Blurb Launches Lower Priced Trade Books, Global Distribution via Ingram, and Output to Reflowable Ebooks for Amazon Kindle

New competitively priced Trade Books and a collaboration with Ingram across 39,000 locations empower indie authors to drive new revenue across global markets

San Francisco, Calif.— August 19, 2014 — Blurb, the indie book and magazine publishing platform, today announced three new standard Trade Book sizes, a global retail distribution collaboration with Ingram Content Group, and output to reflowable ebooks for all Amazon Kindle devices and Kindle readers. These milestones represent key pieces of Blurb’s ongoing mission to democratize publishing.

Blurb now has the broadest publishing platform available, enabling independent authors to publish books, magazines, and ebooks in multiple formats, and then sell direct on Blurb.com or via distribution programs with Amazon and Ingram.

“Authors, like artists, want two things: Control over their product and process, and fair compensation for their work,” said Eileen Gittins, founder and CEO, Blurb. “The elements are now all in place for independent authors to design, market and sell their digital and print books – at a healthy margin – via global distribution to booksellers both online and at retail. It’s a happy day for both Blurb authors and Blurb employees too; delivering this extensive a range of offerings is a big deal for everyone.”

New Book Range
The world has shifted towards increasingly visual experiences, yet the cost to publish these visually rich books has historically resulted in dampened sales. With the availability of three new industry-standard Trade Book sizes – 5x8, 6x9, and 8x10 – and lower-cost paper options that support content like drawings, photographs, maps, and tables, Blurb authors can now bypass historical price point and distribution barriers.

Global Distribution
Blurb authors can now design, publish, and sell virtually any kind of book including how-to books, cookbooks, novels, magazines, photo books, business books, graphic novels, and more. Authors can publish digital and print formats from a single file, output to Amazon Kindle, sell on Blurb.com, and via the new Ingram initiative, be available for distribution to over 39,000 locations worldwide at retail and online stores.

“Ingram is committed to getting content into readers’ hands quickly and efficiently, no matter where they are in the world,” said Kelly Gallagher, Vice President of Content Acquisition, Ingram Content Group. “We are pleased to support Blurb with Ingram's comprehensive distribution network, as Blurb grows the reach of content for the customers they support.”

Blurb’s work with Ingram enables Blurb authors to choose from multiple discount options, delivering more wholesale pricing flexibility, driving more reach and discoverability for authors’ books.

“Our collaboration with Ingram will be especially welcome for Blurb’s global authors, as they will now be able to make their books available for distribution within their home markets virtually everywhere in the world,” said Gittins.

Product Details

• Blurb’s new Trade Books come in three industry-standard trim sizes: 5x8, 6x9, and 8x10, in uncoated text-weight paper.
• Trade Books are available in both hardcover and softcover, and all formats are eligible for global distribution through Ingram, giving Blurb authors a much broader audience reach.
• Authors have two print options: Economy and Standard. Economy printing offers a lower print-on-demand starting price ($2.99 for color, $2.49 for black and white), while Standard printing features a wider color range and richer blacks.

Reflowable ebooks
Blurb also announced a new beta ebook release that enables text import via RTF plus reflowable output for the Kindle. The RTF Import delivers a critical update to Blurb’s flagship bookmaking desktop app, Blurb BookWright, allowing authors to import text files created via word processing tools. Authors can then easily distribute their ebooks to all Amazon Kindle devices and most ereaders; this service is free to Blurb authors during the beta period.

For more on this news, please visit www.blurb.com.

About Blurb®
Blurb® is a self-publishing platform and creative community that enables individuals to design, publish, share, sell, and distribute photo books, trade books, and magazines in both print and digital formats across the globe using its free, innovative book creation and layout tools. Founded in 2005 by Executive Chairman, Eileen Gittins, Blurb has nearly 2 million independent book authors worldwide, resulting in 3.9 million unique book titles, with more than 14 million units shipped to 80 countries around the world. The company is headquartered in San Francisco and can be found online at www.blurb.com.