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Author Achieves Success with Self-Publishing, Leads to Television Success
Author Achieves Success with Self-Publishing, Leads to Television Success
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA – (April 11, 2012) – When Native American architectural expert Richard Thornton went looking for a publisher for his book, he found a lot of closed doors. But all he needed was one, and he found it in Lulu.com, a major self-publishing company which gave him free access to easy-to-use tools that empowered him to pave his own way to publishing success. And, gauging by the response he has received, it’s a move that has paid off.
“Lulu opened the door for me to get the information out there, and to do it in a way that would allow college students and professors to print what they needed, when they needed it,” explains Richard Thornton, author of a collection of Native American architectural textbooks. “Lulu was the perfect solution for what I needed.”
While he was struggling to find a publisher for his work, someone suggested Lulu.com to him as a viable avenue. When he researched the options, he found that he would be able to maintain complete control over the work that was published, retain all rights, make updates and revisions as needed, and even control the price. In addition, publishing with Lulu.com’s print-on-demand technology gives professors and high school teachers – Thornton’s target audience – the ability to order just the right number of books that they need for their class. His success through publishing has lead to numerous television opportunities, including being offered a chance to co-host a television series about America’s architectural and archeological heritage. He has been approached by CNN, the History Channel, and The Travel Channel, all with offers to lend his expertise to related segments. Thornton’s collection of books include such works as “Itsapa: The Itza Mayas in North America,” “Ancient Roots: The Southern Highlands,” “The Lord of the Cumberland,” and “The Indigenous Population of the Southern Highlands: An Historical, Linguistic & Architectural Analysis,” among others. His textbooks are used in courses covering Native Americas, but also have wide-range appeal. Working through Lulu.com, he was also able to help the Creek tribes receive books free of charge, in PDF format, so that the students no longer had to purchase books. “I’m happy to have found a place like Lulu that allows me the freedom to get this information out there in such an easy manner,” adds Thornton. “It’s been a great experience, and I look forward to seeing what other opportunities come out of it.” Thornton, who is the national architecture columnist for the Examiner website, studied pre-Columbian architecture in Mexico and has been an architectural history consultant to the Muskogee-Creek Nation since 2005. He was also an architect for the Trail of Tears memorial in Tulsa, Oklahoma. His work can be found at www.Lulu.com. About Lulu Lulu.com, founded in 2002, is a one-stop shop where, with a few clicks of a button, anyone can publish anything in a book for free and sell it to customers all over the world. Lulu has helped over 1 million creators publish in over 200 countries and territories. Creators set their own price and keep full creative and copyright control over their works. With over 1.2 million titles in their catalogue, Lulu is the clear leader in self-publishing solutions. To learn more visit www.lulu.com. # # #
