The imprint
With the free Lulu ISBN, Lulu is the imprint of your book for good. With ShelfPublisher it is the imprint of a publishing house with more than 1,000 titles.
Alternatives 2027
The best Lulu alternatives in 2027
Lulu prints and distributes your book, and with its free ISBN Lulu becomes the imprint. Here are the alternatives, compared by what decides how bookstores see your paperback.
The short answer: the Lulu alternative with a publisher behind your book is ShelfPublisher. Orbita Media GmbH, an international publishing house with more than 1,000 titles and 2 million books sold, publishes your paperback with an ISBN from its own block and lists it in the wholesale catalogs that more than 50,000 bookstores in 18 countries order from, Amazon included, for €20 to €35 per book. On Amazon KDP, Draft2Digital and Barnes & Noble Press, as on Lulu, you stay the self-publisher.
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Side by side
Lulu alternatives compared: publisher, ISBN, bookstores, cost
Paperback terms, as each platform publishes them. Scroll sideways on a phone.
| Alternative | Publisher of the book | ISBN | Where bookstores can order it | What it costs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ShelfPublisher | Orbita Media GmbH, an international publishing house with more than 1,000 titles | Included, from the publisher's own block, registered with complete metadata | Listed as a publisher's title in the wholesale catalogs that more than 50,000 bookstores in 18 countries order from, Amazon included | €20 to €35 per book, once; publisher, ISBN and listing included (pricing) |
| Amazon KDP | You; with a free KDP ISBN the imprint reads “Independently published” | Free KDP ISBN, usable only on KDP; your own costs 125 USD at Bowker (US) | Amazon; Expanded Distribution offers the paperback to distributors; KDP states that listing is up to the distributors and ordering up to each bookseller | Free to upload |
| Draft2Digital | You, under a publisher name of your choice | Free D2D ISBN, usable only with Draft2Digital; your own costs 125 USD at Bowker (US) | The stores you choose in your dashboard | 20 USD one-time activation fee; 12 USD a year if your books earn less than 100 USD a year |
| Barnes & Noble Press | You; with a free B&N Press ISBN the publisher shown is “Barnes & Noble Press” | Free for print, valid only at B&N Press; your own costs 125 USD at Bowker (US) | Barnes & Noble and BN.com | Free to upload; author copies ship only within the US, payments in USD |
For comparison, Lulu: with a free Lulu ISBN the imprint is Lulu and cannot be changed; Global Distribution to Amazon and other retailers for a one-time fee of 4.99 USD, after a proof copy has been bought and approved. As of 7 November 2026, taken from the platforms' own pages: Lulu Global Distribution: free ISBN, imprint and fee, Lulu basics: proof copy, KDP ISBN and imprint, KDP Expanded Distribution, Draft2Digital FAQ, B&N Press ISBN FAQ, B&N Press author copies, B&N Press payment currency, Bowker ISBN prices. The platforms calculate the author's share on different bases, so their percentages cannot be compared side by side. Terms change: check the platform before you decide. Lulu, Draft2Digital, Barnes & Noble Press and Bowker are trademarks of their owners; Amazon, Kindle Direct Publishing and KDP are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. ShelfPublisher is not affiliated with any of them.
Why authors look further
Three reasons authors look for a Lulu alternative
Each of them is about the same thing: who stands behind the book.
The ISBN
An ISBN of your own costs 125 USD at Bowker. With ShelfPublisher the ISBN comes from the publisher's block and is included.
The bookstore trade
Bookstores order from wholesale catalogs. ShelfPublisher lists your paperback there as a publisher's title, in 18 countries.
Switching from Lulu
What changes when you move a paperback from Lulu
Your book gets a publisher: Orbita Media GmbH publishes the paperback under its imprint, with a new ISBN from its own block, and lists it in the wholesale catalogs. You upload your finished interior PDF and cover, and our team checks both before release.
Outside Amazon the book is then distributed only through the publisher, so editions of the same paperback with other distribution services end within three months. Your own KDP edition on Amazon may stay.
- Lulu against ShelfPublisher, row by row: Lulu vs ShelfPublisher
- Five platforms in one table: Self-publishing platforms compared
- Every comparison: Compare platforms
Also with ShelfPublisher
What else comes with a publisher
Earn by recommending
Recommend ShelfPublisher and earn 10% of the book royalties of the authors you bring, on every statement, with no time limit. Their own royalties stay untouched; you join in the portal.
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One portal for every title
Status, quarterly sales statements, earnings and support tickets for each of your books in one place.
Bonuses and challenges
Weekly challenges, a league every season and a goal all authors reach together bring prizes: vouchers and Jokers. You redeem them at checkout as a discount on your next slots; with a subscription new bonuses arrive every week.
Book tracking in every subscription
Every subscription follows your books on Amazon: sales rank and stars every day, and an alert as soon as a 1- or 2-star review comes in.
Questions
Lulu alternatives, answered
What is the best alternative to Lulu for getting into bookstores?
If bookstores are the goal, ShelfPublisher: Orbita Media GmbH, an international publishing house with more than 1,000 titles, publishes your paperback, gives it an ISBN from its own block and lists it in the wholesale catalogs that more than 50,000 bookstores in 18 countries order from, Amazon included. On Lulu, KDP, Draft2Digital and B&N Press you publish the book yourself.
Who is the publisher of my book on Lulu?
With a free Lulu ISBN, Lulu is the imprint of your book, and Lulu states that this cannot be changed. With an ISBN of your own you are the publisher. With ShelfPublisher the publisher is Orbita Media GmbH.
Do Lulu alternatives cost money?
KDP and B&N Press are free to upload; Lulu charges a one-time 4.99 USD fee for Global Distribution and asks you to buy and approve a proof copy before retail distribution; Draft2Digital charges a 20 USD activation fee and 12 USD a year for accounts that earn less than 100 USD a year. ShelfPublisher costs €20 to €35 per book, once, with the publisher, the ISBN and the wholesale listing included.
My book is already on Amazon KDP. Can I publish it with you too?
Yes. Your own KDP edition, in print and on Kindle, may stay; switch off KDP Expanded Distribution for the book. It keeps its own ISBN, the free one from KDP or one of yours: the ISBN we allocate belongs to our edition only and may not be used on KDP or anywhere else. Editions with other services, such as another platform, distributor or wholesaler, end within 3 months after you start with us; if a contract binds you for longer, tell us. Name every current edition in your access request. We check each book before we promise anything.
Who owns the ISBN?
The ISBN comes from the block registered to Orbita Media as publisher, and it stays with Orbita Media. Under the ISBN standard an ISBN identifies the publisher of an edition, so it cannot move with the book.
It costs you nothing. If you publish the book elsewhere after the contract ends, the new edition needs a new ISBN. The article ISBN for self-published books explains why.
Is a publisher the same as a distributor?
No. The publisher decides to publish the book, gives it its ISBN and imprint, pays for production and carries the risk. A distributor or wholesaler makes the finished book available to retailers and libraries and ships it when they order. At ShelfPublisher, Orbita Media is the publisher; the distribution runs through the wholesale channels. More in Amazon KDP vs a traditional publisher.
Read on
Guides on self-publishing
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How long does it take to publish a book? Traditional: 2–4 years. Self-publishing: weeks once your files are ready. ISBN and print on demand explained.
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What is print on demand and how does it work for books?
Print on demand prints a book only when someone orders it, so there is no stock to buy. Here is how it works for books, what it earns and how to start.
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How to get a book published in 2026: every realistic path
How to get a book published in 2026: literary agents and traditional houses, small presses, hybrid, KDP and Draft2Digital, or a publishing imprint.
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