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Post by And Kevin 2024 on Dec 2, 2022 20:09:54 GMT
I thought you'd like to see two of the other book-cover templates (using the same Church picture and text as above). The screen-shots below also show the full horror of the background colours available. Firstly the "Two-colour with image" template (I chose the red background this time): View AttachmentThen the "Centred title" template (with a different colour): View AttachmentNo grumbling at the back please! They've at least got spines, unlike the first template. Can you not just not use the templates/themes? Use a blank cover and just upload what you want to it?
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Post by BlueAndGold on Dec 2, 2022 20:18:12 GMT
...recommendation that one create one's own cover unless it is completely beyond them. Well, using the previous Lulu cover wizards, we could. I think Sirram is trying to design his own, but when creating a book at Lulu, the Cover Wizard has to be used does it not? Uploaded to or not. There's no way around it is there?
No. The Cover Wizard absolutely does NOT need to be used. I have never used it. Simply upload your own self-designed cover PDF using the Upload Cover File link provided. It looks similar to this:
Attachments:
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Post by And Kevin 2024 on Dec 3, 2022 1:05:24 GMT
Well I don't know when you started to use Lulu, but I admit to not using it since it apparently changed all its tools, but that's just around three years ago is it not? The way it worked was, you open a Wizard, inserted your title and name, opt for an ISBN if wanted, move on to uploading a file of pages for the size of project selected, it created a PDF file for those. Next the Cover Wizard opened with a template set to the page sizes being used, which auto-inserted the title and your name and an ISBN on the back cover, pick a theme if required, or delete the default stuff and upload your own to be dragged in, etc. Within that Cover Wizard you design your own cover. Simple. Happy with that, it created a PDF file. So what exactly are you uploading to?
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Post by And Kevin 2024 on Dec 3, 2022 1:11:26 GMT
Oh, and the Wizards created PDFs even if you uploaded PDFs. They called them Print Ready, and the innards are code linked to the cover so they end up bound together.
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Post by BlueAndGold on Dec 3, 2022 2:35:36 GMT
I started using Lulu in late 2014. Even before the recent changes, you ALWAYS had a choice whether you wanted to used a Cover Design "wizard", use a template they provide, or simply upload your own cover. That is the way I have always done it, once I saw how limiting the pre- formatted cover choices were.
It is the same way now. You have the choice to use the ugly provided templates or to simply upload your own cover. Perhaps you should try it sometime. Here is a screen shot of the current interface after a file upload. You have the choice to proceed with what you have, download a template, or upload a new file. It couldn't be simpler.
Attachments:
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Post by BlueAndGold on Dec 3, 2022 2:41:22 GMT
I should add that after you upload your file, you can scroll down and check it in a very nice preview screen before proceeding. If the cover file needs to be tweaked you can do it without even leaving the page.
Before the ill-fated system "Upgrade" a couple of years ago, that preview utility was a tiny little thing that was almost impossible to see on your monitor. This is one thing Lulu definitely got right with the system upgrade. I think it's great!
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sirram
Senior Printer
No man but a blockhead ever wrote, except for money
Posts: 269
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Post by sirram on Dec 3, 2022 10:00:50 GMT
Well, using the previous Lulu cover wizards, we could. I think Sirram is trying to design his own, but when creating a book at Lulu, the Cover Wizard has to be used does it not? Uploaded to or not. There's no way around it is there?
No. The Cover Wizard absolutely does NOT need to be used. I have never used it. Simply upload your own self-designed cover PDF using the Upload Cover File link provided. It looks similar to this:
One can indeed upload one's own self-designed PDF. But after 18 books, I was always perfectly happy with Lulu's cover-design wizard and have little enthusiasm for trying to learn how to self-design one. But it looks like there is no choice. How does one create the ISBN & barcode for example? I've no idea, but I hope it is documented on the Lulu website somewhere. The old cover-design wizard did it for you.
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Post by BlueAndGold on Dec 3, 2022 13:14:34 GMT
Lulu does the barcode for you, Sirram! In my pre-caffein, unshaven, squinty-eyed, pre-dawn condition I don't remember exactly where it is, but at the beginning of the process, either under the Start or the top of the Design tabs there is a little button that says something to the effect of "Download ISBN Barcode". I believe it gives you the choice of SVG or PNG formats. For me, PNG is much easier to deal with.
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Post by BlueAndGold on Dec 3, 2022 13:25:36 GMT
Sirram: Making my first cover was a big chore for me. I was not familiar with MSWord, having used WP forever, but I managed to get through it and have made quite a few since then. (And re-made them!) Copied below are some notes I made to myself to remind me how to do it, since I tend to forget such things. Perhaps they will help. When I get into it, it actually becomes fun.
1. Start with a blank document in landscape orientation and set paper size to what Lulu wants in the upload section.
2. Word seems to default to at least 0.1" margins on the custom size. Set these margins to 0.0" and click IGNORE when it tries to fix them for you. Setting paper color to white or black or whatever your main background color will be doesn't hurt.
3. Create a blank drawing canvas and Rt-click Size it to fully fill the blank paper size. When you want to place images, create a new drawing canvas for each, Insert Image into the drawing canvas, resize the image, and drag the sides of the canvas in to near the edges of the image. Then you can position the new canvas where you want. (Pre-make your layered JPG's with GIMP or what have you.)
4. For titles, use Insert, Wordart. This allows you to turn things sideways for spines and such. Use text boxes for back cover blurbs.
