Lulu vs KDP Print | Self Published Book Unboxing

About this video

In his Self-Published Book Unboxing series, Dale compares Lulu versus KDP Print on quality and delivery, judging the platforms, not the books. The Lulu copy of Jay Hamilton’s book arrived in five days; he praises Lulu’s glossy cover, white interior, print and cut as head and shoulders above other print-on-demand platforms he has tested. Both KDP Print copies were about 6×9 and ordered at the same time, with opposite outcomes: Tony Jacobsen’s book took 16 days to arrive but came in mint condition with quality he calls excellent, while Mark Brown’s book — ordered from the US site by an author in the UK — arrived in just four days, the fastest in the series, but damaged, with a bent binding and folded pages. All three shipped in bubble-wrap envelopes, which he condemns as inadequate for new books; he advises reporting damaged Amazon products to Amazon directly for replacement rather than complaining to creators. His verdict: Lulu wins on delivery speed, shipping consistency and quality, because KDP forced a trade-off — the fast delivery was the damaged one, the pristine one took sixteen days — while he has yet to receive a damaged book from Lulu.

Key takeaways

• In his tests Lulu delivered in 5 days with consistently top print quality
• KDP Print delivery was erratic: 4 days but damaged, or 16 days and pristine
• Bubble-wrap mailers are the weak link for all print-on-demand platforms tested
• Report damaged books to Amazon for replacement — creators cannot fix fulfilment
• Judge POD platforms on fulfilment consistency, not best-case quality

Episode details: published December 1, 2018 · 7:48 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Business results and any income figures mentioned are Dale L. Roberts’s own claims, shared for education — they are not typical or guaranteed.

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