Brandwave

Barnes & Noble Press vs Lulu:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Barnes & Noble Press had more branded searches than Lulu among self publishing platforms worldwide. Barnes & Noble Press had about 22,200 branded searches, while Lulu had 9,900. Barnes & Noble Press made up 0.58% of all self publishing platform searches we track, and Lulu accounted for 0.26%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about self publishing platforms, Lulu appeared in all five answers and Barnes & Noble Press in three. Lulu was mentioned before Barnes & Noble Press in three out of five answers.

Among self publishing platforms worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Barnes & Noble Press, about 2 searches for every 1 for Lulu

Barnes & Noble Press 22.2K searchesLulu 9.9K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Lulu, mentioned in every answer we collected

Lulu in 5 of 5Barnes & Noble Press in 3 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Lulu, named ahead of Barnes & Noble Press in 3 of 5 answers

Lulu first in 3Barnes & Noble Press first in 2

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Top self publishing platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Lulu appeared in all five answers. Barnes & Noble Press was mentioned in three out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. Lulu was listed before Barnes & Noble Press in three out of five answers.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing1st
  2. Draft2Digital2nd
  3. IngramSpark3rd
  4. Lulu4th
  5. Barnes & Noble Press5th
  6. Amazon KDP6th
  7. Kobo Writing Life7th
  8. Smashwords8th

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Draft2Digital5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Lulu5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • IngramSpark4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Amazon KDP3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Barnes & Noble Press3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Kobo Writing Life2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Smashwords1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about self publishing platforms

5 answers

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 21, 2026.

Is Barnes & Noble Press or Lulu more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Barnes & Noble Press and Lulu by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all eight self publishing platforms we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

Barnes & Noble Press and Lulu among self publishing platforms worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Barnes & Noble Press, Lulu. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthAmazon KDPAmazon Kindle Direct PublishingIngramSparkDraft2DigitalSmashwordsBarnes & Noble PressKobo Writing LifeLulu
Oct 202546.6%46.6%2.8%1.3%1.3%0.69%0.46%0.31%
Nov 202545.9%45.9%3.4%1.5%1.5%0.83%0.45%0.37%
Dec 202546.6%46.6%2.8%1.3%1.3%0.69%0.38%0.31%
Jan 202646.4%46.4%2.8%1.5%1.5%0.69%0.38%0.31%
Feb 202646.1%46.1%3.4%1.5%1.2%0.83%0.46%0.3%
Mar 202646.6%46.6%2.8%1.3%1.3%0.69%0.38%0.31%
Apr 202646.6%46.6%2.8%1.5%1%0.69%0.46%0.31%
May 202646.7%46.7%2.8%1.3%1%0.69%0.46%0.31%
Jun 202646.8%46.8%2.8%1%1%0.69%0.46%0.31%
Jul 202646.6%46.6%2.8%1.3%1.3%0.69%0.46%0.31%
Aug 202646.9%46.9%2.8%1%0.85%0.69%0.46%0.31%
Sep 202647.5%47.5%2.3%0.7%0.7%0.58%0.38%0.26%

How has the Barnes & Noble Press and Lulu comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

How did search popularity change for self publishing platforms worldwide in September 2026?

2 changes

  1. Estimated monthly branded searches for Barnes & Noble Press worldwide rose 22.7% over 12 measured months, from 18.1K to 22.2K in September 2026.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for Lulu worldwide rose 22.2% over 12 measured months, from 8.1K to 9.9K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Barnes & Noble Press’ and Lulu’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

Barnes & Noble Press

1 branded search term

  • barnes & noble press

Lulu

1 branded search term

  • lulu publishing

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among self publishing platforms

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