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Post by And Kevin 2024 on Sept 9, 2020 14:26:03 GMT
It's hard to say. I am used to using the old Cover Designer and free Lulu ISBNs. One starts a Project and it tells you the ISBN assigned. I expect if you use your own ISBN there was the option to type it in at the start of the Project (at one time use of your own ISBNs meant you would not get the Global Dist) then the software generates a barcode. It gave you the option to copy it or download it for use in your own design (one piece cover PDF) for later use in the Cover Wizard, or allow it to auto-add it at the Cover stage in the normal Cover Wizard tool. I suspect that if not using a Lulu ISBN, then it will not generate that barcode and you have to use an ISBN barcode generator site to create you one, so it should not have any mention of Lulu on it. www.adazing.com/isbn-to-barcode-generator/
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Post by BlueAndGold on Sept 10, 2020 0:47:34 GMT
All my Lulu projects have Lulu ISBN's, but no added Lulu Logo. I think single-piece PDF covers are the way to go if you want a clean cover.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 10, 2020 13:29:54 GMT
All my Lulu projects have Lulu ISBN's, but no added Lulu Logo. I think single-piece PDF covers are the way to go if you want a clean cover. I published a book in the new Lulu making a PDF all-in-one cover and there's no Lulu logo on the back cover. In fact I'm really pleased with the print copy I ordered.
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Post by And Kevin 2024 on Sept 10, 2020 15:40:51 GMT
Lulu's Cover Wizards used to add text by default according to what you had entered at the start of a Project. Title, subtitle, writer's name. It added them to the relevant text/image boxes, with just a text one on the spine. It also added a Lulu logo to the spine, and if using a Lulu ISBN it added the barcode to the back cover. All of that text and the logo could be deleted using the text editing tools. (I usually left the spine text as it was though). Now, I am talking about the two Cover Wizards that let you upload jpgs to. Either to place in those boxes or drag over the entire front and back. I have no idea about the old one-piece Cover Wizard because I never used it, but did it not work in the same way? But had the addition of creating a dustjacket for a hardback and allowing the uploading of a single design?
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Post by bjomanson on Sept 10, 2020 15:57:40 GMT
Do you create just the front cover as a PDF "image"? Or do you somehow create frontcover/spine/rearcover as a single PDF "image"?
What program do you use to do this? Word? Photoshop? I don't really understand how this new system works.
With the old Lulu wizard you just uploaded a large JPG for the front cover, then Lulu did the spine and rear cover for you, (using information that you typed in, plus a thumbnail pic if you uploaded one).
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Post by And Kevin 2024 on Sept 10, 2020 16:38:08 GMT
Me? I always used two (font and back) Jpgs, created at at least 300dpi in PaintshopPro 95. The old non-one-piece Cover Wizards allowed uploading such images to them. The front, spine and back had individual tools. Once a happy with the design (which could be previewed as a whole,) Create was clicked, and the Wizard turned it into a Print Ready PDF.
The only way Lulu 'did the spine and cover for you' was default placing the title and writer's name on the spine (which could still be edited, font changed, made Bold or whatever) and an ISBN barcode on the back. If you wanted a description on the back, and who does not? then you had to type/paste it in to the text/image box, or include it in an uploaded image, to fill that box or to cover the entire back (it would not hide the barcode). (The Description that appears on sales sites is not entered until you get to the end of the Project Wizard, so it could not be included automatically by a Cover Wizard).
As I say, I never used the One-piece Cover Wizard because I had no need of a dustjacket or my own logo on the spine. In my opinion that was the only reason to use it, creating problems like getting the spine in the right place!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 10, 2020 18:36:06 GMT
After you have uploaded your body text PDF and choosen your paper types etc. Lulu will display the dimensions of the cover PDF you need to create based on the covers, paper and page count of your Project. It will also generate a custom PDF Template of this for you to download. This template will show you the Trim\Bleed and Safety areas as well as barcode and spine positions. If you have a Word Processor or DTP package that can accept PDFs then you can load it as a base layer and build your cover on top of it and delete it when done. If your WP\DTP software won't load PDFs then you can use the dimensions to create a custom-sized page (if possible) and add your own layout guides manually which is what I did. Alternatively you can use third party software to convert the PDF to a bitmap, load it into a graphics package and add text and graphics over it, or create a custom-sized bitmap to work with from scratch. But be careful of getting the DPI values right and have a pocket calculator ready to lay everything out accurately.
