Print on demand

Discuss products and their reviews in Genii.
000
Posts: 563
Joined: April 16th, 2008, 10:01 am

Print on demand

Postby 000 » July 3rd, 2008, 2:21 pm

In the Dec 2007 Genii is a review of a book by Michael Close
THAT REMINDS ME;FINDING THE FUNNY IN A SERIOUS WORLD.
What is interesting is that it is available 'on demand ' printing at www.lulu.com
This could be a most interesting development.......print what is needed. I wonder if many others will follow this road?

Tom Dobrowolski
Posts: 786
Joined: March 13th, 2008, 9:20 am
Location: Palatine, Illinois
Contact:

Re: Print on demand

Postby Tom Dobrowolski » July 3rd, 2008, 2:28 pm

Yes.

"The Pocketbook" by Curtis Kam

http://www.lulu.com/content/2177995

A great book by the way. I reviewd it on Lulu.

Kent Gunn
Posts: 753
Joined: May 15th, 2008, 2:05 pm
Location: Florida
Contact:

Re: Print on demand

Postby Kent Gunn » July 3rd, 2008, 3:01 pm

This one is NOT on a par with Curtis Kam's nor Mike Close's books, but it is another magically themed work available from Lulu.

http://www.lulu.com/content/2680483

The Fun Shop Cups and Balls

I will tell you Lulu's tools make it easy to put your work on-line. They take a chunk, but far, far less than many or most magically themed purveyors of the printed word.

Jonathan Townsend
Posts: 8704
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Westchester, NY
Contact:

Re: Print on demand

Postby Jonathan Townsend » July 4th, 2008, 12:43 am

Well worth exploring - thanks Kent.
Mundus vult decipi -per Caleb Carr's story Killing Time

000
Posts: 563
Joined: April 16th, 2008, 10:01 am

Re: Print on demand

Postby 000 » July 4th, 2008, 2:29 am

Kent, care to give us a cost breakdown comparing Lulu to purveyors of magic themed books?
The Magic business I understand, if a customer pays the dealer $10 for a book, the dealer has paid the wholesaler $6, who in turn paid $4. Thanks.

Chris Aguilar
Posts: 2012
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Sacramento
Contact:

Re: Print on demand

Postby Chris Aguilar » July 4th, 2008, 1:50 pm

000 wrote:Kent, care to give us a cost breakdown comparing Lulu to purveyors of magic themed books?


http://www.lulu.com/products/paperback/
http://www.lulu.com/en/products/hardcover/

Kent Gunn
Posts: 753
Joined: May 15th, 2008, 2:05 pm
Location: Florida
Contact:

Re: Print on demand

Postby Kent Gunn » July 4th, 2008, 3:03 pm

Chris about covered it.

The Lulu links will tell you how they price their services.

I think most folks who post here know the markup scheme in our little world. Manufacturers, Jobbers, Wholesalers and to the shop. (I don't know the percentages, they all basically doubled the price of the product to the next tier, in my day)

There is little money to be made in books by folks like me. The self-publishing feature meant I didn't have to guess how many copies to print. It turned out very few of my customers wanted a printed version of the document. (sniff, sniff) I'm glad I chose an on demand printer. Otherwise I'd have had a stack of manuscripts with no home to go to.

I was surprised the number of people who got the pdf from me. Really surprised. Lulu got about 25% of the purchase price, since you asked. Book percentages will vary. The links Mr. Aguilar put out above will answer all the print questions!

Herr 000, no magic shop I contacted directly was willing to buy the book in quantity for the wholesale price I offered. Full color pictures was my hang up. I printed a couple in B&W. My routine has so many colored balls winging about I knew learning it in color was the only option. One on-line purveyor of magic tricks offered to post my stuff up. I didn't want to waste their time, since after an initial surge, demand is down to ten or so a week. This was the site with all the furniture drawers that come out of the screen at you. The offer was fair.

The one large purveyor of magical pdfs wanted in excess of fifty percent of the revenue. I won't mention any names. My little routine is never going to see wide distribution. I wrote the routine up for two of my friends who asked me to. That task took me three months. I though a couple other cups and balls guys might want the write up. I was wrong.

Mr. 000 I hope I amplified Chris' pretty damn complete answer.

