No, not a girl – an online publisher of ebooks. 
So, in addition to my website, I published my first book there, as I slog through editing the second one and realise I can’t get it done, as intended, by the end of this month, due to a wee bit of overwork in the day job. 
So I finally get an email from Lulu to tell me I’ve made a sale there. I’m used to the emails from the third party that handles my book sales via my website, so I’m slightly surprised, having forgotten about Lulu. Just a small problem – my text is password protected and my buyer can’t read it.
Huh? 
So I try the online chat thing to resolve the problem. Fatal. Absolutely fatal just before dinner. The agent is helpful but we get nowhere and the agent suggests I upload a non password protected version. But I didn’t set a password! And the agent has no response to make about whether Lulu will explain the hitch to the buyer.
So I have dinner, and then go back to chat with another agent. This is not a good idea, as I am now in rant mode and, for whatever reason, the wine has gone to my head. Forty minutes and much swearing (to myself and OH) later, I abandon the attempt.
The next morning I try again. Checked the pdf printer to remove all possible encryption. Checked Lulu FAQs and community fora, reprint the pdf and find the Lulu converter isn’t working. Six hours later I resort to another ‘chat’ with Lulu agent, who, sadly, agrees the converter isn’t working. Aaaaaargh! 
However, this time the agent offers to get sales to contact the buyer to say they are working on the problem. At last some customer service!
So what do I do now, I ask? Oh, try again over the next 24-48 hours, the agent says cheerfully. We’ll get it going again, the agent says. Just keep trying.
Amazing.
So I’ve just sorted it. This time, instead of sitting there doing nothing for 2 hours at a time, but blocking up the system, the Lulu converter zips through its stuff in about 15 seconds.
Just too much aggravation. Gods, who persuaded me to write these damned books? Yeah, so maybe that god really won’t get any whisky the next time I’m making the offerings…