5. Select all elements and group if you like. This allows you to position all spine elements or front cover elements together. When it comes time to tweak centering for changes in page count you'll be glad you did.
6. Save As PDF using your PDF add-on utility. Be sure to save it as the same size as the document's paper size, and be sure to check the IMBED FONTS box!
7. Upload to Lulu and examine it with the cover pre-viewer. If it looks right, proceed. If it doesn't, adjust the features in your Word Doc, re-save as PDF, and upload again. 8. Barcode area is 3.625x1.25, 0.5 from trim edge (bottom)
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sirram
Senior Printer
No man but a blockhead ever wrote, except for money
Posts: 269
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Post by sirram on Dec 3, 2022 18:16:55 GMT
Thanks for the notes but, unfortunately, Lulu appears to be changing their software under my feet. When creating the new project a couple of days ago, there were six tabs: "Start" "Copyright", "Design" "Details", "Pricing & Payees" and "Review.
Today, when I went to add a second new project (to do further testing), there are now only three tabs: "Start", "Design" and "Review", with no opportunity therefore to enter key information such as book category, ISBN, list price etc.
However, the first project still shows all six tabs, but is most strange. Lulu's pricing calculator (https://www.lulu.com/pricing) originally showed me a list price of GBP 12.13 for this 612-page A5 paperback. But the "Pricing & Payees" screen is instead showing a "Minimum price" of GBP 24.26 - basically they have doubled the price. I give up !!!
We have sold well over 2,500 books since starting with Lulu in 2014. I will recommend to our committee to leave the existing books with Lulu's global distribution as even Lulu hasn't yet managed to corrupt them. However, we will NOT use Lulu for any new books. I have been trying to get this project off the ground for many months, firstly baulked by various currency bugs, and now this.
I'd be interested to know if others are hitting the same issues.
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Post by And Kevin 2024 on Dec 3, 2022 19:44:55 GMT
I started using Lulu in late 2014. Even before the recent changes, you ALWAYS had a choice whether you wanted to used a Cover Design "wizard", use a template they provide, or simply upload your own cover. That is the way I have always done it, once I saw how limiting the pre- formatted cover choices were.
It is the same way now. You have the choice to use the ugly provided templates or to simply upload your own cover. Perhaps you should try it sometime. Here is a screen shot of the current interface after a file upload. You have the choice to proceed with what you have, download a template, or upload a new file. It couldn't be simpler.
I think we are misunderstanding the term Cover Wizard here. I have never seen the option to simply upload a predesigned cover, without first entering a Cover Wizard. The One-Piece Cover Wizard had no themes etc, and you could upload a premade PDF into it, in fact it insisted on a PDF. But it was still a Cover Wizard. One that created the Print Ready cover PDF. But that was usually a choice for those who also wanted a dustjacket or gold-blocked text, and it did not add the ISBN, or give spine dimensions. As I recall, many who attempted to use the downloadable templates to create a cover to later upload, found it very hard to get that spine in the right place. The fully tooled Cover Wizard was a different thing. It auto-added text and was full of themes. That seems to be what Sirram is using to create a cover, and the link to the How To I pasted in somewhere in the forums. This is in fact the new one >>> blog.lulu.com/lulus-book-cover-designer/
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Post by And Kevin 2024 on Dec 3, 2022 19:50:39 GMT
Thanks for the notes but, unfortunately, Lulu appears to be changing their software under my feet. When creating the new project a couple of days ago, there were six tabs: "Start" "Copyright", "Design" "Details", "Pricing & Payees" and "Review. Today, when I went to add a second new project (to do further testing), there are now only three tabs: "Start", "Design" and "Review", with no opportunity therefore to enter key information such as book category, ISBN, list price etc. However, the first project still shows all six tabs, but is most strange. Lulu's pricing calculator (https://www.lulu.com/pricing) originally showed me a list price of GBP 12.13 for this 612-page A5 paperback. But the "Pricing & Payees" screen is instead showing a "Minimum price" of GBP 24.26 - basically they have doubled the price. I give up !!! We have sold well over 2,500 books since starting with Lulu in 2014. I will recommend to our committee to leave the existing books with Lulu's global distribution as even Lulu hasn't yet managed to corrupt them. However, we will NOT use Lulu for any new books. I have been trying to get this project off the ground for many months, firstly baulked by various currency bugs, and now this. I'd be interested to know if others are hitting the same issues. Well there is always kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G201113520
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sirram
Senior Printer
No man but a blockhead ever wrote, except for money
Posts: 269
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Post by sirram on Dec 16, 2022 15:15:29 GMT
Well, I rather rashly clicked on your link and got "This site can’t provide a secure connection". So, no thanks.
I got the same error when searching, and clicking, for them on Google.
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Post by BlueAndGold on Dec 16, 2022 15:37:12 GMT
My apologies.
This link to Mermaid Publishing has been posted six times under 3 different but similar usernames. From my end, it appears to be a legitimate company until one starts reading the information on their website, which reads like an AI voice, cobbled from lists of buzzwords.
The information on their street addresses in US and UK are images, not text. I smell fish. Hatchet falling...
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Post by Mag2024 on Dec 16, 2022 17:46:10 GMT
My apologies.
This link to Mermaid Publishing has been posted six times under 3 different but similar usernames. From my end, it appears to be a legitimate company until one starts reading the information on their website, which reads like an AI voice, cobbled from lists of buzzwords.
The information on their street addresses in US and UK are images, not text. I smell fish. Hatchet falling... Axe them.
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