Once you've built your covers, worked out how to rotate text ninety degrees for the spine, understood the bleed areas etc. you need to produce your new PDF, this can be done either:
Via the software you are using to create it if that's a feature. A PDF pseudo-printer driver that you print to instead of a physical printer. Software that will take a document or bitmap and convert it to a PDF. A website that will convert your document or bitmap to a PDF for you.
Whatever PDF you end up with all the fonts you used to create it must be embedded in it and if created out of multiple elements it must be Flattened i.e. made into a single layer PDF. Most PDF software does this automatically but if it not then you might have problems with the way Lulu handles non-flattened PDFs.
Your new PDF should have exactly the same dimensions as the template PDF you downloaded or as displayed on your Project page. After that you upload your cover, sacrifice a chicken and pray to the gods that Lulu will accept it!
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Post by And Kevin 2024 on Sept 10, 2020 23:50:43 GMT
After you have uploaded your body text PDF and choosen your paper types etc. Using the old method, uploading of a text file was part of a Project Wizard, after you have chosen the book from the range of options, such as A4, A5 etc. Often dictating what paper types they used. The uploading of the text file was the 3rd step in a Project Wizard. Uploading after creating a file of pages to match the book size and shape one had chosen. All that seems logical. Lulu will display the dimensions of the cover PDF you need to create based on the covers, paper and page count of your Project. What? to download to something? What? I have no design prog that can use PDF templates. How many people do?It will also generate a custom PDF Template of this for you to download. What's the point of also displaying the dimensions then? But as said above. A template for what tool?This template will show you the Trim\Bleed and Safety areas as well as barcode and spine positions. If you have a Word Processor or DTP package that can accept PDFs then you can load it as a base layer and build your cover on top of it and delete it when done. If your WP\DTP software won't load PDFs then you can use the dimensions to create a custom-sized page (if possible) and add your own layout guides manually which is what I did. Alternatively you can use third party software to convert the PDF to a bitmap, load it into a graphics package and add text and graphics over it, or create a custom-sized bitmap to work with from scratch. But be careful of getting the DPI values right and have a pocket calculator ready to lay everything out accurately. The old Cover Wizards were fine and simple. Took about 10 mins to learn them. Once you've built your covers, worked out how to rotate text ninety degrees for the spine, understood the bleed areas etc. you need to produce your new PDF, this can be done either: Via the software you are using to create it if that's a feature. A PDF pseudo-printer driver that you print to instead of a physical printer. Software that will take a document or bitmap and convert it to a PDF. A website that will convert your document or bitmap to a PDF for you. Whatever PDF you end up with all the fonts you used to create it must be embedded in it and if created out of multiple elements it must be Flattened i.e. made into a single layer PDF. Most PDF software does this automatically but if it not then you might have problems with the way Lulu handles non-flattened PDFs. Your new PDF should have exactly the same dimensions as the template PDF you downloaded or as displayed on your Project page. After that you upload your cover, sacrifice a chicken and pray to the gods that Lulu will accept it! the above sounds complex enough for people to be forced in to paying Lulu to do it ...
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Post by Deleted on Sept 11, 2020 1:03:42 GMT
Lulu displays the measurements of the PDF you need to supply just for your convenience, the same for the PDF. You don't have to download the PDF if you don't want to just make a note of the measurements and use them instead. You'll have to calculate the Bleed and Safety margins yourself if you do that though which is what I did since, like you, I didn't have a program that would accept PDF files for editing. The Template is the PDF file, it's not a special format file just a one-page PDF that has all the layout information you'll need and is the exact size of the cover required.
We can continue to lament the passing of the old Cover Wizards - which were a lot easier to use I agree - but they're not coming back and the one-piece PDF for Covers approach is how it's going to be. You don't need a PDF editor, any standard WP or DTP software that allows you to set a custom page size is all you need along with the ability to position the elements that make up your cover according to a handful of numbers. If you don't want to or are unable to print or save the result to PDF format then you can export the result as a JPEG file of the correct size and use one of the many free online "JPG to PDF" websites around to produce your finished result.
