By Erin L. Cox, Publisher | @erinlcox
Twenty years ago, photographer and entrepreneur Eileen Gittins wanted to publish a book of her photography. Unable to find a platform that could create the beautiful book she hoped to publish, she founded her own – Blurb.
From Gittins’ idea in 2005 to today, the self-publishing platform has continued to improve and simplify the publishing process so anyone can design, publish, promote, and sell professional-grade books worldwide. At the heart of this commitment is a fundamental belief: stories bind us.
Since its founding, authors have created more than two million books through Blurb, including heavily-illustrated books which are traditionally harder to self-publish – cookbooks, children’s picture books, travel books, and photography books.
As Blurb CEO Tom Hughes explains, “We’re committed to helping creators craft and publish beautiful, bookstore-quality books because we believe stories connect us. Whether it’s a photographer’s portfolio or a cookbook from a passionate foodie, every story shared brings us closer together. In a world of fleeting content, print offers something enduring—a way to preserve and share the moments and ideas that matter most.”
What makes this possible is Blurb’s unique position as a division of RPI Print, a leader in sustainable on-demand printing that combines innovative technology with a distributed, owned-and-operated production network. Creators receive premium printing quality, while benefiting from sustainable practices and materials. The result: professional-grade books that rival anything traditionally published.
Blurb stands out through its combination of extensive support and comprehensive tools. The company is powered by avid experts who help authors achieve their goals, while the platform offers leading bookmaking tools—BookWright, a desktop app with simple templates and guidelines; BookWright Online, a web editor for quick and easy design; and plugins for Adobe InDesign and Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic that let creators design without breaking their creative flow. There is also a variety of formats, paper, and cover options.
Creators can sell their books directly in the Blurb bookstore, on Amazon, or through Ingram for access to 40,000+ online and physical bookstores in 195 countries.
Not only does Blurb publish books, but it is also a great resource for publishing magazines, zines, and other printed products. As this next generation of readers begins to gravitate more towards print products, Blurb provides the tools and expertise to help creators bring their stories into tangible form.
Heading into the holidays, Blurb is offering a discount (30% off photo books & free shipping through 12/11) that could make collecting photos from 2025 or finally publishing your coffee table book more affordable.
(Full disclosure, in 2011, I contributed to a book published on Blurb.)