Post by benziger on Apr 27, 2020 13:23:06 GMT
Following this site whatsnew.lulu.com/ there are the following changes and updates at Lulu:
- As the list is long, please do just answer without cite.
- I marked in blue, topics that are migration issues - they will be resolved soon (in some days, I hope).
- I marked in red, topics I am not happy with and I think it's bad for Lulu authors (some others I am not happy with, but there it is more my personal opinion: rather blue or pink, as a matter of taste, not principle)
- I marked in green, new functions.
I suppose to not discuss this fundamental issues in this thread,
but to open in the same folder "New Lulu Website (coming in 2020)" a new thread with as title the topic from the list, e.g. "Calendars".
So Discussions will be more topic by topic.
Calendars
At the moment, you won’t be able to create a new calendar and all existing calendars are unavailable on our bookstore. This is a very temporary measure while we get our new and improved calendar creation process �ne-tuned. Look for these new options very soon!
Reviews
Rest assured those reviews will be available very soon.
Rest assured those reviews will be available very soon.
Cover Creation
Currently, we offer a limited cover creator. We expect this feature to be available very soon.
Currently, we offer a limited cover creator. We expect this feature to be available very soon.
Payment History
We’ll have this information available very soon.
We’ll have this information available very soon.
Buy Buttons
Lulu’s Buy Buttons give authors an easy way to embed a link to buy their book. Those buttons will still work and will continue to take readers to your book on the Lulu Bookstore. And we’re updating to a new and improved graphic for the buttons!
But these buttons will not be available for new projects. Along with many updates we’ll roll out in the coming months, we’re overhauling the Buy Buttons to be more useful and easier for your readers to interact with. Look for these updated Buy Buttons soon!
Lulu’s Buy Buttons give authors an easy way to embed a link to buy their book. Those buttons will still work and will continue to take readers to your book on the Lulu Bookstore. And we’re updating to a new and improved graphic for the buttons!
But these buttons will not be available for new projects. Along with many updates we’ll roll out in the coming months, we’re overhauling the Buy Buttons to be more useful and easier for your readers to interact with. Look for these updated Buy Buttons soon!
Sales And Revenue
Lulu does have all of this information stored and we’re working bringing it to your account. We expect this information to be available very soon.
Lulu does have all of this information stored and we’re working bringing it to your account. We expect this information to be available very soon.
Revisions And Proof Copies
Previously, when you created a revision of your project, you would be required to order and approve a new proof copy. With our new system, projects can always be revised at any time and updates are saved as you make them. While this makes updating your project much faster and easier, it has the potential to create some confusion about which revisions require ordering and approving a new proof.
Previously, when you created a revision of your project, you would be required to order and approve a new proof copy. With our new system, projects can always be revised at any time and updates are saved as you make them. While this makes updating your project much faster and easier, it has the potential to create some confusion about which revisions require ordering and approving a new proof.
DOC to PDF Conversion
DOC to PDF conversion has long been a standard feature of Lulu. But recently, we noticed more and more instances of file conversions resulting in printing and formatting errors.
With the majority of word processing and page layout tools offering easy PDF export, we made the decision to remove PDF conversion from our site.
REQUIRED ACTIONS: New print books will require a PDF for the interior file. All books currently published on Lulu are unaffected by this change.
DOC to PDF conversion has long been a standard feature of Lulu. But recently, we noticed more and more instances of file conversions resulting in printing and formatting errors.
With the majority of word processing and page layout tools offering easy PDF export, we made the decision to remove PDF conversion from our site.
REQUIRED ACTIONS: New print books will require a PDF for the interior file. All books currently published on Lulu are unaffected by this change.
