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(8)
karenwiesner

Customization in arranging books in a specific order needed on new "spotlight" storefronts

Status: Scheduled for Release
by karenwiesner on ‎08-30-2011 03:50

With the old storefronts, we could put all the books on
the page in the order we want them. Now we don't have that option with the new
storefront. I write a lot of series' and I want all my series books to be
listed together. Can't you put that option back? I really don't like that these
just come up my rating or relevance (whatever that means), whatever. I
preferred to choose how they come up. The new spotlight pages are very
inflexible...although I admit I like it better than the old. I just wish it was
more customizable.

 Karen Wiesner

Status: Scheduled for Release
This functionality is currently scheduled for release mid-summer 2014.
(4)
bruceb@ohio.edu

Would Like a One-Page Storefront

Status: Considering
by bruceb@ohio.edu on ‎09-28-2011 05:58

My Author Spotlight has 25 pages, and I doubt if anyone, including me, is willing to click through 25 pages. 

How about adding an option of "List All Books" to the sorting options of "Relevance," etc.?

All the book would come up on one page, preferably in an order that the author or publisher specifies.

In other words, it would be like the one-page Storefront I had before Lulu changed things.

David Bruce

Status: Considering
Hi David, thanks for the suggestion. Designing a better solution for authors with a large number of books is certainly a good idea, and one we'll consider for the future. Thanks for using Lulu!
(3)
benziger

Tabs for a lot of books

Status: Considering
by on ‎11-08-2011 08:51

Following David Woodward, I post this suggestion also here. It was posted in an other discussion and had 8 kudos there.

tabs.jpg- I would like have tabs. So, my (and lulu's) client can find easyly the books. 

-- First standard tab would be "New" (Nouveautés, Neuheiten): max one page, the newest ones.

-- A second standard tab would be "Bestsellers": all books sold at least for one time, the most wanted on the top.

-- I can tag my existing and new books with up to five tags. This tags appears as Tabs. If I am a publisher, such a tab can be the name of an author with some books or for different series, ... . Or as an author I write novels and children books. ....

This suggestion is important for everyone who has more books on Lulu as appears on one page.

Status: Considering
Hi Benziger, thanks for your suggestion. I don't know if Tabs are the correct solution, but what you've identified is the need for us to allow you to separate books into different categories. This is an excellent idea and one we'll consider for the future. Thanks for using Lulu!
Labels:
bruceb@ohio.edu

Listing of All Books with Links

Status: Heard this before
by bruceb@ohio.edu on ‎11-05-2011 08:25

As part of the spotlight, could Lulu allow a listing of all book titles, perhaps under the author profile. The listing would be in any order the author or publisher prefers, thus allowing books to be listed under the name of a series. Along with each book title would be links to print, pdf, or ePub--whatever format(s) the book is available in. That way, the customer can scan the list of titles, then click on a series title or book title and the relevant book(s) would appear in the spotlight. That would keep customers from having to keep on clicking on page after page for those authors or publishers who have many books for sale. Right now, the spotlight is good for authors who have very few books for sale, but bad for authors/publishers who have many books for sale.

 

David Bruce

Status: Heard this before
(1)
kwyldeck

Simplify the New Author's Spotlight Page

Status: Heard this before
by kwyldeck on ‎11-03-2011 06:44

The old Storefront page was so clear and simple - one cover picture per book title with print or download options to click on. The new Spotlight page is terrible, especially if you have more than one book for sale. I have thirteen book titles, and now that they are available as print, EPUB and EPDF, instead of having one page with my different titles clearly shown with their different formats on one page, I now have five pages, with the different formats of my books spread out all over the place. My Spotlight page is totally confusing, and if I were a customer thinking of buying one of my books, I think I'd give up just trying to sort through all the mess. Lulu will sell fewer books unless they simplify the Spotlight page, and make the format like the old Storefront page which worked perfectly. Why should something that worked be changed into something that doesn't? That's not progress.

Status: Heard this before
kwyldeck, thanks for your note. Many other authors have shared the same sentiments about Author Spotlight as you, and we'll be working to make some of these improvements in the future. Thanks for using Lulu!
(3)
benziger

Image banner as title

Status: Filed
by on ‎11-08-2011 08:47

Following David Woodward, I post this suggestion also here. It was posted in an other discussion and had 5 kudos there.

