If I print copies thru Lulu, can I still submit to Publishers?

james1611 said:

hello,

I need some expert advice...if I have posted a book on lulu.com and ordered review copies...is it considered PUBLISHED and I can't send the manuscript to Publishers anymore?

Please keep in mind that LULU.com has no rights to the book and there is NO ISBN number assignment or distribution of any kind.

As I understand it LULU.com is merely a place you can print a book, but it is not a PUBLISHER at all and doesn't claim to be.

Isn't this the same as taking it to Kinko's ...I can still submit the manuscript to Publishers right??

Experts chime in please,

Thank you,
James

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If you haven't offerered it for sale, it isn't published. But not all publishers object to self published books, just most of them.

James, was the book offered publicly on Lulu or anywhere else? If not, you haven't published it, just printed off a few copies. I'd take it off Lulu before submitting it, though.

Aconite said:

James, was the book offered publicly on Lulu or anywhere else? If not, you haven't published it, just printed off a few copies. I'd take it off Lulu before submitting it, though.

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No reason to do that. The way lulu works, if you don't make it available to the public, no one else knows it's there.

Julie Worth said:

No reason to do that. The way lulu works, if you don't make it available to the public, no one else knows it's there.

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It'd probably be fine, then, but I'm a belt-and-suspenders kind of person, and have little faith in technology not to glitch horribly in exactly the worst kind of way.

james1611 said:

The book is currently, available to myself only. I can print copies, but is the work even considered published if it doesn't have an ISBN #?

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Possibly, under some conditions. If the book is only available to you, though, the lack of ISBN is irrelevant. You're fine.

I'm no expert on distribution rights and the following is just an opinion.

Don't get too wrapped around the axle about the technical definition of "published" in this instance. You aren't under contract to a "publisher" and you haven't assigned/sold any distribution rights for your book. I think the key issue in your case is distribution. In the case of first works, I would think many publishers will shy away if the book is already widely available through other means. Why would they pay for something that is already being distributed for free? If rights and distribution aren't issues, I think you're fine.