Although my Success tab at the top of this page has been extremely slow (hint…hint), it’s been nice to hear from some of you personally about the success of your Lulu books. When asked for advice, I seem to be saying the same thing over and over again…If you haven’t done so already, buy an ISBN for your book! It is the easiest way to improve circulation of your book through all major channels (Amazon.com, B&N.com, Abebooks.com, Books in Print, etc), and it’s the quickest way to get your foot in the door of bookstores. And for those of you shying away in the corner because you may not know what an ISBN is, listen up…

ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number. It’s basically your book’s social security number. It’s also the key to getting your book in the system in most bookstore databases. B&N uses a system called Bookmaster. If your book has an ISBN, then it’s listed in Books in Print. This gets your book into the Ingram database which then gets your book into the Bookmaster system, which means a B&N store could order your book. I work for a medical book wholesaler by day, and the ISBN is the first thing we ask for when people call us looking for a book, next to author and title. Now that doesn’t mean you have to memorize and know it. Bookstores can definitely find you by author and title, but they won’t find your Lulu book in their system without the ISBN.

Recently, you’ve probably noticed two ISBNs listed under the product details of a book online or possibly even on the back of a book. There is an ISBN 10- and an ISBN 13-. The 10 and 13 are not part of your ISBN. Those numbers only tell you how many digits are in that ISBN that follows. ISBNs were once only 10 digits. Last year, the ISBN 13- went into effect because publishers were running out of 10 digit numbers. A quick fix was to just put 978- in the front of the old number. By doing this, it changed the last digit of the ISBN which is known as a check digit. But the middle numbers are the same. This has caused some confusion in the industry because people think you can just drop the 978 and the number will still work. It won’t…unless your system’s search features are that good at finding half a number. Here’s an example of the two ISBNs for one book with the like digits highlighted in red…

• ISBN-10: 1413401031
• ISBN-13: 9781413401035

Here’s how to get started with your ISBN. Sign into Lulu and go to the My Projects tab. Click on the Promote star next to your project. You’ll be taken to a great page that offers all kinds of fun stuff including “Buy” buttons which you can post on your own blogs and websites, bookmarkers, postcards, business cards, etc. But look in the menu down the left side. Under “Marketing & Distribution,” you’ll see a link called ISBNs. Lulu offers two packages, both for $99.95. One is called “Published by You” and one is “Published by Lulu.” But both offer ISBN assignment to your book. Lulu even formats the barcode and ISBN number onto the back of your book for you.

It does take a few weeks for your book to become ISBN ready. There are some steps for you to follow to editing your manuscript for approval (nothing too serious). And overall, it will take a few weeks for the book to start showing up on sites like B&N.com and Amazon.com, but it is truly the best investment you could make in getting your book out there to readers!

But you don’t have to take my advice! After all, I have NOT purchased an ISBN for my own book on Lulu. Why, you ask? Because I mainly used Lulu to publish a 2nd edition of my book which would be more affordable than the 1st edition which I published with a different POD publisher. The first edition already has an ISBN, for both a hardcover and paperback copy. And besides, that book has been out since 2003. I am getting ready to publish a 2nd book with Lulu though, and I will definitely be purchasing an ISBN for it. Here is a link to a website I found which also offers some other great advice about Lulu set-up, especially with creating your own book cover:

Self Publishing with Lulu

Also, Mick Rooney, a UK Lulu author, has a great post on his author site about his adventures with Lulu.

So, that’s about it. I have four reviews already lined up for the month of May. Thanks to all who have continued to support this site on a regular basis, and thanks to the Lulu authors who have posted their books on the “Pick Me!” page. Keep them coming!