Yes, I'm one of those people that sits in bookstores all day and flips through magazines and occasionally books, and only purchases stuff about half the time. That's the beauty of having a cafe in the bookstore, right? For folks like me. Well, just like Borders teamed up with Seattle's Best for luring solicitors into buying the premium stuff while they sit and read all day, Borders is now teaming up with self-publishing tool Lulu to extend its services to customers that would like to create their own book. Get it here.
[img src="" caption="" credit="" alt=""]There are a few options being offered as a result of this partnership, but they all involve the ability to sell one's own book through Borders' distribution channels. If you'd like an all-out author package and you're trying to make money, then the Premium service will get your books professionally edited and designed, put on the shelves of Borders bookstores, and eligible for Borders' in-store programs (like readings). The Standard package can still get your book on Borders shelves, but without the perks, and a Basic offering gets you an ISBN number so the book can merely be purchased online. Prices range from $50 to $500, which still seem rather reasonable.
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An interesting initiative that's going along with this new service is a Digital Kiosk that will be placed inside Borders stores, which will allow people to get the ball rolling with their self-published works. Right now, the test Digital Center is in Ann Arbor, MI, and more will come to 13 additional concept stores before being offered nationwide. What's interesting about this is that Borders decided to go with Lulu instead of creating the entire system on its own.