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Dogear's critique of Lulu was fairly accurate, Troy, except where rates were concerned. Some of their quotes were higher than what I paid, including the final cost, possibly because I took the cheapest package deal which was not as high as the the one Dogear listed. There was some slight disparities in their royalty figures, too. What I appreciated was that Lulu would negotiate prices. If I voiced a complaint or question which they considered reasonable, they would give me a 20 percent discount on the fee. Also, I am in total control of the price of the book and can go into my account and change it at any time from the amount I alone originally set. Another thing is, if I so choose, I can disengage myself from Lulu and re-print and reissue this book providing I design another cover and use different ISBN numbers. Lulu has the copyright of the book formatting and stock cover images but the book was already formatted when I submitted it and I have the original PDF files with different ISBN numbers and whose interior formatting is different from the one Lulu designed for their copyrighted version which was designed to jibe with different dimensions than the 5x8 book of my orginal file. Whatever. The representative Lulu assigned to me was very patient, sympathetic and eager to please. I told her a little about myself, and I really think she took a personal interest in the project because of my being a senior citizen. Personally, I think self-publishing is a risky venture. It's great for the ego but for the pocketbook, - not so much. I can see why people sell books out of the trunk of their cars. This involves your going to the customer instead of the customer coming to you. If a person has a book in their hands and the price is right, they're far more likely to buy it than if they have to order it online. Very few in the general population voluntarily buy a book. The whole self-publishing endeavor calls for a lot of hard work, and hustle. No self published author I know has ever quit their day job. LOL

Thanks,Troy and Chris for all the info. I appreciate it and I hope others learn from my mistakes. I'm just kicking myself for not going with Amazon-based Create-A-Space instead of Lulu which several people recommended to me. But hindsight is 20-20 and unprofitable so do not indebt yourself, Troy! I'm just grateful for your moral support, and the free exposure you give me on this site. Because writing and self-publishing books was something I took up in my retirement years, I considered them more of a hobby than a profession. I've never envisioned writing a blockbuster best seller because I realized how slim the chances of this happening were in this crowded competitive field. Y'all can either find this funny or pathetic, but in the past the local libraries have always been very cooperative in accepting free copies of my self-published books which they would place on their book shelves. My home town library even set up a little display showcasing me as a local author. This was back in the '90s when I just had short-run copies of my other 2 books printed up and sold them on my own at various venues and book parties. Black book stores were still viable back then and I would also leave a few copies with them. It's a whole new ball game now, of course, but I will again do the library thing because being on a library shelf puts me in good company and ensures a modicum of longevity. Writers write because that is their passion. Having what they write be read, is icing on the cake. If I have to settle for crumbs, that's life.