how legit is lulu publishing?

Answer 1

Lulu.com is the most basic of self publishers. You must submit everything ready for print. That means your manuscript must be proofread, edited, illustrated, and you have to provide the cover art. It is basically nothing more than a printer for your work.

Other self-publishers will offer a range of services, and of course, related costs. Some provide editing services, most provide formatting for the book, and most also have either in-house illustrators you can hire, or they have connections to freelance forums where you can search for an artist that is reasonable.

Lulu.com has no distribution network, whereas many other self-publishers may work with a particular company.

In a way, you could call Lulu.com a POD or print on demand publisher, because they only print books when they are ordered by you, your friends, or a store.

But if you were choosing this route to try and make a name for yourself, I would go with a POD or self-publishing house that has some connection to a distributor such as Ingrahm's, which will at least have your book in their catalog listing, and place it on websites like Amazon.com and others.

I find the costs at Lulu.com to be extraordinarily high. And you must keep in mind, that the market will only bear so much. For example, if you are selling a middle grade children's novel, few parents are going to pay $15 for what is basically a "disposable" book, one that is read, and thrown away or traded. A good POD publisher will have reasonable costs, and will allow you to set the percentage that a retailer gets (usually 50%). You will also be able to buy copies at a minimal price that you can sell yourself, or distribute in your local area to stores.

If you want to spend the money, many of these houses also have promotion packages which include flyers, bookmarkers to give away, press releases to libraries and teachers, and tips on how to conduct signings and public relations on behalf of your work.

Answer 2

Lulu appears to be a legitimate self-publisher. Their listing at preditors and editors (link below) simply states:
Lulu: A self-publishing printer. Features honest information about their services.

Keep in mind, Lulu is merely a self-publisher - if you publish your book through them, the costs are entirely out of your pocket and you earn no literary credentials. That is, you can't approach traditional publishers and tell them, "I have a book published through Lulu.com," because they will not consider it a published work.

Answer 3

It's a perfectly legitimate business, and a cheap way to self-publish your material. However, if you're looking for recognition in the lit world, Lulu probably won't be of much help.