I'm mailing off the last pieces of the Lightning Source account application (documentation for income and sales tax purposes) today. I'd already completed the process online, a several-day effort, much more complicated and demanding than signing up for a Lulu.com or Createspace account. LS is in a different league.
Having completed the process, I now have the Secret Handshake that provides pricing information (per unit, per page, by book size and type). They hold that information pretty close to the vest, as LS is particular about who it signs up. Clients must have ISBNs in the publishing-company name and must verify that they can meet LS's requirements for digital files, and must provide a host of other information.
Now to experiment with a non-critical project (real, but relatively low-risk) to try out the process and make sure that my files are in fact right. I want that sort of project done and delivered before publishing a higher profile, higher stakes book. That is how I started with Lulu, albeit in that case with some throw-away projects of no consequence. Then step by step I improved my practices.
Experiential learning. It's a good thing.
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