» Select Another Category of Reviews
 

Blurb.com Reviews

Blurb.com image

 
Editor's Overall Rating:
Average User Rating:
(based on 3 reviews)

Category: Online Book Publishing



Our Review Costs & Features Videos User Reviews
 

Blurb.com Review


by No1Reviews.com.

Editor's Star Ratings:

Formatting and Design Options:
Promotion and Distribution:
Features:
Ease of Use / Navigation:
Ease of Joining / Registration:
Customer Support:
Value for Money:
Overall Star Rating:

Editor's Review:

High quality books, that's what Blurb is about. They offer a range of options to produce unique texts, not only in terms of the words on the page but also their design, even down to the kind of paper they use. This isn't the cheapest option for producing books but if you want something a bit special then it's definitely a site to consider.

Let's talk about some of those editing and design options. In the first instance you are able to upload your work and edit it by selecting one of a variety of tools. These include Blurb BookSmart, online photo book options, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Lightroom, PDFs, Add-ins for MS Word, Blurb Mobile or Samsung Story Album.

This is a very flexible system, then, and should be able to cater to most of the key writing packages used in the office or home. You can use the systems available to edit the text or layout of your text, and if you're interested in using pictures, then there are some pretty nifty options for making sure they appear colourful and professional in your book. As such Blurb.com is particularly useful for artists and designers, or anyone who is publishing a book that includes photos or illustrations.

As well as standard books and e-books, the site publishes notebooks, planners and photo-album-like books. These photo album books take their material from your Instagram or Facebook account as a way of creating an instant book with the highlights from those accounts. As such these can make quick and easy presents for friends and family, or simply a nice gift for yourself if you prefer to see some of your photos in print rather than just online.

Whilst this isn't the cheapest website to self publish on, it does offer discounts for bulk purchases (orders of over 20 copies). You can also publish as an e-book which is a much cheaper option. The website also offers a selling and sharing platform, allowing you to promote your book and sell it directly to your customers by providing you with a personal store front. You can embed this store front to your own blog or website for easy sales. Whilst this is fine there's little else in terms of distribution, so you'll have to do most of the hard work yourself, including having it put up on Amazon and other sites.

If you're in need of some support then the site has plenty of information in their “learn more” section, which includes some useful advice on self publishing, selling your book and the publishing industry generally. There's also a forum area for writers to discuss any issues or queries, which is good to see because such networks can become vital to your success in the long run.

Blurb.com offers high quality colour publishing with some great editing options. However its distribution networks are not up to par. Although its short print runs are really useful to anyone who only wants a couple of copies of a book, they are relatively expensive options. If you're looking to just create a few high quality texts for small sales, or for friends and family, then this could be a great option, but if you want to make big sales then you're better off elsewhere.

Check out our #1 rated site instead!
Why not check out AuthorHouse, our top rated Online Book Publishing and winner of our prestigious Gold Award! You can also check out our Top 10 Online Book Publishing here!

Click on the button below to select your local Blurb.com site...





« Back to our Top 10 Online Book Publishing Reviews