Lulu reviews (2026): what authors praise and complain about
Lulu is a real, long-running self-service printing and publishing platform, and it is well rated: 4.4 out of 5 (Excellent) from 6,488 reviews on Trustpilot, and A+ rated and accredited on the Better Business Bureau since 2003, which lists 28 complaints in 3 years (12 in the last 12 months), all answered or resolved. Trustpilot shows a claimed profile on a paid subscription that asks customers to review, and says Lulu replied to 93% of negative reviews, typically within a week. 903 reviews in the last 12 months. Below are the rating, what authors praise, what some authors report (19 one- to three-star Trustpilot reviews we logged, with dates and links), and what to ask before you use any platform or publisher.
The overall rating, on the day we read it
Trustpilot
4.4 out of 5 · “Excellent” · 6,488 reviews on Trustpilot
Read on 16 October 2026. We read the 10 most recent four- and five-star reviews and the 20 most recent one- to three-star reviews (19 logged; one is about a different company): 8 × 5★, 2 × 4★, 5 × 3★, 4 × 2★, 11 × 1★.
Trustpilot shows a claimed profile on a paid subscription that asks customers to review, and says Lulu replied to 93% of negative reviews, typically within a week. 903 reviews in the last 12 months.
What authors praise
For some authors it works. Reviewers report:
- A reviewer calls Lulu an excellent platform for creators and self-published authors — “Lulu is an excellent platform for creators, writers, and self-published authors.” (5★, October 2026, Trustpilot)
- A first international order was delivered smoothly — “the delivery process went very smoothly!” (5★, October 2026, Trustpilot)
- Found easy to use and reasonably priced — “I found it to be very easy to use and a reasonable price.” (5★, October 2026, Trustpilot)
- A problem was answered immediately and solved quickly — “Immediate response and problem solved quickly.” (5★, October 2026, Trustpilot)
- A reviewer rates the price and print quality highly — “they offer the best price and the most superior quality book!” (5★, October 2026, Trustpilot)
- Lulu is described as an important service for independent publishers, though full-wrap cover specs are hard to get right — “Lulu provides an important service to independent publishers.” (4★, October 2026, Trustpilot)
- After a delay and a cancelled order, the reviewer felt Lulu showed it cared — “they did finally show they care.” (4★, October 2026, Trustpilot)
- Print and binding praised on a hardcover art book — “The print and binding quality are excellent.” (5★, October 2026, Trustpilot)
- Prints judged better than ordering through Amazon — “they were much better quality than ordering through Amazon.” (5★, October 2026, Trustpilot)
- A customer since 2018 rates print quality top tier but finds the cover guide inaccurate — “The quality of the prints is always top tier” (5★, October 2026, Trustpilot)
We logged 10 four- and five-star Trustpilot reviews from the 10 most recent.
What authors complain about
Reviewers report the following, counted from the 19 Trustpilot reviews we logged: 14 of its 15 one- and two-star reviews, plus its 5 3-star reviews. The one left out describes a grocery order from a different company, not Lulu. Each line links to the source.
Print and proof errors (5 reviews)
- Cropped pages and ink marks, with a ten-day print time — “sometimes the page is slanted” (2★, October 2026, Trustpilot)
- A 13-year seller reports pages stuck together and ripped when opened — “pages stuck together, ripped when opened” (1★, September 2026, Trustpilot)
- Pages of the book were stuck together — “The pages of my book are stuck together.” (1★, September 2026, Trustpilot)
- A proof was misaligned and a refund declined; a third proof was fine — “The printing machine wasn't properly aligned.” (3★, August 2026, Trustpilot)
- The paper was not what the reviewer expected, with a shipping carrier complaint — “The paper wasnt like normal.” (3★, July 2026, Trustpilot)
Service after the sale (3 reviews)
- A cancellation request was ignored, orders shipped and a refund was refused — “If nothing ever goes wrong, Lulu is fine.” (2★, October 2026, Trustpilot)
- Paper quality is praised but support is called non-existent, and the author says the account was closed — “High-grade paper quality doesn't make up for non-existent customer support.” (1★, September 2026, Trustpilot)
- A support ticket about a PDF bundled in a bookstore listing was closed automatically — “the ticket was instantly automatically closed with no help at all.” (1★, September 2026, Trustpilot)
Royalties and sales reporting (3 reviews)
- Royalties take months to be paid; Lulu replied about when retail sales post — “when you do earn it, it's months before you see any payment” (1★, August 2026, Trustpilot)
- The author says Lulu refuses to pay a $55.99 balance — “lulu refuses to pay me my $55.99 balance” (1★, August 2026, Trustpilot)
- A sale never appeared in the author's listing, in an otherwise positive review — “never see the sale listed” (3★, July 2026, Trustpilot)
Hidden or surprise charges (2 reviews)
- The author reports being charged three times for global distribution across twelve versions — “I was charged three times for global distribution.” (2★, July 2026, Trustpilot)
- A new proof is required after every revision, so the author will not publish again here — “My next publication will definitely not be on this site.” (1★, June 2026, Trustpilot)
Rights, ISBN and leaving (2 reviews)
- The author says a project was distributed on Amazon without authorisation — “I never authorized the distribution of one of my projects on Amazon.” (1★, August 2026, Trustpilot)
- A withdrawn book is still on sale on Amazon — “the book is still available for purchase on Amazon” (1★, August 2026, Trustpilot)
Timeline and delays (2 reviews)
- Eight weeks of delay, and a new proof was needed after a support-led fix — “this has been an extremely frustrating experience.” (1★, September 2026, Trustpilot)
- A book has not appeared in the Lulu bookstore — “My book has not appeared in the Lulu bookstore, which is disappointing.” (3★, August 2026, Trustpilot)
Editing quality (1 review)
- No designer on staff checks files before printing — “There’s no designer on staff to check files before they go to print.” (2★, September 2026, Trustpilot)
Other or unclear (1 review)
- The author asks for a back-of-book blurb template; Lulu replied that a cover tool exists — “you do not offer a template for a back of book blurb” (3★, August 2026, Trustpilot)
Questions to ask any publisher before you sign
- Is this a platform you run yourself, or a service that does the work for you? Ask exactly what you must do and what the company does.
