Lulu review 2027: costs, imprint and what you really get

Is Lulu worth it in 2027? Lulu is a solid print-on-demand service if you want to sell through its own shop and are happy to stay the self-publisher. What you get on Lulu is printing and a route to retailers; what you do not get is a publisher. With a free Lulu ISBN, Lulu is the imprint of your book for good, a proof copy must be bought before retail, and whether a retailer lists the book is up to the retailer. If you want a publishing house in your book and a listing where bookstores order, ShelfPublisher is the stronger choice.

A publisher, an ISBN and bookstores in one price per book. Request access

Below is what Lulu costs and what it puts in your book, quoted from Lulu's own help pages. The table row by row is on Lulu vs ShelfPublisher; all comparisons are on Compare platforms.

What Lulu costs

Creating a book on Lulu is free. Two costs come before your paperback reaches a retailer:

• A one-time charge for retail sales. "Lulu charges a one-time, non-refundable fee of $4.99 (€4.99/£4.99) for the first time you submit a print book or ebook to our Global Distribution service."
• The proof copy. "Authors who wish to distribute and sell their print books to online retailers such as Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble must purchase and approve a proof copy to qualify for retail distribution." Lulu does not provide free samples; a copy costs the manufacturing cost plus shipping.

Every later change has its own price: "If you need to make any changes to the cover or interior files, a new proof copy must be purchased and approved."

Who the publisher of your Lulu book is

This is the point most authors find out too late. Lulu's help page: "Choosing to use a Free ISBN by Lulu identifies the Imprint of your book as Lulu and cannot be changed."

So with the free ISBN your paperback carries Lulu as imprint, permanently. Want your own imprint? Then you buy your own ISBN, 125 USD for one at Bowker in the US, and the name you choose may not be Lulu, Lulu.com, Lulu Press or Lulu Publishing Services. A Lulu ISBN also stays at Lulu: "we cannot release a Lulu-purchased ISBN, as it is assigned to Lulu as a publisher."

Where a Lulu book is sold

Lulu sells your book in its own bookstore and, through Global Distribution, offers it to Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other retailers. Lulu is clear that "the final decision to accept, list, or reject a title rests solely with the retailer", and that listing can take "approximately 12 weeks or longer".

Lulu vs ShelfPublisher at a glance

As of 7 November 2026, from Lulu's and Bowker's own pages (sources below). What the same paperback with its own ISBN costs on each platform: Pricing facts.

Is Lulu the right choice for you?

Lulu fits if you mainly want copies printed and a shop of your own, and you will do the publisher's work yourself. If you want the book to be a publisher's title, ShelfPublisher gives you what Lulu does not:

• A publisher, not just a printer. Orbita Media GmbH, with more than 1,000 titles and 2 million books sold, is the publisher of your paperback.
• ISBN included. No ISBN to buy, and no platform imprint on your cover.
• No proof copy to buy. Interior and cover are checked before release.
• Where bookstores order. Listed in the wholesale catalogs that more than 50,000 bookstores in 18 countries order from, Amazon included.
• One price per book, once. €35 for one book, down to €20 per book in larger packages, with no printing costs and no stock.

Looking at other options too? See the Lulu alternatives compared.

Lulu, Bowker, Amazon and Barnes & Noble are trademarks of their owners. ShelfPublisher is not affiliated with Lulu. Terms change: check the platform's pages before you decide.