Lulu

Lulu launched in 2002 and has spent over two decades building a print-on-demand publishing platform aimed at independent authors rather than traditional publishing houses. Every format from paperback novels to hardcover photo books, calendars, and comics gets printed only once a copy is actually ordered, so there's no print run to fund and no unsold stock sitting in a garage. Authors set their own retail price on top of Lulu's printing cost and keep the difference, with royalties paid out regularly rather than on a quarterly publishing-industry schedule.

Distribution options extend beyond Lulu's own storefront, books can be pushed into wider retail channels including major online retailers, which matters for an author who wants shelf presence beyond a single website. Print quality is solid for standard trade paperbacks and hardcovers, and the platform handles ISBN assignment for authors who don't already have one. It's a dependable starting point for a first-time self-publisher who wants a straightforward path from manuscript to a physical book they can actually sell.