Eileen Gittins

Gittins considers Blurb to be less a publishing company than a technology one. Blurb's software, BookWright, provides customers with easy-to-use templates, and the ability to use plugins for Adobe tools like InDesign to enable further customization. The finished book file can be outputted as both an ebook and print book. For distribution, Blurb provides an ecommerce platform that enables customers to distribute directly to their contacts, as well as through Amazon, Ingram, or the Apple iBookstore. Print books can be printed on-demand for small runs or offset for large runs,

Developed initially as a way of producing picture books, Blurb has bulked up in novel and magazine publishing, and sees itself as the future of the industry - and a massive threat to traditional publishers. "The volume we're seeing globally is unbelievable," says Gittins. "We're entering the golden age of publishing. Back in Dickens's day, everybody self-published, and it only became stigmatised when mass publishing came along and you weren't picked. Even five years ago, there was a stigma attached to self-publishing."

 

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