The Internet is the greatest tool ever created for distributing content for free. But most authors cannot afford to take months or years to write great works without the hope of getting paid.
I started Lulu to empower authors, to give them control and help them make money from their works. Authors need to earn a living so that they’re able to keep creating and adding to our collective knowledge. Everything we do at Lulu is intended to help authors find more success — even offering DRM tools. But here’s an example of a critic’s response to that particular decision:
Lulu was the promise of something better. You have failed us all by endorsing DRM and I feel you have betrayed the Open Source community who helped bring support to Lulu early on. DRM on Lulu is an embarrassment and you should be ashamed of taking Lulu down this path. This blog says DRM is the choice for authors, but it is your endorsement for depriving the world of access to knowledge.
More complete arguments against Lulu’s decision to offer DRM tools can be found here and here. Many of these critics feel very strongly about this issue. As it turns out I feel very strongly about this issue too. Not surprisingly, though, my position is the exact opposite of theirs. I have crafted my views over a career of creating customer-focused businesses, so the least I can do is provide a complete and full response.
