much lower shipping charges.

[mr ploppy]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

How odd. I found it on the front page. Here's the image:

http://static.lulu.com/static/images...le_HP1.png?v=1

So it does look like it's a UK-only sale. Perhaps they've put up the graphic early and it doesn't kick in until Good Friday.

I'll try it again tomorrow and let you know if it works.

[mr ploppy]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Perhaps they've put up the graphic early and it doesn't kick in until Good Friday.

It looks like that was it, because it has worked today. One ebook bought at the price of a second hand paperback, which is how it should be. But ...

The PDF is protected from reading in Foxit and I won't be able to convert it to epub for reading on my e-reader. So now I need to break the law and turn into a criminal in order to read something that I have paid for. It would have been quicker to just download a pirate copy.

[mr ploppy]

Well that took longer than I thought it would. Over 2 hours just to convert a paid for ebook into something I can read. Talk about putting obstacles in the way of customers.