If you’re making a photo book, there are many, many (did I mention many?) web sites out there to choose from. Let’s wade into the book publishing world with an introduction to a few of the self publish web sites out there. The first one we’ll explore is Blurb.
If you’re hesitant to download, Blurb may not be for you. Some sites require you to upload your photos and store them on the site. Blurb asks you to download their software. I must say that I’m a reluctant downloader. The more stuff I can store on the great interweb, the better, and the less to clutter up my hard drive or my vast batch of icons on my desktop.
Ultimately, your Bookify book design on Blurb is stored online, so you can access it from any computer that is connected to the internet.
Once you have downloaded the software, Blurb has a nice selection of different book formats to choose from. Of particular note are their journals and weekly calendars. This allows you to craft a usable writing journal from your child’s artwork. The book sizes generally come in hardcover and paperback, so you can get a tiny hardcover or a large paperback if you wish. The smallest book and the one we generally like to use is 7 by 7, just big enough to slide into a stocking.
The bookmaking tools on Blurb offer the ultimate in flexibility. You can go with a pre-designed layout if you’re a terrified first time designer. If you know what you like, you can go completely custom.
The end price of the books is not cheap. A small softcover will run you just under $12, while a small hardcover is $22. It’s a good investment if you’re making one or two books, but it’s a large price if you’re doing a small print run. There is a small volume discount for larger orders. If you’re creating your own novel or pocketbook, click on the black and white text feature and the price drops substantially to $4 a book.
Tomorrow, we’ll delve into the world of creating picture books and novels once again.