Lulu

Considering my friend Minoru turned me on to Lulu, I figured I should mention it. Lulu is an online organization that allows you to publish your own books. I love this idea! While it can seem very egocentric and self-centered to want to publish your own book, I think it gives the artist in all of us a place to get our ideas and work out there. If not, it gives you a chance to be a producer of culture and not just a consumer. As mentioned on a previous post, this IS the Long Tail. And, I think Lulu has a great way to entice “consumers”:

Publish and sell easily within minutes.
No set-up fees. No minimum order.
Keep control of the rights.
Set your own price.
Each product is printed as it is ordered.
No excess inventory.

I guess this might seem like an advertisement, but I feel very strongly about what they are doing. It puts the power of the “press” in the hands of everybody.