As promised I am now ready to make an honest assessment of the services offered by Blurb.com. After receiving a copy of my book I was somewhat disappointed. I do realize that this review might be counter productive to my book sales but the truth must be told.
First off for those of you wanting to display photos for artistic and not editorial reasons I would order the largest book size that Blurb offers. Having said that, for me cost was a factor as I find these books quite pricey. Go to Costco and you can pick up a massive coffee table book for under $50.00.
The cover was nice although it was a bit sloppy and loose and will move around while trying to examine the pages. I only wish that the Content pages were of higher quality and had more of a glossy look to them. My photographs didn't look nearly as nice as when printed on My Epson home printer. Note however that there is an option to order upgraded paper with more weight and sheen to them, which I simply forgot to check when ordering, so I can’t really speak to that end.
The binding seem adequate and solid just like most store bought books. Shipping time was average about 7 –10 days for standard rates. I really liked the software and templates called book smart. It was very simple to use.
I've done some research and found that they are several companies providing online book making for the masses but couldn't really say which stands out as the leader. One of the big names seems to be Shutterfly Photo Books. All of these companies price point seems very similar and a little expensive.
To recap I would recommend Blurb to you if your willing to spend more on your book than seems reasonable and would recommend the largest size that fits you're budget. Don't forget to check the box for upgraded premium paper it's only a few dollars more and worth it. Just don’t expect to sell many books at such a high price point. Blurb does not make public its sales figures and therefore I don’t know if any books are selling through the blurb bookstore. All in all it is fun and rewarding to create a book with your own images it makes a great conversation piece. No matter which company you choose and even if to show only to friends and relatives I would recommend making your own book. Take care
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