I'd like to make an observation though. Mike Close has a full page ad in Genii for his GREAT joke book. He must be doing considerable business and Lulu.com must be doing a good enough job to maintain an advertising budget like that. I think if you have a marketable item, as does Mr. Close, that Lulu is a great avenue for self-publishers.

000
Posts: 563
Joined: April 16th, 2008, 10:01 am

Re: Print on demand

Postby 000 » July 4th, 2008, 11:21 pm

Now if only i could figure out what your Latin phrase stands for!

Jonathan Townsend
Posts: 8704
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Westchester, NY
Contact:

Re: Print on demand

Postby Jonathan Townsend » July 5th, 2008, 12:04 am

000 wrote:Now if only i could figure out what your Latin phrase stands for!


The Chinese version might go "This too shall be forgotten" :/
Last edited by Jonathan Townsend on July 5th, 2008, 12:08 am, edited 0 times in total.
Reason: wondering how rap might work in Latin

000
Posts: 563
Joined: April 16th, 2008, 10:01 am

Re: Print on demand

Postby 000 » July 5th, 2008, 12:48 am

Believe it or not my first 'tutor' in magic was a Catholic priest fluent in Latin. Father Kooimans,was a true worldly gentleman, originally from Belgium, being posted all over Africa. His props were from Mephisto. Also did the best french drop with an egg Ive seen. He also told me that when he was a youngster they would get whacked with a whale bone if they got their ( Latin) declensions wrong. I felt privileged to have come across his path.

Jonathan Townsend
Posts: 8704
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Westchester, NY
Contact:

Re: Print on demand

Postby Jonathan Townsend » July 5th, 2008, 12:54 am

So, how about that cups routine Kent posted?
Mundus vult decipi -per Caleb Carr's story Killing Time

Kent Gunn
Posts: 753
Joined: May 15th, 2008, 2:05 pm
Location: Florida
Contact:

Re: Print on demand

Postby Kent Gunn » July 5th, 2008, 1:36 am

OOO,

I figured you knew the meaning of the phrase. Google answers most questions like that, if you didn't have Latin somewhere in your background.

Jonathan, yes it is. Thank you for asking.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fNO3obSA7M

Time is the devourer of all things,

KG

000
Posts: 563
Joined: April 16th, 2008, 10:01 am

Re: Print on demand

Postby 000 » July 6th, 2008, 7:29 am

Kent youre right, as a lawyer I should know my Latin!

Re Printing on demand...I wonder if it will be perceived in the marketplace ( by some) as inferior? You know, 'had it been something half decent surely the author could have printed a few?'Personally I think its a very good idea.

User avatar
Spellbinder
Posts: 472
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: New Jersey
Contact:

Re: Print on demand

Postby Spellbinder » July 7th, 2008, 6:26 pm

I recently made the decision to convert all my on-line e-Book Wizards' Journals to printed full color paperbacks using Lulu.com. It remains to be seen if this was a good move, but since I still produce the e-Book versions myself, it can't hurt. The copies I have ordered for my own library look excellent.

It basically gives me another way to sell my content, and provides an answer for those who insist they will never buy an e-Book and only read books they can hold in their hot little hands.
Phineas Spellbinder
The Magic Nook

Kent Gunn
Posts: 753
Joined: May 15th, 2008, 2:05 pm
Location: Florida
Contact:

Re: Print on demand

Postby Kent Gunn » July 7th, 2008, 7:35 pm

OOO, Spellbinder,

I think Spellbinder's thoughts PRECISELY echo my own. The stuff from Lulu looks WAY better than anything I cooked up on my own. Their saddle stitching technique is far superior looking to comb-binding or a simple staple at the upper corner. Good quality covers nicely printed in full color look really good to me. I printed up 20 in full color. The first edition is nearly gone. This way I never had to have hundred of dollars tied up in copies I couldn't ever get rid of.

KG

User avatar
John Smetana
Posts: 264
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Morganville, NJ
Contact:

Re: Print on demand

Postby John Smetana » July 8th, 2008, 2:37 pm

Hello all,
I've got a fairly comprehensive list of "Print on Demand" publishers...about 150 of them..If you'd like a copy send me an e mail ( not a PM) and I'll send the list to you as a PDF attachment.

all the best,
John


Return to “Light From the Lamp”