Lulu

Publishing terms

Formats

Paperback, Hardcover, Coil bound, EPUB, PDF (Lulu Bookstore only)

Distribution

Lulu Bookstore, Amazon, Ingram (bookshop and library ordering), Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Scribd, Libri, Gardners

Territories

Worldwide through retail partners; prices set in USD, CAD, GBP, EUR and AUD

Exclusivity

Not requiredThe content licence in the Membership Agreement is non-exclusive and the author keeps ownership. The restriction runs the other way: Global Distribution will not take a title that is already listed on Amazon or any other retailer, so Lulu cannot be added as a second distributor for a book already on sale elsewhere. Global Distribution is also limited to print in Latin-character languages and ebooks in English, in EPUB.

ISBN

Free ISBN supplied: YesAccepts your own ISBN: YesAn ISBN is required for Global Distribution. The free Lulu ISBN is available only on distribution-eligible projects, and under the Lulu ISBN Agreement Lulu.com becomes publisher of record in every bibliographic feed and creator revenue on that ISBN is treated as a royalty reported to the IRS. With your own ISBN, your publisher name is listed and Lulu acts as a distribution agent. Projects sold only in the Lulu Bookstore need no ISBN.

Royalties

• 80%Print creator revenue80% of Gross Profit, which the terms define as the selling price less Lulu’s manufacturing cost and, for Global Distribution sales, the distribution fees. For retail sales the help centre puts the distribution fee at 50% of gross revenue and requires the list price to be at least twice the print cost; on the Lulu Bookstore there is no distribution fee. Lulu keeps the other 20% of Gross Profit.Print cost; for retail sales a 50% distribution fee; VAT in some channels.
• 90%Ebook creator revenue90% of Gross Profit — the selling price after the retailer’s share. Apple, Barnes & Noble and the Lulu Bookstore sell as agents at the price you set and take a commission; Amazon and Kobo buy at wholesale and may discount, but the creator revenue per copy stays as shown at the pricing step. Selecting Kobo or Kindle distribution moves Barnes & Noble to the reseller model too.

Fees

• Account and publishing — freeThe terms describe the platform as free-to-use tools for publishing, printing and distribution.
• Global Distribution review fee — $4.99 one-offCharged once, non-refundable, the first time a print book or ebook is submitted to Global Distribution (€4.99 / £4.99). Not charged on revisions. Introduced for ebooks on 15 February 2021.
• Retail distribution fee (print) — 50%50% of gross revenue goes to the distribution channel on print sold through Global Distribution, deducted before Gross Profit is calculated. Not charged on Lulu Bookstore sales.

Payment schedule

Under section 9 of the Membership Agreement (revised 8 October 2026): by electronic payment, monthly, by the end of the following month once the balance reaches $20 USD or the equivalent; by paper cheque in USD, quarterly, within 45 days of the quarter end once the balance reaches $75. Lulu may deduct payment processing fees, and a balance below the threshold on a payee dormant for 24 months may be forfeited. The help centre still states lower thresholds — $5 for PayPal and $20 for cheques — but predates the revised terms. Global Distribution sales are credited about 6–8 weeks after the customer buys.

Returns

Returns and refunds may be offset against creator revenue, and Lulu may recover amounts already paid that later prove improperly earned.