First of all, you have to become a member of Lulu.com. That is relatively easy and self-explanatory.

Lulu.com has many pages with suggestions on how to format your book right. I suggest you read them, before you upload, as things can be tricky with formatting. As you go along, through the publishing process, you will note that when you go to upload something, Lulu.com gives you advice as to file types, size of graphics, etc. that are acceptable. If your file is not up to those standards, simply save your project, fix things, and log in again. You can go back, delete and start from scratch, or, usually, just move on from where you left off.

At this current time, Published by Lulu.com is a free service. You have to pay for other choices, and it is up to you to determine the best one for your needs. This is the basic process, regardless of what you choose.

First, you must write the story, and/or get your graphics ready. Lulu.com has templates to help you with sizing your book, it has a guide to help you decide on sizing by showing you what prices would be like for the different sizing (and with suggestions as to what sort of books go best in the different sizes, to some extent).

You choose the template and download it, then place your graphics and text within the template. Or, look up the proper dimensions and alter the page settings to match them. Save as RTF or DOC files, as they work best. If you have the capability to do so, it is helpful to save as PDF file for uploading. It means that you can choose your own fonts and you do not have to worry about embedding them.

When you feel it is ready, you go into ‘My Lulu’ on your account, select to publish a book (there will be a similarly named link, usually to the left) . From there, they will have you choose the size of book, binding type, and upload the file. You can preview it, to see if it looks alright.

You do not have to pay for editing services, if you do not want to. You can elect not tp use them, relying on your own judgment, as well as the help of family, friends, or the wonderful literary groups of Red Bubble. But, editing, formatting, and advertising services are there for those who can afford them, and wish to utilize outside help.

I did say it was the basics. I am not here to answer in depth questions, because Lulu.com has thoughtfully provided pages and pages of information, and, really, once you get used to the site, much of it is fairly self-explanatory.

If you are interested in self publishing, for your own personal, for gift giving, or with an eye to making onto the best seller list, Lulu.com is a nice place to spread your wings, as it were. Cafe Press is another good site. You can find either by Googling them up.