Articles by Lauren Parker

by Lauren Parker Senior Communications Specialist
October 9, 2008
Comments (3)

Taking it to the Web: Tools for online marketing and promotion

In Lulu News —

The Lulu “Mini-Storefront” widget and website banners are the unsung heroes for online marketing.  Last month we talked about how press releases are a great way to spread the word about your book.  With the Lulu widget and website banners, you can encourage people to buy your book wherever you are on the web.

The Lulu “Mini-Storefront” widget attracts visitors from your blog, MySpace page, Facebook profile or personal website to your Lulu content.  With the Mini-Storefront, your captive audience can view your book, read the description and - the best part – buy your book(!) all from the comforts of your website.
Let’s try the Facebook Widget – Here are a few tips to keep in mind when setting up your widget with your Facebook profile:

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by Lauren Parker Senior Communications Specialist
September 23, 2008
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Get Fit on Lulu!

In Lulu News — Tagged: , , , , , ,

September 27th is Family Health and Fitness Day USA (I know, I didn’t have it on my calendar either!).  Good thing I’m here to give you a cool list of books on Lulu on how to get your family out in the fresh air, and well-fed, the healthy way.

A family that’s fit together has fun together – especially if you’re playing one of the fun games in Kathi Wyldeck’s Family Games.  Filled with games like “Robin’s Nest”, “Crusts and Crumbs” “Red Rover” and other outdoor games, you’ll be playing till the streetlights come on and it’s dinnertime.

Speaking of dinner…let’s work on the healthy part of the day.  With organic and health food stores everywhere, slow food movements and even fast food places offering a fruit cup instead of fries, eating healthy is becoming easier. If you’re looking for some new and inventive recipes, try the Runner’s Cookbook (ooo..running and cooking) .

Think health equals a long time to cook?  Au contraire! With Healthy Meals in 30 Minutes you can create a variety of gluten-, dairy-, sugar- and soy-free meals without having to slave over a stove all day.

So with plans in hand for a fun day, go enjoy Health and Fitness Day with friends and family.  The more the merrier and the better the games!

by Lauren Parker Senior Communications Specialist
September 10, 2008
Comments (5)

What Makes a Good Press Release? How to get the word out in 5 steps

In Events, Lulu News, Lulu on the Web, Marketing Tips, Tips and Tricks —

In the world of blogs, tweets and social networking, creating buzz around your book is easier than ever. But how do you reach reporters from traditional media? The traditional press release is still a great way to let people know of your newest book project.

Wait! How to I achieve fame and fortune with a traditional press release you ask. We can’t guarantee fame and fortune but with these five steps and a little elbow grease, you will be well on your way.

Try these steps when putting together your next release:

1. Keep the editor(s) in mind. Hundreds of releases vie for their attention each week, so make yours relevant and accurate.

2. Write your press release!  Keep these things in mind while crafting your release-

  • Be catchy! Write a headline that grabs attention and summarizes your main point. Then, because the first paragraph is often the only one that’s read, make sure it covers who, what, when, where, why and how.
  • Be brief. Keep your release to one page or 400 words. The end.
  • Be current. Highlight something about your product in your release that’s relevant to current events.
  • Be available. Make sure you put your current contact information (E-mail, phone number, fax…) so that those that are interested can reach you.

3. Create a relationship! With your local lifestyles, arts section, book reviewers, local bookstores and editors. The more they know about you and your book the more willing to read your press release.

4. Send it out! Either to a targeted list of regional and local reporters or an e-press release over a news wire service - choose a list that you can handle when following up.

5. Ask for help. If you’re having trouble, visit Lulu Services and look into a professional press release.

by Lauren Parker Senior Communications Specialist
September 3, 2008
Comments (6)

Excited by Lulu.com? Let the world know!

In Lulu News —

Calling all Lulus! We need you to raise your voice and shout from the rooftops how Lulu energizes you by handing over control of publishing and profiting from creative content like novels, photo books and calendars. Be part of the Lulu Groundswell!

Groundswell, the book written by Forrester Research analysts Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff, focuses on how people use technologies to get the things they need from each other, rather than from traditional institutions like mammoth corporations – a trend and principle on which Lulu.com has built its company.  The book has become the ultimate guide for the Lulu team, as we seek to give YOU the best, most innovative social tools to collaboratively create, market and sell your creative works and interact directly with your audience, whether it is one reader or 10,000.

So naturally, we entered the Second Annual Forrester Groundswell Awards, in the ‘energize’ category and your reviews will help spread the word about how Lulu helps authors through our community.

Here’s how you can review Lulu.com:
1. Go to http://www.forrester.com/Groundswell/energizing.html to see the Lulu entry.
2. Go to the Lulu listing and click ‘Review’.
3. Rate Lulu and write a review of how you think Lulu is doing when it comes to energizing you as an author.
4. Click submit.

It’s that simple!

A widget user? Member of the Facebook Lulu group? Always ready for the next post from the Lulu blog team? Let us (and the judges) know how you connect to your audience and other Lulus through the offerings on the Lulu community page:

People like you, ready to connect with you...

People like you, ready to connect with you…

by Lauren Parker Senior Communications Specialist
August 26, 2008
Comments (2)

Flick(r) Your Photos to Lulu

In Howto, Walkthroughs — Tagged: , , , ,

In last week’s post, Adam told us about some new enhancements to Lulu Studio.

I’ve been wanting to join the flickr-nation and with this new Lulu feature, I had nothing stopping me from creating a photo book.  If you haven’t given Lulu Studio a whirl yet, here’s a step-by-step of what to expect when you merge your Flickr account and Lulu Studio to create a photo book.

