Let me admit something up front. I am a blurb convert. Or in blurb speak, I am part of the blurberati. My hope is that if you like books, or like the idea of creating your own book be it fiction, a travel journal, photography portfolio or a scrapbook...whatever it is then blurb is the place for you too.

Blurb sells itself as “a company and a community that believes passionately in the joy of books – reading them, making them, sharing them, and selling them”. This helps if you have delusions of literary grandeur as I do. I have always fancied myself as a writer, buying fresh notebooks and beautiful pens week on week hoping that they would inspire me to be published author. This year when “between jobs” I challenged myself to write short stories – all in all I ended up with 10 which were entered into various short story competitions. Rather than leave them languishing in soft copy on my laptop I used Blurb to make a book from them. I now have my own slim volume of short stories on my bookshelf. Egotistical? Yes. Vanity publishing? Uh-huh. Cool as hell? Absolutely.

I was flummoxed earlier this year about what to get my parents for their Ruby Wedding anniversary. My mother is a no frills/no fuss merchant and rather than let the occasion go unmarked - I thought Blurb could help. I made them a photo book collating pictures of them, their family and good times had over the last 40 years. It went down a storm.

Although it took thought and time on my part, it was worth it to see their reaction.

So you see, I have two very good reasons as to why I can heartily recommend Blurb.

What’s it all about? How do you make a book?

Well - first of all you down load their Book Smart software which helps you design and piece together your book. Thankfully, it is very intuitive to use. Think Powerpoint or Word. You don't need a degree in Graphic Design or the computer skills of Bill Gates. It is so easy to use that even a technophobic hack like me can manage to knock out a couple of books.

For my photo book, all I did was scan my photos into my machine as I would normally do – import them to the Book Smart software and then drag and dropped to the place I wanted them. Et Voila, a present for my momma.

For my short story book all I did was upload my stories in word documents and decide on the text lay out, do a couple of quick amends to the alignment. Et Voila. My writing in print.
It really is that simple. There are of course, fancy things you can do to jazz your book up – colours, templates, patterns etc. You can even go onto the Blurb website and commission a photographer or designer to make your project sleek and fabulous. That of course would add costs. Once you are ready to order it, there is an “order” tab on the software. Click it, decide what you want and how many, log in or register with Blurb and your book goes into production.

Can I call myself a published author? At Blurb I can. Should you wish to share your book with the Blurb community or your friends and family at large, you can set up your account so that others can buy your books. Even better, if it becomes a hit –you can profit from it. I can’t see a lose situation in this. You get a fabulous book and you have the facility to sell it and market it to those who may be interested.

Prices for one small book can start from about £7 and rises dependant on size and, of course, numbers ordered. Do be aware that there is a hefty postage and packaging on the books. Blurb is an American company – hence books are sent from their base in California. P & P can cost about £20 on top of your book cost. The other thing I would draw to your attention is that because the books have to be sent from the US, watch what your timings if you are creating a book as a present. Alas, my Ruby Wedding book arrived about 2 weeks after I thought it would so wasn’t there in time for the big day. It didn’t matter much in the end, but I would caution you on that point nonetheless.

All in all I love Blurb. I have another couple of projects in the pipeline that I hope to get live and published within the month. In the meantime, download that software and get Blurbing!

Try it for yourself at www.blurb.com

Ed’s note – please note that the day after this review was submitted Blurb released the following news -

Flat Rate Shipping:

1. Flat-rate shipping significantly reduces the shipping costs for customers ordering between 1 to 5 books, making it just £3.99
2. The flat-rate shipping option applies ONLY to orders shipped using U.S. Ground or International Economy options

BookSmart 2.5:

1. New design updates include: Content preview in layout editor, snap to grid and a variety of new design tool
   Book Creation improvements include an improved image library management, contextual resource library, and guidance for trim lines and safe area

Blurb just got even better.