Discursive

I've got an interest in the answer to the following question:

What is the right price for a 300-page book that is freely available online?

If you have an opinion, please vote in this poll: http://twtpoll.com/8sgvef.

Some Price Points

Before you vote, here are some data points assuming that you are using a service like Lulu or a Short-run printer:

• The cost to print and bind a 300 pager at Kinkos will approach $35.
• The cost to print 100-copies of a 300 pager at Lulu in a lot of 100 wi

Ok, I've been using Lulu for book distribution for a few weeks. First reactions follow.

Where Lulu Works

• Domestic Distribution (US): - I'm frequently sending 40 book shipments throughout the US and Europe. Domestic distribution is a big win for Lulu. Although the site itself states that it should take between 3 and 5 days to print a book, I find that it is consistently taking about 3 days to print an order.

I finally got around to writing this article about my odd job during the Summer of 2001.

Jury is still out, I've decided to do some self-publishing experiments so I can get a sense of what is out there. I've uploaded a book to Lulu (I'm not telling you which one, and it is still a private book, so you can't buy it.) Some initial reactions...