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Post by hulsey on Feb 15, 2022 14:13:39 GMT
I've decided to publish again with Lulu, but am pulling my hair out with the PDF cover. I have tried for three days to add the cover but keep getting this message. Book Size: Your PDF dimensions are 8.264" x 5.819" (209.90mm x 147.81mm)For the book size you selected, the PDF dimensions need to be within 12.414"-12.539" x 8.458"-8.583". (315.32mm-318.50mm x 214.82mm-218.00mm). Please update your PDF dimensions or select a different book size.
I do resize the cover but still it is unacceptable. I created the cover using the template and edited it on Paint shop pro. I convert it into a PDF file but no joy. I have publishd thirty-two books previously with Lulu and found the old process much simpler. I admit to not being a techy but thought I would master this no problem. Any advice would be welcome.
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Post by Retread-Retired-Cameron on Feb 15, 2022 14:48:53 GMT
I've decided to publish again with Lulu, but am pulling my hair out with the PDF cover. I have tried for three days to add the cover but keep getting this message. Book Size: Your PDF dimensions are 8.264" x 5.819" (209.90mm x 147.81mm)For the book size you selected, the PDF dimensions need to be within 12.414"-12.539" x 8.458"-8.583". (315.32mm-318.50mm x 214.82mm-218.00mm). Please update your PDF dimensions or select a different book size.
I do resize the cover but still it is unacceptable. I created the cover using the template and edited it on Paint shop pro. I convert it into a PDF file but no joy. I have publishd thirty-two books previously with Lulu and found the old process much simpler. I admit to not being a techy but thought I would master this no problem. Any advice would be welcome.
Within the software you're using to convert the cover image to PDF, check the settings for output size as it looks like something is set at ~9"x~6". |
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Post by hulsey on Feb 16, 2022 10:31:53 GMT
I tried resizing with Word, Paint, Paint Shop pro, and again when converting to PDF. Still no joy. Oh for the old cover wizard...
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Post by And Kevin 2024 on Feb 16, 2022 13:13:07 GMT
Is the PDF or original Layered? Flatten or Merge them if so. And indeed, the old cover wizards would accept jpgs and very easy to use. Few people use an art app that can handle PDFs.
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Post by BlueAndGold on Feb 16, 2022 13:15:54 GMT
Hulsey, I construct my covers with MSWord, then save them as PDF using the free doPDF add-in. One of the steps in saving is to specify the size of the PDF (width and height) and you can set these values to about 0.001" (plus or minus a little). It works every time and I have never had any issues with the files uploading as the correct sizes.
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Post by And Kevin 2024 on Feb 16, 2022 13:25:25 GMT
I recall it being difficult in the One-Piece Cover Wizard getting the spine in the right place. Is Lulu's Cover Wizard now just a one piece PDF affair? I have not used it for years. Being a cynic I wonder if that's so people are more than likely to pay Lulu to do it? Previously the One-Piece Wizard was mostly for those who wanted an image on the spine, and/or a dust jacket, or perhaps gold-blocked title. If not then the 3-section Wizard (Front, Spine, Back) was easy to use and very adequate for most covers.
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Post by Retread-Retired-Cameron on Feb 16, 2022 14:15:03 GMT
If all else fails InkScape is a program that can import JPG and export PDF formats. inkscape.org/learn/faq/It also runs on Linux, MacOS, and Windows. |
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Post by hulsey on Feb 16, 2022 14:31:51 GMT
Thanks for the advice, people. I've given up for the day and will try all your suggestions tomorrow, although flattening layers and setting valuea is all Greek to me. Incidentally, I see Lulu are asking us to raise tghe price of our books...and not just a few pence. I started to do so until I came across one of my books which they wanted me to increase by £6. No way. Most of them are listed at £9-99, which I think is rather a lot. Another of my books they wanted me to raise it to £18-29. As I said, the books were £9-99 but when I checked on Amazon UK the latter one was selling for £23-92. It looks like a duplicate and this has happened to me before. My version is £9-99. Anyway, I've contacted Lulu and wait in anticipation. My poor head. Thanks for the help and advice, guys.
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Post by And Kevin 2024 on Feb 19, 2022 14:44:45 GMT
A few people unfortunately do not believe that books actually compete on price, even fiction. POD is an expensive method. What would people go for? The latest book by a famous writer with lots of marketing clout behind them for £3.99, or one by someone no one has heard of, with no marketing clout, not even reviews, for £9.99 and above? 'Answers' to paypal account ..... There's always some books, such as academic ones, that are so niche and often unique in content that they are not competing with anything, and can often ask what they like, but ...
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Post by And Kevin 2024 on Feb 19, 2022 14:46:35 GMT
Oh, and it's not unusual for some sellers on Amazon to advertise a book normally at £6.99 for even £150! I have never yet worked out why.
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Post by hulsey on Feb 20, 2022 11:18:46 GMT
Amazon have now removed the seller from my page and the books are priced at original price. However, Lulu has wrong data on their page asking me to increase prices for two books. They have responded but have not grasped the problem. I have no intention of doubling the prices for my books when they have displayed them at incorrect price. Awaiting yet another response.
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Post by And Kevin 2024 on Feb 21, 2022 1:31:31 GMT
Lulu is a puzzle at times. In my Projects list it states some of my published and in Global Dist, also have unpublished Drafts, which is not the case. So in a nutshell WTF?!
Oh, the message about pricing says that they soon will adjust them, not that they have, so I would wait until they do before messing with prices. I know that my royalties are normally set low for other sites, so I expect that to be eaten. (And I have no idea why they call them royalties, that's what you get from publishers, but I am the publisher, so they term used should be Profits.)
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Post by BlueAndGold on Feb 23, 2022 13:36:48 GMT
Kevin, if you read Lulu's latest Terms of Use Policy, you will see that by your using their services and ISBN's you agree that they are, in fact, your publisher. It has been that way for a small number of years now.
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Post by And Kevin 2024 on Feb 25, 2022 13:54:17 GMT
Ah yes, last time I logged on the first thing to appear was the Terms of Use Policy. Interestingly, because no one ever reads them, often due to length and legalese, EU courts declared they are null and void, even if ticked OK.
But surely it only applies if using a Lulu ISBN? Otherwise they are not at all our publisher. Publisher = "A company or person that PREPARES and issues books, journals, or music for sale." Lulu do not do that for me, I do all that myself.
I wonder if Lulu intend getting rid of the DIY tools in favour of paying them to do it all?
It all really puzzles me because surely Amazon are now without doubt their biggest competitor, and that still has the DIY choice and FREE.
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