Matt Briel - Lulu.com's Secret Weapon: Spiral Bound Publishing Success

The Publishing Performance Show

Matt Briel is the Vice President of Marketing and Sales at Lulu.com, one of the pioneers in print-on-demand publishing. With over 22 years of experience in self-publishing solutions, Lulu specializes in offering unique printing options including spiral binding and direct sales integration. In this episode, Matt shares insights into print-on-demand technology, spiral binding capabilities, and successful case studies of authors using these formats.
In this episode:

• Overview of Lulu.com's print-on-demand services
• Detailed explanation of spiral bound book production
• Limitations and possibilities with spiral binding
• Success stories and case studies
• Direct sales opportunities through Lulu
• Print-on-demand global distribution networks
• Tips for choosing the right binding format

Resources Mentioned:

• Lulu.com print-on-demand platform
• Lulu Shopify plugin for direct sales
• Global print network facilities (US, UK, France, Australia)
• Free downloadable interior files and templates
• Lulu cover creator tool
• WooCommerce and Wix integrations

Book recommendations:

• "Salem's Lot" by Stephen King
• "Write, Publish, Repeat" by Lynette Greenfield

Connect with Lulu:

• Website: https://www.lulu.com/
• Lulu.com Customer Service: https://help.lulu.com/en/support/tickets/new
• Direct Sales Plugins Available Through Lulu
• Shopify plugins: https://www.lulu.com/sell/sell-on-your-site/shopify
• Wix integration: https://www.lulu.com/sell/sell-on-your-site/wix
• WooCommerce integration: https://www.lulu.com/sell/sell-on-your-site/woocommerce

Connect with Teddy Smith:

• @teddyagsmith
• Website: https://publishingperformance.com/?ref=ywm3mtc
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• Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/company/publishing-performance/

Join our Facebook Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/publishingperformance/

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1. Matt Briel - Lulu.com's Secret Weapon: Spiral Bound Publishing Success (00:00:00)

2. Introduction to Lulu.com and its services (00:01:19)

3. Explanation of spiral bound distribution limitations (00:02:31)

4. Print-on-demand process for spiral bound books (00:06:06)

5. Best types of books for spiral binding (workbooks, cookbooks, etc.) (00:09:49)

6. Limitations on spiral bound books (page count and sizes) (00:13:14)

7. Pricing discussion for spiral bound books (00:16:35)

8. Case study: Audrey Huey's author planner success (00:18:09)

9. Case study: Cricut pattern guide success (00:19:29)

10. Analysis of successful spiral bound books (00:22:18)

11. Amazon distribution options and limitations (00:26:30)

12. Book recommendations and closing thoughts (00:32:10)