Digital Self-Publishing has grown tremendously in the last few years. Many major players in the game have all unveiled tools and content distribution methods to help authors gain exposure and make money. Comic books, graphic novels, ebooks, and kids books all have viable avenues for people to pursue. One of the main elements that has been left out the mix is magazines. Blurb is seeking to quickly remedy this situation with new tools for Adobe InDesign.
Starting today, Blurb will offer enterprising young writers the ability to self-publish their own magazines both in print and digitally. If you are a young start-up company, you might be keen to try out the Printed on Demand service. The pricing is a bit on the hefty side with single print issues costing around $6.95, but the magazines are a full 8.5 x 11 inches (22 x 29 cm). If you purchase seven issues or more, you can qualify for a discount. Think eye-catching portfolios, elegant product catalogs, or your very own monthly publication; Blurb Magazines make great leave-behinds and promotional pieces that won’t make a big dent in your budget.
Blurb magazines and brochures, both of which are made using Blurb’s platform and its plug-in for Adobe InDesign, let anyone create customized publications that push the creative edge. Both products are printed on HP Indigo presses, the industry’s leading printer for on-demand publishing.
“Creating a distinctive print marketing piece used to mean printing thousands of copies and take weeks to turnaround,” said Eileen Gittins, Blurb’s CEO and founder. “With our new brochure offering, the minimum order is one copy, the turnaround time is a few days, and there are multiple options for cover finishes. Our new magazine offering is perfect for the way that people create and consume content today in short, sharp bursts. Who doesn’t want to see their work published in a magazine?”
Blub is a digital publishing specialist and sold around 1.4 million ebooks last year through its own bookstore. The company is trying to push hard into a segment that is most often overlooked by many of the traditional companies that focus on ebooks. The new magazine platform will appeal mainly to photographers, artists, and other graphic heavy content. I dig the fact that the company will make digital versions of your magazine in ePub or PDF Formats. This will ensure that you can sell the books via your own website or list them on Amazon, Kobo, Barnes and Noble, and maybe even Zinio.
Visit their website today http://www.blurb.co.uk/magazine
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
