Tradeoff comes from diminished revenue cut

Lulu has added the iBookstore to a collection of self-publishing options. As a service, the company can now automatically list titles at the iBookstore, give them ISBN numbers, and deliver automatic sales reports and payments. Authors and third-party publishers can either submit their own ePub files, or have Lulu handle the conversion process to ensure books pass Apple standards.

The addition of Lulu to the iBookstore may make it easier to submit titles, but several limitations exist. While Lulu clients retain intellectual property rights, they only take 80 percent of creator revenue, which is further diminished in the case of the iBookstore because of Apple's 30 percent take from base revenue. Publishers using Lulu must also have a minimum of 25 books, and -- because of Apple -- pricing is capped at $99.99, or else an amount relative to the cost of a paper edition.

by MacNN Staff