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Post by potet on May 26, 2020 10:15:40 GMT
Yesterday I wanted to check whether the Lulu system was now in working condition. It isn't. There is nothing beyond the panel inviting you to create a new book. I have started worrying.
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Post by benziger on May 26, 2020 12:54:39 GMT
Strange, I started just a fun project with a pdf laying on my desktop and a jpg to create a "new book", including the cover creator. It worked fine until Pricing. Then I had to stop, as I was loged in with a fake address that has no credit card... So if potet is right, that means, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
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Post by potet on May 26, 2020 22:39:40 GMT
Benziger, I tried again after reading your post, but didn't see where to define the format and where to obtain an ISBN.
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Post by JesusNinja on May 27, 2020 1:26:39 GMT
The format , size, paper type, and cover type is on the very first part of the wizard. The ISBN is on the copyright section of the creation wizard. At the bottom. As far as pricing problems, when I published my books it wouldn't let me go to the review section. I had to fiddle with the prices some then it let me finish publishing the book. The new wizard looks complicated but it really isn't. And it's giving up much more to all to our books. More info to go out to those who will list our books on their site. Things that will allow people to better search and find our books. The new categories I complained about for years finally came through.
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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2020 3:38:10 GMT
The format , size, paper type, and cover type is on the very first part of the wizard. The ISBN is on the copyright section of the creation wizard. At the bottom. As far as pricing problems, when I published my books it wouldn't let me go to the review section. I had to fiddle with the prices some then it let me finish publishing the book. The new wizard looks complicated but it really isn't. And it's giving up much more to all to our books. More info to go out to those who will list our books on their site. Things that will allow people to better search and find our books. The new categories I complained about for years finally came through. winteriscoming, this sounds very encouraging as I really want to stay with Lulu. Mind you I used to use the old cover in the wizard but that has gone and I will now have to learn how to use the one piece cover. I 'll continue my efforts today. Thanks.
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Post by JesusNinja on May 27, 2020 5:10:29 GMT
As did I Larika. But honestly after getting Maggie's help I started making my own covers in Photoshop and now the one piece cover too.
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Post by JesusNinja on May 28, 2020 22:02:46 GMT
Strange, I started just a fun project with a pdf laying on my desktop and a jpg to create a "new book", including the cover creator. It worked fine until Pricing. Then I had to stop, as I was loged in with a fake address that has no credit card... So if potet is right, that means, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. On my first try I got to the pricing part too and it wouldn't let me go further. I found out that I had to fiddle around with the pricing at the top. I changed the U.S. price and it said it was too low for the other outlets. I changed it again and the review option appeared. Try that and see if it helps.
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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2020 12:08:37 GMT
Strange, I started just a fun project with a pdf laying on my desktop and a jpg to create a "new book", including the cover creator. It worked fine until Pricing. Then I had to stop, as I was loged in with a fake address that has no credit card... So if potet is right, that means, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. On my first try I got to the pricing part too and it wouldn't let me go further. I found out that I had to fiddle around with the pricing at the top. I changed the U.S. price and it said it was too low for the other outlets. I changed it again and the review option appeared. Try that and see if it helps. It sounds like they've emulated Ingram Spark in everything, from templates to pricing, which is a good thing. Just takes some getting used to.
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Post by JesusNinja on May 30, 2020 23:43:05 GMT
To be honest as far as the book creation part goes, I really like what they've done. I understand it's difficult for those who are used to using the old cover creator and can't make their own. But overall it's giving the creator much more options and new categories that will help our books get found easier. It's also made me learn to make my own covers which I actually enjoy more than writing. The pricing, payee info, etc is all in the wizard now. No having to jump from one link to another trying to find where to put things. Once they get the About Author text part fixed and add the delete/retire option added I think it will be great overall. It's just they messed up so bad getting the new site and lost so many people. It's sad. But support has been very polite to me. And my orders were processed in three days and shipped to me very fast. It's coming together slowly.