So I logged into my flickr account.  If you don’t have a flickr or photo bucket account, sign up for one – either or, whichever you are more comfortable with.  Once you’re all set up, start uploading photos to your hearts desire.

So I put my photos on Flickr:

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by Lauren Parker Senior Communications Specialist
August 12, 2008
Comments (5)

Tips & Tricks: Book Previews - Entice your Reader without Even Trying

In Howto, Lulu News, Tips and Tricks — Tagged: , ,

In an earlier blog post, Nick talked about the benefits of having book previews. Here we’re going to talk about how to create and what things to keep in mind for a great book preview.

If you’re anything like me, reading the description of a book isn’t enough for me to buy it. It’s a start, but those first few pages are key. Many times I find myself standing in the bookstore with almost the first chapter read when I start heading to the checkout counter. That’s what a book preview is! When the description isn’t enough, a book preview is a great way to draw people to your book.

A couple of things to consider when setting up your preview:

  • Are you just previewing the first pages of your book (The table of contents, the copyright page, a blank page, etc) or are you previewing enough that the reader can get a feel of what the book (or CD) is about? Don’t waste your time or your reader’s time with the first pages of your book. If they are pages you would skip in the bookstore, pretty sure the reader will do the same for your book. Give them something they want to read!
  • Preview doesn’t equal the whole book… unless you want to. Put up what you are comfortable with. If you do want to put up more than a few pages, think about having a free download of the first few chapters.

Now on to the how-to… Step-By-Step Preview Generation

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by Lauren Parker Senior Communications Specialist
July 25, 2008
Comments (5)

It’s a Bird… It’s a Plane… It’s A Lulu Comic Creator!

In Lulu News —

With the frenzy around Batman’s Dark Knight, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man and Hellboy II: The Golden Army all gracing the big screen this summer, everyone seems to have comics on the brain, and I’m no exception.

Personally, I’m a fan of Wonder Woman, and am waiting with bated breath for Lynda Carter to don the Lasso of Truth, to pass her trusty bracelets on to her daughter, or well, any kind of Wonder Woman movie really. Unfortunately, there have been holdups in getting one released, so until then, Delilah Dirk is my new ‘shero’.

Who’s Delilah Dirk? She’s the funny, sly, sword-wielding heroine of Delilah Dirk and the Treasure of Constantinople by Tony Cliff. Set in the late 19th century in Constantinople, the story centers on an army captain of the Ottoman Empire who finds his job and life on the line after Delilah Dirk, his most important prisoner mollywops a guard and escapes to freedom. I’m not the only one who is hip to Delilah and her adventures – Tony and his comic heroine have been nominated for an Eisner Award in the category for Best Single Issue. We here at Lulu wish Tony the best of luck, and are crossing our fingers that he walks away with the prize during the ceremony this Friday.

If you are looking for your own ‘shero’ here are a few titles you should look into:
• A. Furuichi and S. Yoshinaga - Nemu Nemu
• Wapsi Square: 2001-2004 - Paul Taylor
• Girls With Slingshots Volume 1 (2nd Edition) - Danielle Corsetto

by Lauren Parker Senior Communications Specialist
June 4, 2008
Comments (5)

Tips & Tricks: Put Your Best Foot Foward with a New and Improved Storefront

In Howto, Tips and Tricks — Tagged: , ,

How to Improve Your Storefront!

Your storefront needs to do a lot: it should be eye-catching and easy to read, and have everything a customer needs to know. With Lulu’s storefront tools, you can make your storefront welcoming and unforgettable. Here are a few ideas on improving your storefront:

  • Give your storefront a title. The title is not only the name of your storefront, but it’s also what is displayed in the top bar of your browser, and the link on which users click when they find your site in search results.
  • The long and short of it.
    • Short Description: The short description is your storefront’s meta-description and is limited to 512 characters. This description will be displayed under your storefront’s title in search results, and should reiterate your storefront keywords and summarize what your storefront is about.
    • Long Description: With the long description, you can enter as much information as you like, and use HTML. This will be displayed on your storefront, and is a good place to put in author bio, mission statement, and a complete description of your book.
  • Add a bio. If you’re an expert in the field you’re writing on, let the audience know. You can use html code here to insert images and links. Don’t forget to provide a link to your email address. This will allow potential customers to contact you directly with any questions, or praise! For a crash course in HTML coding, check out: http://www.w3schools.com/html/default.asp
  • Make it attractive. You can customize colors and fonts when you build your storefront. Be sure to keep in the style and tone of your book. If your book is funny, bright colors are great. If it is for an academic audience, perhaps you want something more subdued.

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by Lauren Parker Senior Communications Specialist
May 8, 2008
Comments (5)

Tips & Tricks: Make Your Book Green!

In Lulu News, Tips and Tricks — Tagged: , ,

Make your Book Green – eBooks for earth friendly publishing!

eBooks are books in electronic format. Like other electronic data, they can be distributed easily across networks, downloaded immediately and viewed on a screen. With several eBook readers now on the market, making your book available to a wider audience just got easier.

With this month’s installment of tips and tricks, here are some things to keep in mind when publishing your eBook.

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by Lauren Parker Senior Communications Specialist
April 16, 2008
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Lulu On the Newsstand!

In Lulu News — Tagged: , , , , ,

So you’re standing at the local newsstand or the periodicals section, you’ve got your Writer’s Magazine, Blender, a gossip mag and you’re on your way to check out… WAIT! Don’t skip over Every Day with Rachael Ray or you might miss out on her calling Lulu.com “The Real Deal”!

Featured in the May 2008 issue, your very own Lulu is highlighted as a way to publish a “Book of Love” for Mother’s Day. So thumb to the “Yum!” section and check us out.

Yummy! Cookbooks on Lulu!