Personally I use the 13 year old MS Publisher 2007, the 20 year old Paintshop Pro 7 and a free JPG to PDF program from CompulsiveCode to produce my covers. Not quite State of the Art but it gets the job done.
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Post by bjomanson on Sept 11, 2020 1:41:50 GMT
Many thanks to everyone for all the tips & instructions. I'll give it a go. Expect I'll crash & burn a few times before I work it out.
I've been with Lulu for a number of years, and published a dozen or so books with them. But my loyalty has its limits. They changed too much, too fast. If I run into too many headaches, I'm going to start looking at other companies.
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Post by And Kevin 2024 on Sept 11, 2020 15:39:15 GMT
Lulu displays the measurements of the PDF you need to supply just for your convenience, the same for the PDF. You don't have to download the PDF if you don't want to just make a note of the measurements and use them instead. You'll have to calculate the Bleed and Safety margins yourself if you do that though which is what I did since, like you, I didn't have a program that would accept PDF files for editing. The Template is the PDF file, it's not a special format file just a one-page PDF that has all the layout information you'll need and is the exact size of the cover required. We can continue to lament the passing of the old Cover Wizards - which were a lot easier to use I agree - but they're not coming back and the one-piece PDF for Covers approach is how it's going to be. You don't need a PDF editor, any standard WP or DTP software that allows you to set a custom page size is all you need along with the ability to position the elements that make up your cover according to a handful of numbers. If you don't want to or are unable to print or save the result to PDF format then you can export the result as a JPEG file of the correct size and use one of the many free online "JPG to PDF" websites around to produce your finished result. Personally I use the 13 year old MS Publisher 2007, the 20 year old Paintshop Pro 7 and a free JPG to PDF program from CompulsiveCode to produce my covers. Not quite State of the Art but it gets the job done. It still sounds a very unnecessary process. Previously a Cover Wizard would fire up, and even those not even able to design anything on their PC could create a cover without uploading anything. The text was already pasted in for them and various presets could be applied to make them more arty-farty. And they could type a Description in the back cover section's frames. Then the Wizard creates the PR PDF for them. Granted that way did not create decent covers, but it did allow people to actually create them easily!
Lulu have made a backwards step. The main attraction of Lulu to many self-publishers (apart from the free ISBN and only having to buy one Proof) was how simple the Project Wizards were to use.
KDP, which I use just for Kindle books, is looking more attractive every day.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 12, 2020 3:26:07 GMT
the above sounds complex enough for people to be forced in to paying Lulu to do it ...(Kevin)It took me a long time to get my all-in-one cover right, but with bizzley's help and advice I finally managed it. Once you know how to do it, it's OK. Kevin I turned the PDF template into a jpg (I did it on line) and then worked in Paintshop Pro. Also after I'd made the cover I again changed the jpg online into a PDF. I used Adobe's free online converter. This is my cover. www.lulu.com/en/gb/shop/elizabeth-keimach/lets-be-kind/paperback/product-jjnyw7.html
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Post by And Kevin 2024 on Sept 12, 2020 17:23:11 GMT
Yes. Overly complex compared to the creation of two jpgs that could be loaded direct to a Cover Wizard
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Post by bjomanson on Sept 13, 2020 0:21:06 GMT
Here's my publisher's page, which shows my book covers. I'm very happy with these. Just hoping I can maintain this same level of quality using the new method. If not, I'll be looking for a new company. www.monongahelabooks.com/
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Post by And Kevin 2024 on Sept 13, 2020 2:11:33 GMT
They are interesting, but where are the images from that were used? I also notice the site says that you print them. And while we are at it, here are mine. Two jpgs for printed, one for Kindles. I will not claim the art was easy, but putting the ones for printed through Lulu's Cover Wizard, I could do in my sleep in around 5 mins. (The kindle 'covers' are direct to KDP. A simple click to upload.) www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=kevin+lomas&i=digital-text&ref=nb_sb_noss
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