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Post by Deleted on May 31, 2020 4:39:38 GMT
To be honest as far as the book creation part goes, I really like what they've done. I understand it's difficult for those who are used to using the old cover creator and can't make their own. But overall it's giving the creator much more options and new categories that will help our books get found easier. It's also made me learn to make my own covers which I actually enjoy more than writing. The pricing, payee info, etc is all in the wizard now. No having to jump from one link to another trying to find where to put things. Once they get the About Author text part fixed and add the delete/retire option added I think it will be great overall. It's just they messed up so bad getting the new site and lost so many people. It's sad. But support has been very polite to me. And my orders were processed in three days and shipped to me very fast. It's coming together slowly. That all sounds very poitive winteriscoming. You have great covers. However I decided to change the size of the book I was making, retire the 8.5X11in and make it an A5 in stead. As you said one can't retire a book. So I decided to start a new project and rename the book slightly as you could do in the old Lulu, but it wouldn't let me, it kept taking me to the original book. I will persevere a little longer but it is all very irritating. I think it will be OK once I have mastered it but that will take some time!!!!
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Post by Deadshot on May 31, 2020 7:37:57 GMT
Not sure if it helps but I am sharing a link below for Blurb's cover creator plugin for Indesign. If you use Indesign, the plugin is great to help create a decent cover. It automatically creates the right spine width according to the number of pages etc. I have never used Lulu's cover creator and I do not know how good it is. support.blurb.com/hc/en-us/articles/212771823-Blurb-Adobe-InDesign-Plug-in
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Post by Deleted on May 31, 2020 13:25:15 GMT
Lulu's cover designer is a nightmare, but I finally made my cover. However now Lulu wants me to fill in tax forms which I've never had to do before. Anyway I downloaded the form and was told I'd have to buy a progamme in order to open the file. I guess I'll not be able to publish any more books on Lulu. I've spent enough time and money. Oh well!!!
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Post by Retread-Retired-Cameron on May 31, 2020 13:32:24 GMT
Lulu's cover designer is a nightmare, but I finally made my cover. However now Lulu wants me to fill in tax forms which I've never had to do before. Anyway I downloaded the form and was told I'd have to buy a progamme in order to open the file. I guess I'll not be able to publish any more books on Lulu. I've spent enough time and money. Oh well!!! This would be a time to enter a support ticket over the tax form in question, when you get the auto-reponse reply to it to let them know you still have a problem, then wait. They should still have your old info on file because they said they have a backup, but they're still migrating data.
Despite Paul's reassurances that the vast majority of Lulu Press end-users haven't had any major issues dealing with the new system, it's rather painfully obvious the new system isn't quite functional as advertised.
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Post by Deleted on May 31, 2020 14:25:14 GMT
Thanks Sphinx-Cameron, I sent an enquiry to Lulu support service but I haven't had a reply yet. I live in the UK and have never had to fill in a US tax form before. sigh! The problem is that all the other places where one can publish look just as complicated. I think I'll investigate Amazon's KDP again.
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Post by Retread-Retired-Cameron on May 31, 2020 14:52:14 GMT
Thanks Sphinx-Cameron, I sent an enquiry to Lulu support service but I haven't had a reply yet. I live in the UK and have never had to fill in a US tax form before. sigh! The problem is that all the other places where one can publish look just as complicated. I think I'll investigate Amazon's KDP again. The system at Lulu Press tends to send out an auto-reply and you have to reply to that in order to keep your support ticket open. In an hour or so if you don't see that original auto-reply check spam or promotional folder [if applicable] because that first auto-response usually doesn't take long.
When it comes to taxes and which governmental entity is owed what and from whom it always gets sticky. Over the past seven years I haven't made enough to owe taxes on royalties yet I still get taxed on them. I could file the appropriate Tax Schedule at the end of the year and get the money paid in taxes back, but the amount is so paltry it isn't worth all the extra time spent filling out the form. I get the feeling that's what the U.S. government is counting on when it comes to people in my position.
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