- It should be possible to replace the Name by apicture (image banner) with the compnay name (The text can still be behind for search engine and if the picture is not loaded) .image_banner.jpg

Status: Filed
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(3)
evilmalady

Paper with an old age look?

Status: Filed
by evilmalady on ‎08-13-2011 02:23

I would love to publish my novel on paper that has the look of an old manuscript in certain parts of the paperback or hardback. Paper gradients (dog-eared, worn, tattered) would give us a nice option to push our ideas further and creatively. A slight discoloration or choice in colored paper would also be exciting to work with. Thanks for your service!

Status: Filed
Hi evilmalady, thanks for the suggestion. When we receive enough demand for a specific paper type, its certainly something we'll consider for the future. Thanks for using Lulu!
thelogicianbooks

Author Spotlight

Status: Heard this before
by thelogicianbooks on ‎08-07-2011 12:36

Please make it possible to for us sort the books on display in our new Author's Spotlight book store individually.

I have many books, of different importance in my eyes, and I want to sort them as I see fit, as I did before in the Storefront model.

Thanks!

Status: Heard this before
Hi there, thanks for your suggestion. This is certainly a great idea, and one we've heard from other Lulu authors before. We'll definitely consider it for the future. Thanks for using Lulu!
(1)
rg

Books with CD

Status: Filed
by rg on ‎02-05-2011 02:47

Please develop an option of a book (in the various sizes) with a CD/DVD in an envelope on the inside back cover. It seems to be quite popular judging by the number of them that are available in brick and mortar outlets.

Status: Filed
orfordpiece

Allowing Cover Design Wizard to be run independently

Status: Filed
by orfordpiece on ‎06-05-2011 12:05

Is it possible to allow users to run the Cover Design Wizard independently of starting a new project?

I would like to create a new cover but don't want to go through the whole process of editing or starting a new project first.

Status: Filed
Hi orfordpiece, thanks for your suggestion. Offering our cover wizard independent from the wizard is a not a direction we wish to go, but we may consider in the future making it easier to access. Thanks for using Lulu!
Nohoarii

Add flag counter to author's spotlight

Status: Considering
by on ‎05-28-2011 01:43

I would like to be able to add a flag counter to my spotlight. On the old storefront I had added a flag counter so I could keep track of how many people visited my page and from what country. This useful facility is not available on the author's spotlight as there is no means of pasting the counter code and no access to the source code.

Status: Considering
Hi, thanks for the suggestion. Tracking how many visitors come from different countries is an excellent idea, and one we'll consider for the future. Thanks for using Lulu!
Em_Press

e-Book Section

Status: We Did It!
by on ‎05-12-2011 09:36

I recommend making a  Section/Forum just for ebooks as the formatting and issues entailed are entirely different from that of print books.

Thanks,

Maggie

Status: We Did It!

Thanks for the great idea Maggie!

eBook Formatting

(3)
kevinlomas

Educate!

Status: Scheduled for Release
by on ‎11-21-2011 10:25

Many who come to Lulu have no idea of what Lulu do, what they use to do it, and what the subsriber/creator has to do on their part.

Can we not have an easy to navigate to 'Educational' area full of things such as >>>

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q946sfGLxm4

And this >>   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Print_on_demand

And even make this area plainer >>   http://connect.lulu.com/t5/Discuss/tkbc-p/forums_kb

(Amazes me how people miss that, but they do!)

Status: Scheduled for Release
We are in the process of redesigning our website to include an entire page dedicated to educational resources. This feature is currently scheduled for release mid-summer 2014.
(1)
benziger

Profile name changeable

Status: Considering
by on ‎11-08-2011 08:55

Following David Woodward, I post this suggestion also here. It was posted in an other discussion and had 8 kudos there.

Profile name: it should by changeable. As a publisher, not an author, the site defaults to my name in the profile section, where I want it to read my company's name.

Status: Considering
Hi Benziger, thanks for your suggestion. You're situation is quite common, and I agree we should certainly allow our solution to be customizable for publishers and not just authors. We'll consider this enhancement in the future. Thanks for using Lulu!
benziger

Free text fields

Status: Heard this before
by on ‎11-08-2011 08:53

Following David Woodward, I post this suggestion also here. It was posted in an other discussion and had 5 kudos there.

