Publishing your own Book (or Calendar...or Brochure...)

Imagine being able to publish your own book without any upfront investment, no minimum runs or expensive agents... Thanks to publish-on-demand (POD) technology, this is now a reality! You can publish your own book (just one single copy if you like!) or you can set yourself up as a new author, marketing your book to the general public via online stores…how exciting is that?!

When it comes to book publishing, we have found two POD suppliers we think are particularly worth taking a look at:

Lulu (USA)

Lulu is a POD site specializing in publishing books, calendars and other paper goods. There are no set-up fees, so you just pay for what you order. (Be sure to read up carefully before you start, as each product type varies in its costing formula, and the required file formats for uploading your information.)

Lulu’s service offers enormous and exciting opportunities for you to publish your own books – either just for private use (perhaps an autobiography for the family’s eyes only!) or to access the wider world as a publisher in your own right, selling to the general public.

The products you can publish at Lulu include:

• Books (paperback, hardcover and photo books)
• Calendars
• Brochures
• E-books

In addition, Lulu also offers the following options:

• Publish your own CDs & DVDs
• Music Downloads
• File Downloads
• Image Publishing

You can order items just for your own use, or you can set up an online store on Lulu, selling your books, calendars, CDs and DVDs.

For an example of a book and calendar store on Lulu, please click here to see James O’Rear’s store. While you’re there, you may even wish to purchase his wonderful photography book, and pick up a few clever tips!

Click here to access the LULU Home Page!

Cafepress (USA)

Cafépress also offer the opportunity to publish your own books, but they do not have as wide a range of formatting and printing options as Lulu. It’s still worth taking a look though – everyone has different requirements, and until you take a look, you don’t know which supplier will suit you best! You can also publish your own CDs and DVDs on Cafepress…plus calendars and a range of other paper goods from journals to greeting cards. You can order items just for your own use, or set up your own online shop to sell to the general public.

To see some examples of books published on Cafepress, select from the options below:

Mantida Species File
Family Pendragon Big Kid's Coloring Book
Audition Log Book

For more information about Cafepress, click the banner!

Want to learn more about writing? Don't know how to go about becoming an author? Need a bit of inspiration to help you along?
Then check out our selection of specially chosen books about writing by clicking here!

Want to Try Something Different?

Click on any of the links below to discover a new creative place!

See more options for creating calendars
Discover how to publish your own CDs and DVDs
Find out more about creating museum quality prints from your artworks and photographs!
Become a fashion and merchandise designer!
Design your very own Tartan!