Lulu Studio Retired
Lulu Studio utilizes Adobe’s Flash Player to run in your web browser. As Adobe previously announced an end to support for Flash Player, we are taking action now to ensure you will still be able to create photo books and calendars with Lulu after Flash is gone. When we retire the Lulu Studio, we will also be retiring three of our sizes:
Lulu Studio utilizes Adobe’s Flash Player to run in your web browser. As Adobe previously announced an end to support for Flash Player, we are taking action now to ensure you will still be able to create photo books and calendars with Lulu after Flash is gone. When we retire the Lulu Studio, we will also be retiring three of our sizes:
Products Deprecated
Here’s a complete list of products no longer available from Lulu:
- Large Landscape Photo Book (12.75 x 10.75 in)
- Large Square Photo Book (12 x 12 in)
- Premium Calendar (13.5 x 19 in)
- Landscape (9 x 7 in) will no longer be available with Saddle Stitch binding
- Comic Book and Magazine (6.63 x 10.25 in) will only use Coated, Premium paper
Any projects using the above specifications will no longer be available for printing on Lulu.com.
Here’s a complete list of products no longer available from Lulu:
- Large Landscape Photo Book (12.75 x 10.75 in)
- Large Square Photo Book (12 x 12 in)
- Premium Calendar (13.5 x 19 in)
- Landscape (9 x 7 in) will no longer be available with Saddle Stitch binding
- Comic Book and Magazine (6.63 x 10.25 in) will only use Coated, Premium paper
Any projects using the above specifications will no longer be available for printing on Lulu.com.
Free ISBN & ISBN Purchasing
We’re making this process more efficient by only offering free ISBNs to the projects that require one (so anything in Global Distribution).
We’re making this process more efficient by only offering free ISBNs to the projects that require one (so anything in Global Distribution).
Large File Upload
Lulu is retiring our FTP upload procedures for large files. Now the only limitation to your file size is your Internet connection! No need to use an FTP service.
Lulu is retiring our FTP upload procedures for large files. Now the only limitation to your file size is your Internet connection! No need to use an FTP service.
EPUB 2 Support
That’s right, we’re going to support EPUB 2!
That’s right, we’re going to support EPUB 2!
Cover Creator - Dust Jackets
With all the changes we’ve made, there is one part of the process that (right now) isn’t better: the cover creation options. While we’re working on a new and improved way to help you create a cover, the current tool does not have any options for creating a Dust Jacket.
With all the changes we’ve made, there is one part of the process that (right now) isn’t better: the cover creation options. While we’re working on a new and improved way to help you create a cover, the current tool does not have any options for creating a Dust Jacket.
Project/Account Access
We’ve migrated all the information you provided and all pertinent files to your Lulu Account. This includes all your projects, order history, saved personal information, and payment contact information. We do strongly recommend reviewing your account and your projects. No file migration is perfect and there may be information we need to manually correct for you. If you notice anything out of sorts, just contact our support team for assistance.
REQUIRED ACTIONS: Review your account to ensure your information has migrated over correctly.
We’ve migrated all the information you provided and all pertinent files to your Lulu Account. This includes all your projects, order history, saved personal information, and payment contact information. We do strongly recommend reviewing your account and your projects. No file migration is perfect and there may be information we need to manually correct for you. If you notice anything out of sorts, just contact our support team for assistance.
REQUIRED ACTIONS: Review your account to ensure your information has migrated over correctly.
MyFiles
Lulu will continue to store the print-ready PDFs for your interior and cover and/or your EPUB ebook file. When a project is updated, the previous files will be replaced by the most recently uploaded files.
Lulu will continue to store the print-ready PDFs for your interior and cover and/or your EPUB ebook file. When a project is updated, the previous files will be replaced by the most recently uploaded files.
Project Views
Your Account and Project pages look a little different. We’ve updated your dashboard to make it more intuitive and easier to navigate.
On your My Projects page, we’ll list all your projects along with search so you can sort and organize quickly. You’ll see each project you’ve created along with some basic information about the project status. In the coming weeks, we’ll introduce a more in-depth view for each individual project.
Your Account and Project pages look a little different. We’ve updated your dashboard to make it more intuitive and easier to navigate.
On your My Projects page, we’ll list all your projects along with search so you can sort and organize quickly. You’ll see each project you’ve created along with some basic information about the project status. In the coming weeks, we’ll introduce a more in-depth view for each individual project.
Author Spotlight
Your Author Spotlight will no longer feature numerous unique and editable features like a sidebar and video embedding. You’ll still have an Author Spotlight but the page will be more limited, featuring you and your books. Over time we may introduce additional features for Author Spotlights.