Old_store.png

- It should be possible to ad more and different fields in the columns left and right of the book section; not only one picture, one film, some links and the profile:

-- more then one text fields (free text)

-- include titles from a RSS feed

-- a counter (maybe also for each book)

shown in red in the picture

Status: Heard this before
Benziger, thanks for the suggestions. These are great ideas, though similar to many ideas we've heard before. We'll certainly consider these improvements for the future. Thanks for using Lulu!
(4)
millwater

Discount codes.

Status: Scheduled for Release
by millwater on ‎10-19-2011 04:20

.

-   It would be really useful if we could set discount codes to allow selected resellers and institutions to order directly from Lulu.  Not to mention promotional sales.

 

-   Right now, the only way I see to do this is to create a duplicate book with restricted access, which is a wee-bit clunky.

 

.

 

Status: Scheduled for Release
Hi Millwater - we are currently working on a feature that will meet this need - including the ability to schedule discounts. Look for it in mid to late summer 2014
kevinlomas

Staff Announcements

Status: We Did It!
by on ‎10-02-2011 08:29

Should be placed so they are the first thing people see when they click Connect, plus they should be placed stuck to the top of every forum section, then people who seem to randomly visit random sections of Connect, etc, to moan about 'surprise' changes can see them ...  Smiley Mad

What would be ideal is if they were actually e-mailed out! (Or do Lulu not split creators from buyers in their mailing list?)

Status: We Did It!
Scott_Husted

The new spotlight page

Status: Heard this before
by Scott_Husted on ‎08-07-2011 11:35

On the new spotlight page, can I have an option to exclude any object? I have multiple print books, with download versions of each -- so the page lists two of everything. That has the effect of listing only three books per page!

This seems unnecessary, since if a customer clicks any of the books they will go to the book profile which gives them the option of buying the print or download versions... I'd like to feature my print books and exclude the download versions so that I can feature more books per page on the storefront.

I'd also want the option to list all of my books per page rather than having multiple pages.

PLUS, with nineteen books or so, I'd like the option of having two or more spotlight pages so that I can seperate my offerings in different "series" -- naming the pages by author and series. If Authors with one book are entitled to a spotlight page, we who publish multiple titles should be entitled to a storefront page per every 3 books? 5 books?

Right now my offerings are listed a little randomly by the computer's unintelligent criteria...

J. Scott Husted

Status: Heard this before
Hi J. Scott Husted, thanks for your note. You have some excellent ideas, many of which others have suggested and we're already considering for the future. Thanks for using Lulu!
(1)
RiazAli

More forum moderators please

Status: We Did It!
by on ‎03-18-2012 03:45

Dear Lulu,

At the moment, there appears to be little moderation on the forums. A cursory glance today at some new posts revealed a few rude, arrogant remarks made from one poster to another. Although it did not involve me at all I was tempted to enter the particular thread and point out the inappropriateness of the remarks, but having done that already on previous threads, I have a gut feeling that I would slide down the slippery slope of wasting my time attempting to moderate something that shouldnt be my responsibility.

I notice you use Lithium as the software to provide your forums. I do not know what priviliges they give moderators but I used to be a moderator at a retro gaming forum which uses the PHPBB software. When I look at each post on my forum, I have special icons only I can see on each post, allowing me to edit, delete, lock the thread, unlock it, compare ip addresses, issue a warning, send the post to a global moderator for further advice etc.

. If Lithium provides this then those options are being underused. I know you often lock threads but there is nothing wrong with simply deleting the offending post or editing it (adding a note to the community to make them aware of the changes).

So basically, I do appreciate that being a forum moderator is an unpaid, thankless job at times, but you *do* need more. I notice there is no activity on weekends either, none that I have noticed anyway, of the presence of moderators. Like most people who moderate forums, I too have a full time job, but would still gladly offer to help out here nevertheless, and could easly give an hour or two a day.

Status: We Did It!
Faith Carroll

A Writers Forum

Status: We Did It!
by on ‎06-03-2011 11:10

I've seen this idea suggested in various posts throughout the forums, but never suggested . . .

How about beginning a Writers Forum for new and veteran authors (and other members who wish to chime in, of course)?  It'd be an enormous benefit for all members, where they can discuss the craft of writing, as Ron Miller suggested, bounce ideas around, or just wish to chit-chat with likeminded people here.  Make it stable, however.  Hopefully it could be placed in the Active Area where it can be found after we arrive at the Connect page. 

Just a thought.

Regards,

Status: We Did It!
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