Blurb — An Overview of Blurb's Book Self-Publishing Services

You've thought about whether or not you should self-publish your highly-illustrated or photography-heavy book, and you've reviewed the editorial, packaging and sales considerations. If you decide to go forward with your self-publishing plan, Blurb might be a self-publishing service to consider.

About Blurb
Blurb offers print-on-demand services and seems especially suitable for your highly visual, "bookstore quality" book. As a testament to Blurb's popularity for visual artists, it was the service of choice for photojournalist Craig F. Walker of The Denver Post - he used Blurb to print his Pulitzer-Prize-winning collection of photos of Ian Fisher, a young soldier sent to Iraq. While anyone thinking of taking the time and effort to self-publish a book should consider all aspects, here's an idea of some of Blurb's features.

• Editorial & Design Services - Blurb doesn't offer editorial services, but provides BlurbNation, a list of graphic-designers-for-hire for those who'd like design help.

• Upload/Page Creation - For those who want the ease of templated design, Blurb offers download-able proprietary BookSmart software (compatible with both Mac and PC), as well as a streamlined, online Bookify tool for those in a hurry. For accomplished graphic designers, the platform is compatible with the Adobe's InDesign software, and - because the graphically inclined care a lot about it - there is color management guidance.

• Book Package - There are a number of size options, cover options (softcover, hardcover with a jacket, hardcover with a printed image) and, of interest to professionals, a choice of paper qualities, end papers, and case cover options.

• Book Cost/Pricing - There are no upfront charges; books are paid for when they are printed. Costs start at $2.95 each for a 5" x 8", 40-page, black-and-white paperback and $12.95 for a 7" x 7", 40 page color book and go up from there. Quantity discounts begin at 10 copies.

• Book Distribution and Marketing - For those who wish to allow other people to purchase their print-on-demand book, there's an option to set your price (at cost or for profit) to allow them to do just that. Blurb also offers a widget for your use in allowing visitors to your own personal website to look at the interior of the book (you can limit the number of pages).

• Proprietary Advantages - For all, a blog, forums, video tutorials, and free webinars are friendly and ease the book design process.
  
  For professional photographers and visual artists, Blurb.com offers a number of additional proprietary features, like Blurb Proline, which offers higher-end presentation and packaging options, and access to Photography Book Now, an international, juried competition.
  
  In March of 2012, Blurb.com announced a collaborative venture with Adobe Systems, featuring built-in Blurb bookmaking functionality within the Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 product. This feature makes the process of book creation turnkey and even simpler for those photographers and visual artists already using and/or conversant with the Adobe Photoshop Lightroom software. Through this partnership, Lightroom users are also able to take advantage of Blurb's online marketing tools and online bookstore, which provides professional photographers with an easy way to market and distribute the books they've created with Blurb.

Visit the Blurb website.

If you've self-published your own book, feel free to submit a review of Blurb or any other self-publishing service. Or read reviews of other authors' self-publishing experiences or about Amanda Hocking's paranormal self-publishing success story.