Your Author Spotlight will no longer feature numerous unique and editable features like a sidebar and video embedding. You’ll still have an Author Spotlight but the page will be more limited, featuring you and your books. Over time we may introduce additional features for Author Spotlights.
Retail Price Discounts Removed
Previously, authors could set a percent-off discount for their books sold on the Lulu bookstore. With the updates to our bookstore and payment options, we've removed this feature. REQUIRED ACTIONS: We recommend reviewing the retail price for all projects on the Lulu Bookstore and making any adjustments to the list price as needed.
Previously, authors could set a percent-off discount for their books sold on the Lulu bookstore. With the updates to our bookstore and payment options, we've removed this feature. REQUIRED ACTIONS: We recommend reviewing the retail price for all projects on the Lulu Bookstore and making any adjustments to the list price as needed.
Thank You Notes
We’ve retired the Thank You Note program. You’ll no longer see an option to enroll and authors will only receive the order confirmation and tracking emails we normally send when purchasing a book.
We’ve retired the Thank You Note program. You’ll no longer see an option to enroll and authors will only receive the order confirmation and tracking emails we normally send when purchasing a book.
Google Book Search
Google’s Book Search feature gives searchers a way to see a small portion of your book’s contents online. We offered this service as part of our ebook distribution services.
Going forward, distribution for an ebook will no longer include Google Book Search.
Google’s Book Search feature gives searchers a way to see a small portion of your book’s contents online. We offered this service as part of our ebook distribution services.
Going forward, distribution for an ebook will no longer include Google Book Search.
Publication Dates
You may have noticed that books in the Lulu Bookstore show a publication date. This is the date of the original publication. Previously, our bookstore listings displayed the date of the most recent revision rather than the original publication date. For authors, you will still see a version number when viewing your project on the My Projects page.
You may have noticed that books in the Lulu Bookstore show a publication date. This is the date of the original publication. Previously, our bookstore listings displayed the date of the most recent revision rather than the original publication date. For authors, you will still see a version number when viewing your project on the My Projects page.
Payment Changes
Lulu accepts the following currencies for payment on our store and for author revenue payments:
US Dollars
British Pounds
Australian Dollars
Canadian Dollars
Euros
We no longer support payments in our store or author payments in Swiss Francs.
Lulu accepts the following currencies for payment on our store and for author revenue payments:
US Dollars
British Pounds
Australian Dollars
Canadian Dollars
Euros
We no longer support payments in our store or author payments in Swiss Francs.
Retiring Dutch Store
We are retiring our Dutch language store. We will continue to offer our website and bookstore in:
English
French
Italian
Spanish
German
Lulu Wallet
We’ve removed the ‘Lulu Wallet’ feature that allowed users to save payment information in your account. Now you will be prompted to save payment information when checking out through our new cart for credit card purchases. Using our cart to store your payment information ensures your security and makes the entire checkout process faster and easier!
We are retiring our Dutch language store. We will continue to offer our website and bookstore in:
English
French
Italian
Spanish
German
Lulu Wallet
We’ve removed the ‘Lulu Wallet’ feature that allowed users to save payment information in your account. Now you will be prompted to save payment information when checking out through our new cart for credit card purchases. Using our cart to store your payment information ensures your security and makes the entire checkout process faster and easier!
Pay by Invoice
For our schools and libraries, we’ve introduced an easier process to pay by invoice (previously referred to as a Purchase Order).
For our schools and libraries, we’ve introduced an easier process to pay by invoice (previously referred to as a Purchase Order).
Enhanced Store Search
The Lulu Bookstore search is drastically improved to help you find what you need quickly. Along with improved search, our Bookstore also includes better categories to help you sort and find books in your favorite genre or covering your favorite subjects. REQUIRED ACTIONS: Make sure that your projects are easily accessible to shoppers by checking they’re in the most applicable category.
The Lulu Bookstore search is drastically improved to help you find what you need quickly. Along with improved search, our Bookstore also includes better categories to help you sort and find books in your favorite genre or covering your favorite subjects. REQUIRED ACTIONS: Make sure that your projects are easily accessible to shoppers by checking they’re in the most applicable category.