I have had feedback from two of the contributors to THE PORTABLE PIKE & SHOT WARGAME book, and I have made the necessary changes to the draft text. Whilst waiting for the final feedback to arrive, I thought that I’d begin to design the various editions of the book.
That is when my problems began.
Previously, the process used by Lulu.com was slow but I understood the logic behind it. Now it is tedious and pedantic ... and distinctly un-user-friendly. I seem unable to set out the cover the way I want it to look, and when I make a change to the design, it either refuses to let me see the changes I’ve made or flatly refuses to implement the changes.
Furthermore, when I think that I can move on to the next stage of the process, I get an error message to the effect that I’ve missed out or not completed an earlier stage, and cannot go on until I’ve dealt with my omission ... even though I cannot work out what I’ve missed!
Part of the problem seems to be to do with the mechanism that calculates the cost of printing a book. I select the book's size (e.g. A5, US Trade), whether I want it to be printed in black & white or colour, and the type of binding (e.g. hardback, paperback) I want to use ... and then a little animated circle goes round and round for a time ... then it stops ... and nothing has been calculated. This then either blocks further progress or allows me to carry on adding more information about the book ... but then an error message appears and it sends me back to where I started!
The obvious course of action is to walk away from the problem, and to find another self publisher ... but I am rather pig-headed and stubborn, and don't like getting beaten by a piece of software. Luckily, I currently have free time to try to solve this situation (it's one positive aspect of the lockdown!) and I'm going to persist until I throw the PC out of the window!
Bob,
ReplyDeleteHow frustrating and annoying for you! Might Lulu serve as “Better the devil you know” rather than trying somewhere else? I do hope you get this sorted out soon.
Tradgardmastare,
DeleteI’ve had an online discussion with someone who recommended Lulu.com to me when I started out, and they have switched over to Amazon’s KPD self publishing system. They became so frustrated with Lulu.com that they had to change if they were going to continue publishing books ... and they have recommended that I do the same.
It’s certainly going to be my fallback if I cannot sort out my problems with Lulu.com.
All the best,
Bob
Whilst throwing the PC out the window will be a good stress reliever, please remember that it will be an even bigger blow to your wallet than throwing an irritating book against the wall before recalling that you are reading on a Kindle.
ReplyDeleteI admire perseverance but at times updated software simply doesn't work and you have to accept that there are no workarounds, nothing clever you can do and you have to break up with an old friend. Of course, you know this as well as I, but one really does not want to accept defeat.
Mike Hall,
DeleteDefenestration strikes me as being an excellent way to vent my frustrations ... and isn't that why my PC's operating system is called Windows? ;^)
It strikes me that someone at Lulu.com 'caught' the 'let's improved our software so that we can charge users more' bug ... and quite literally b*gg*ered up a perfectly serviceable system by 'upgrading it'. I'm going to persist with Lulu.com until the last of my contributors had given me their feedback and changes, and if the problem isn't solved by then, I'm going to try using KPD. It means that I'll only be able to offer paperback and Kindle editions of my books, but that is better than having no book at all!
All the best,
Bob
Remember to open the window before throwing the computer....
ReplyDeleteI get annoyed when I think I'm restarting some scratch only to find out that my computer or the site, have secretly remembered my previous choices.
Ross Mac,
DeleteOpening the window first sounds like a very good idea ...
In actual fact, the software seems to have remembered things I want to change and forgotten things that I want to keep as they were. Its making a frustrating situation even worse!
All the best,
Bob
It sounds like the Lulu software has got dementia.
DeleteNundanket,
DeleteIt might not have dementia ... but it is making me think that I may be developing it!
All the best,
Bob
Hmmm, I hate updates to 'stuff' that was perfectly fine before. For example the latest Windows 10 update that requires at least 10GB of storage to instal, when before it replaced the old one as it went along. Then having sorted it out and after 5 hours of updating, only to find out it couldn't instal some stuff:(! Luckily it's not me or my computer that's the problem but Microsoft once again.
ReplyDeleteSo good luck with persevering with LuLu and hope you can get it sorted without too much stress.
Steve J.,
DeleteThe latest Windows 10 update seems to have caused problems for lots of users, with the update taking hours ... and then not working properly, often with software you frequently use.
I'll keep trying to use Lulu.com ... but once my patience is stretched too far, I'll be looking to go elsewhere.
All the best,
Bob
It will be a shame not to be able to have a hardback copy. But given my recent technical woes and frustrations, I can fully relate.
ReplyDeleteSteve8,
DeleteI would have liked to produce a hardback edition, but until I can either sort out my problems with Lulu.com or Amazon add hardbacks to the range of books their system can produce, I don’t have a lot of choice. The technology rules the roost, not its users!
All the best,
Bob
Bob,
ReplyDeleteAs someone new to your rules, to say I'm thrilled to see you taking a stab at the English Civil War pleases me greatly. Sad to hear you're having trouble with Lulu. It's not software I'm familiar with, I can only see benefits to you working with Amazon as surely theirs will be much easier to use?
Regardless, I hope it's published soon as I've got 2 forces of Irregulars 2mm ready to go. I'll be using my slight conversion of not using the squared based rules you provide. It's going to be an early Christmas present from me to me.
Regards,
Steven
Unknown (Steven),
DeleteI won’t go on about the ‘new’ version of the Lulu.com software other than to say that in an attempt to make things easier for casual or one-off users, they’ve made it much more difficult for people like me who want to publish a series of similar books.
Setting up an Amazon KDP account does involve me dealing with the United States IRS, but other than that, it seems relatively simple.
Good luck with your current project ... and hopefully the book will be on sale well before Christmas.
All the best,
Bob
Hi Bob,
ReplyDeleteSometimes when the Computer and Internet doesn't do what we want it to do- to the point of absolute frustration- it is best to switch off -walk away and do something else for the day...then return refreshed and see things in a new light....failing this- phone up an IT Specialist (Which I have done in the past). Hope your problems clear up Bob. Cheers. KEV.
Kev Robertson (Kev),
DeleteI’ve done everything that you suggest - including contacting Lulu.com’s so-called ‘Support’ line - but I still cannot get anywhere. As a result, I’m looking at switching over to Amazon’s KDP system instead. It seems work in a very similar way to Lulu.com’s previous software, and I don’t think that it will present me with too many problems if I use it.
All the best,
Bob
Hi Bob -
ReplyDeleteHow often does one find that the machine's arm-round-the-shoulder user friendliness makes you want to give it a got swift kick in the peripherals? As if one can not decide for oneself, or is completely lacking in agency. It's like those reeeeeelly helpful people who offer to help with a chore one's just about finished, or would as lief do oneself anyhow. Teeth-gnashingly irritating.
It's sad that Lulu sought to 'fix' a system that wasn't actually broken. I've had good service from Lulu so far, so it has become my preferred source of books. I do hope your 17th Century book does 'work' with Lulu, for it will be on my very short 'to buy' list.
By the way, are you doing it in colour?
Cheers,
Ion
Archduke Piccolo (Ion),
DeleteI positively HATE the supposedly ‘helpful’ ways in which some software tries to railroad users into doing things one way. I know that a large number of users don’t see this as a problem, but I’d rather decide which font and font size, page layout, etc., I want to use and not have someone else’s choices imposed on me.
I have yet to understand why Lulu.com chose to upgrade its software the way it did. One thing that is really bugging me is that it assumes that you only want to produce a paperback or hardback, in colour or in black & white ... and not if different combinations such as a colour paperback and a black & white hardback. (I want to produce at least one colour edition of the book ... if I’m allowed to!)
All the best,
Bob