I received an email over the weekend from Lulu about a change in their revenue reporting policies. If you’ve purchased an ISBN and distribution package through Lulu, then it’s likely you received the same email. For those who have not, I’ll share the information with you here.
If you have purchased a distribution service for your book, your book is available through expanded distribution channels. When a customer buys your book, these sales are reported to Lulu based on a monthly sales summary provided by our retailers which we use to update your account. Due to additional restrictions on our expanded distribution network, effective immediately, sales reported from these outside retail channels will now post to your account within 6-9 weeks following the date of sale. These sales will appear in your account as one consolidated cart per retail channel (as if one customer bought all copies). Revenue from these retail sales will then be dispersed to the creator following the specified timeline based on the payment options you’ve previously selected for your account.
My immediate thought about this was that it might have something to do with the recent uproar concerning Amazon forcing POD publishers to use Booksurge printing services for copies sold through Amazon. My reasoning is because of the length of time it takes to get paid through their Associates Program. Sales reported each month don’t get paid to you until about two months later.
In most circumstances, this allows for a 30 day return policy, and another 30 days for accounting to balance the books. Although LuLu did not mention Amazon as being the source behind it’s reasoning, if it is then this is just another way Amazon’s new policies affect both the publisher and the author.
