I was working until 03:00 hrs and started again early. To be honest Lulu.com have created such stress over the last few months that it has made me ill. The only option left is to make sure everyone knows what the company is like. Looking at the stats from other blogs on this it seems the USA, Canada and a big chunk of Europe are reading and sharing this. Good.
THIS DOES NOT AFFECT ANY CUSTOMER ORDERING A BOOK. IF A BOOK IS UNAVAILABLE IT WILL SHOW AS SUCH. THIS POST IS TO SHARE A PROBLEM FACING MANY PUBLISHERS USING LULU.COM WHO DO NOT OFFER CUSTOMER SUPPORT>
There have been constant problems since the new system was brought in, It took over a month for most of my books to reappear on my store front Then, one by one I am told that books cannot be printed -even though they have been since 2009- “because” a printer says that it is restricting the number of pages for certain bindings -even books from this year.
The support is non-existent and simply gives links that take you in circles. My Files has vanished and Lulu Support will not tell me where they are. This means that 21 books Lulu has JUST decided are not meeting their printers criteria are unprintable. Yet they were before -perfect copies and I have them beside me. I cannot access My Files and some 15 of the files for books I have to republish were lost in a computer crash.
I lose 15 books.
I spent months building a web site linking my lulu store front and detailing books. I’ve had complaints that books were either unorderable and links took pweople nowhere because Lulu’s new system changed everything. Months of work gone and the easiest thing to do was close the web site.
I have been with Lulu since 2009 and since the new system there are problems, problems and more problems and the attitude seems to be “So what?”
I cannot “revise” a project (ie change the binding) because Lulu KNOWS that page is locked.
With the 6 books I can upload I have to go through the awful cover process that constantly rejects Lulu’s own cover template as well as Pricing which rejects again and again -covers and pricing can take up to 1-2 hours now and it used to take 5-6 minutes.
This means my store loses 21 books BECAUSE I cannot simply change Binding (a binding that Lulu’s system told me I had no choice but to choose).
Does Lulu have my files where I can access them?
Can Lulu not unlock the Binding page?
Changing binding is no problem but going through the whole process from scratch is too much.
The books currently ‘unprintable’ are:
Dr Morg
Back From The Dead
Merriwether God’s Demon Thumper
The Collected Merriwether
Tales of Terror 2, 3 & 4
The Clock
The Phantom Detective
D-Gruppe 4
D-Gruppe Annual
Purple Hood Land of Hope & Glory
Black Tower Adventure 4, 7, 8, 9 & 10
When and if those books -the ones for which files exist- can be republished has yet to be decided.
Whatever you do never ever choose Lulu.com as a POD. This is how they treat creators who have been with them for morethan a decade through all of their problems.
Please pass the word along
Thank you
Terry Hooper-Scharf
Publishing editor Black Tower Comics & Books
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