A publishing house as publisher
Orbita Media GmbH, with more than 1,000 titles and 2 million books sold, is the publisher of your paperback instead of a print service imprint.
Comparison 2027
Lulu vs ShelfPublisher
Both print your paperback on demand. The difference is whose imprint it carries and how the bookstore trade can order it.
The short answer: on Lulu you publish the book yourself, and with the free Lulu ISBN Lulu is the imprint for good. With 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.
Invitation only · Our publishing team reviews every request personally
Row by row
Lulu vs ShelfPublisher for your paperback
What you get
Lulu
ShelfPublisher
Publisher of the book
You; with a free Lulu ISBN the imprint is Lulu
Orbita Media GmbH, an international publishing house with more than 1,000 titles
Imprint later
With the free Lulu ISBN the imprint is Lulu and cannot be changed
The imprint of the publishing house, from the first day
ISBN
Free for Global Distribution, with Lulu as imprint; your own costs 125 USD at Bowker (US)
Included, from the publisher's own block, registered with complete metadata
Where bookstores can order it
Lulu Bookstore; Global Distribution to Amazon and other retailers
Listed as a publisher's title in the wholesale catalogs that more than 50,000 bookstores in 18 countries order from, Amazon included
Before the book reaches retail
A proof copy must be bought and approved; after changes to cover or interior, a new one
No copy to buy: interior and cover are checked by our system and, whenever anything is doubtful, by a person on our team
What it costs
Free to upload; 4.99 USD one-time fee for Global Distribution; a proof copy must be bought and approved before retail distribution
€20 to €35 per book, once; publisher, ISBN and listing included (pricing)
As of 7 November 2026, from Lulu's own pages: Lulu Global Distribution: free ISBN, imprint and fee, Lulu basics: proof copy, Bowker ISBN prices. The two 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 and Bowker are trademarks of their owners. ShelfPublisher is not affiliated with Lulu.
What a publisher adds
What changes for your paperback
An ISBN you do not buy
The ISBN comes from the publisher's own block, with complete metadata reported by the publisher.
Where bookstores order
Listed in the wholesale catalogs that more than 50,000 bookstores in 18 countries order from, Amazon included.
Checked before release
Interior and cover are checked automatically, and a person on our team decides whenever anything is doubtful.
Read on
More ways to compare
Looking at more than one platform? The alternatives page puts Lulu next to Amazon KDP, Draft2Digital and Barnes & Noble Press, each with its imprint, ISBN, bookstore reach and real cost.
- Four alternatives in one table: Lulu alternatives
- How a book gets into bookstores: Get your book into bookstores
- 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.
A subscription for series
Publishing every month? A subscription gives you a fixed number of slots each month, cheaper per book than single slots (pricing).
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 vs ShelfPublisher, answered
What is the difference between Lulu and ShelfPublisher?
Lulu is a self-publishing and print service: with its free ISBN, Lulu is the imprint of your book. ShelfPublisher is the author platform of Orbita Media GmbH, an international publishing house with more than 1,000 titles: the publishing house 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.
Can I change the imprint of a Lulu book later?
Lulu states that a book published with a free Lulu ISBN carries Lulu as imprint and that this cannot be changed. A new edition with a new ISBN gets a new publisher: with ShelfPublisher that is Orbita Media GmbH.
Is ShelfPublisher more expensive than Lulu?
Lulu is free to upload, charges a one-time 4.99 USD fee for Global Distribution and asks you to buy and approve a proof copy before retail distribution; an ISBN of your own costs 125 USD at Bowker. ShelfPublisher costs €20 to €35 per book, once, with the publisher, the ISBN and the listing in the wholesale catalogs included, and no printing costs or stock.
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.
Read on
Guides on self-publishing
How long does it take to publish a book?
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.
Read the article
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.
Read the article
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.
Read the articleWant a publisher behind your paperback?
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