Lulu.com

I've recently discovered Lulu.com, which is an on-demand printing service for independently written and produced books. So, you can write a book, upload it, and sell it. You can even get an ISBN number so that booksellers, libraries, etc. can order your book for distribution. It's like cafepress, but for books.

The more I think about it, the more potential I can see for this kind of service. This is perfect for authors that appeal to a very small niche, the kind of stuff that a traditional publisher would never get into since the market is too small. Or blog authors who write technical or political essays could bundle them all into a book and sell it from their blogs. In fact, this blog entry talks of someone doing just that:

At the end of August, I wrote four essays in six days. When I formatted them to 6"x9" this afternoon, I had 69 pages. They've scarcely been edited, so I'm not putting them on sale or getting an ISBN number -- this is just a test of the lulu.com system, so I can get a visceral sense of what I can make. Even so: right now, a book called "Blueprint for Revolution: A Toolbox for Youth Liberation Activists" is moving through the publishing process. Eeeeeeeeeeee!

I'm seriously thinking of doing a coffee-table book of a bunch of my favorite photos, or maybe team up with gary and do a best-of-eighteenpercent.net book. I'll let you know when it's ready.