- Is there a fee, a new proof or a new review each time you change a file, and what does global distribution cost per title and per revision?
- Do you approve a printed proof before it goes on sale, and what happens if the printed book does not match it?
- How do you reach a person when something goes wrong: a phone line, live chat or a ticket form, and what is the usual wait?
- Where will your book be listed, who decides, and what happens to the listings if you withdraw it?
- How are you paid, how often and after what delay, and where can you see each sale yourself?
- Who checks your files before printing, and who pays if a printing fault was not yours?
- Who owns the account and the ISBN, and what does it take to move a title later?
How we handle each of these
We are a competing publisher, so weigh this accordingly. These are the points above where our own pages already say what we do:
- Royalties and sales reporting. You publish on your own Amazon KDP account, so Amazon reports and pays you directly, and you can check every sale yourself. Our packages: 100% royalties and all rights stay with you
- Print and proof errors. You approve everything before anything is printed, and nothing is reprinted without your written authorisation. How payment works, on our cost page
- If printed copies arrive damaged or defective. If printed copies arrive damaged or defective because of our error, we reprint or replace the affected copies at no additional cost. Our refund policy says exactly when, and what is not covered. Our refund policy
- Hidden or surprise charges. Our prices are fixed. We don't run discounts or 'today only' offers, and the prices of our packages are listed before you talk to anyone. Our packages and their prices
How this was researched
- We read the reviews of Lulu on Trustpilot on 16 October 2026, and logged each review we used: its stars, its date and a theme, with a short paraphrase in our own words.
- A quotation, where we use one, is under 15 words, in quotation marks and linked. We do not edit reviews, write them, or ask for them to be written.
- Sources read so far: Trustpilot. We will add others and update this page, and the date above.
- We describe what reviewers report; we do not claim it is true of every author, and we have not tested the company's service ourselves.
If anything here is out of date, tell us and we'll correct it.
Frequently asked questions
Is Lulu legit?
Yes, it is a real company with a long public record. On Trustpilot it shows 4.4 out of 5 from 6,488 reviews on a claimed profile that invites customers to review. The BBB lists it as A+ rated and accredited since 2003, with 28 complaints in 3 years. Both were read on 16 October 2026. Some authors report problems, listed on this page with dates and links.
What do authors praise about Lulu?
Of the 10 four- and five-star Trustpilot reviews we logged, authors praise print and binding quality, ease of use, price, fast shipping and quick answers from support. Several say the prints are better than ordering through Amazon.
What do the unhappy authors complain about?
Among the 19 one- to three-star Trustpilot reviews we logged, the themes reviewers report most are print and proof errors (5), service after the sale (3), royalties and sales reporting (3). They describe pages stuck together or misaligned, a new proof and fee for each revised version, books appearing on Amazon unexpectedly and late royalty payments, and support that works by ticket. On the BBB, the recent complaints we read cover distribution fees, paper stock that differed from the approved proofs and royalty records.
Is Lulu a publisher?
Lulu is a self-service platform: you prepare and upload the files and the company prints and distributes them. It does not edit, design or manage the book for you unless you buy a separate service, which is why many reviews are about files, proofs and distribution settings.
How is Harmony Publishing different?
We are a competing publisher, so weigh this accordingly. What we can point to: you publish on your own Amazon KDP account and keep 100% of your royalties and rights, you approve everything before it is printed, our prices are fixed and listed before you talk to anyone, and our refund policy is in writing before you pay. Each is linked on this page.