My first involvement with self publishing was years ago, and I was then the illustratior and the lay-out artist, but not the writer. My friend and I had a grant for the printing of the little hardback book of poetry and we sold 500 copies at £5 each - to raise money for a retreat. Then there was a children's Sunday School colouring book, which I produced on a photo copier (by request). That one went as far afield as Uganda, India, Norway and Belarus - and I just about covered the cost.

We had big ideas about what we wanted to do, but little money, and our little projects fizzled out after we produced a children's book called Choppers - on children's dental health. That was on sale in WHSmiths, though. A heavy rainstorm, and an unexpected leaky roof destroyed most of our stock.

Today's options are so much better. Take Lulu, for example. With the Print On Demand service, it means no payment up front and no wasted copies.  You get to decide the layout yourself, although help is available (at a price). It is ideal for producing anthologies for charity, for instance - and what several small independent publishers have found, it's just right for proof copies. I have a proof copy of my own novel in front of me, as I write this. Lulu doesn't take a cut on top of the set-up and printing cost of books you buy yourself.

A word of warning, though. Be careful which format you choose. For a novel, a 6"x9" format will give you the best return, but there's a neat little box which allows you to check out the prices of various formats, per copy, or per multiples of copies.

It's always a good idea to do your homework before going ahead.

I've used Lulu for several projects Mater and found them cost effective.  To keep costs down you do have to know how to produce pdf files and do proper proof reading and book cover design.  I'm looking at another option for my next project so will keep you posted!

Those are excellent points, Sue. I would add that you don't need to be able to convert to pdf file to use Lulu, as long as you follow the formatting instructions. Once you upload the completed manuscript, Lulu will convert it too pdf file for you, and you can then double or triple check before you go through to the next stage.

However, I have found that converting to a pdf file myself, allows me to see the document, page by page, as it will be when printed out - and makes proof reading much easier. I'll post up a thread on how to get PDF Cute Writer for free, and how to utilize it very soon.

That will be really useful.  It took me quite a while to get my head around making a pdf file.  When I first started you had to have distiller which I now have so can do it through PageMaker, but it's an expensive way of doing it.

I first ventured into the realms of self publishing last year, just before Christmas. What I wanted to do was print a collection of Poetry and dedicate the book to a handful of people who have helped me get to where I am today, with a view to giving each of them a copy.

After some inevitable 'Umming and arring' I finally plumped for Lulu.com. It took some trial and error, but I finally managed to work out what I needed to do and 'Hey presto!' I had the first incarnation of my book..... then the second and finally the third, using one of my own photographs for the front cover.

I found the time from submission to recieving the books through the door to be better than estimated, and that the quality of the print and binding was as promised.

Needless to say, the recipients of the books were surprised and impressed, by both the book and the dedications.

So, all in all, I have to say, my first venture into self publishing has been a positive experience.

I'm glad you found it a good experience using Lulu. I was beginning to think I was sounding as though they're paying me (I wish!) to enthuse about their services. I read - on a website dedicated to Self Publishing - that Lulu and a few others (such as CreateSpace) shoud be the first port of call for self publishers.

Quote: 'Why are the above self-publishers a first port of call? It is because they are straight about what they do and their services are not tied into solid packages where you end up going in to buy a TV and DVD player, and come away with a studio mixing desk, five-room sound system speakers, an alcoholic giraffe who likes Southern Comfort, and a elephant with a palette for caviar. ' That's good enough for me!

Are you thinking of making the book available for the 'general public', Mordachae? I'd buy a copy!

'I read - on a website dedicated to Self Publishing - that Lulu and a few others (such as CreateSpace) shoud be the first port of call for self publishers.'

In addition to your article as mentioned above, anyone who is thinking of following the 'Self Publication' or 'Print on demand' (PoD) routes, may wish to take a look at this article printed earlier this year in 'Personal Computer World' magazine.

The article is available on line by cutting and pasting the following ULR into your chosen browser search bar.

http://www.pcw.co.uk/personal-computer-world/features/2233464/write-stuff-4319824

It was this article that gave me the final push I needed. I hope others may find it useful.

Mater, Thank you for your interest in 'The Accidental Poet' to answer your question, yes it is available to the public via Lulu.com, the ULR address can be found on my 'Profile page' or by logging in to lulu and using their search bar as usual.

NB: 23/07/09 Update. Just to let everyone know, the above mentioned publication has now ceased to be printed due to the lack of advertising revenue. This years August issue is the last one. I'm not sure if this will affect the online archive as yet.

How many Poems do you think I would need to make up a short ebook for lulu?

I've seen books with as few as 15, Trevor, but I wouldn't do less than about 30, giving even the shortest poem its own page. Good luck! Don't forget to let us know when it is published!

Got a few to go yet Merit. LOL. I'd better get rhyming