Self Publishing a Book – Blurb or Amazon – my experience so far

Some of you were curious about different aspects about self publishing my book. Since I’m not one to be secretive or professional I’ll just share some of what I learned!

But before I get into that all, I’ll share the punchline first! My book is also now available on Amazon. I could share a link, but it would go to Amazon.ca, so you’re better off just going to Amazon and searching for A Year of Quilts. It should come up because it’s available on all Amazon’s marketplaces through out the world. Wondering why I didn’t do this right away and why I’d rather have it available on Blurb? Read on of course!

Today I’m not going to talk about the process of designing the book. Maybe I’ll talk about that another day. I’m going to be backwards and talk about the final decisions I had to make. So once the book was all ready in a pdf, I just had to decide who to publish with. Not. So. Simple. There are a lot of variables and the niche that I’m in does not seem to have a lot of other folks online. I went back and forth so much, trying to decide which was the best option. I narrowed it down to two different companies which I’ll share the pros and cons of below.

Blurb – This is a self publishing company that you upload your pdf or images and then choose the type of book cover, size, and paper. They will print the book and ship it to you. They seem to cater more to people making personal photo books. They have some high end options for beautiful hard cover books and their printing is great quality. They also offer the service of a bookstore so I can sell my book in their shop and for an added fee they print and ship out every book of mine that you order! This is the amazing part of the self publishing world that made me decide to go ahead with making this book. I really felt overwhelmed by dealing with handling and shipping, so even though it makes the book cost a bit more, it was the only way I could even consider it at this point.

Pros for Blurb – Top quality book and printing. The cover and the paper they use is just very nice. The printing is so true to the right colors. They offer sales from time to time.

Cons for Blurb – You have to make an account to purchase from them, and some people find that a barrier. Also, their shipping to more remote places is quite expensive.

My other option to consider was/is Kindle Direct Publish. They are a part of Amazon. They seem to cater more to people self publishing their novels or else low content books which are notebooks, colouring books etc.

Pros to Kindle Direct Publish – Fast and cheaper shipping (at least that’s what they promise!). If you have Prime, the shipping should be free. They also have printing facilities throughout the world, so wherever you order, they will send from the one nearest to you. (this is the part that I feel hesitant about because that’s what they say, but since I can’t order one in Australia and have it delivered to me, I just don’t know for sure!). Supposedly they will also put my book on sale at times.

Cons to Kindle Direct Publish – Slightly lower quality printing and paper. Impersonal customer service (this is on my end. If I have questions I’m facing the giant Amazon and probably there won’t be a friendly person to help me if I have an issue). The whole process of putting the book and listing together is less user friendly and more intimidating.

So I spent almost two months going back and forth, ordering sample copies, comparing, trying different types of paper etc.

And in the end, I just felt like the Blurb book was the book I wanted to give you. It just felt like a luxury magazine. So I started out with that, but then I found that signing up with Blurb was an issue for some people. Also the shipping being expensive to places other than the US. And so I reconsidered the Amazon route. I tweaked all the colors in the photos, changed the cover paper, all trying to make it the best version of itself. And still sitting side by side with the Blurb version, it doesn’t quite feel and look as nice.

I’ve shown both versions to multiple people and done tests on my family where I open both books to the same page and then they’re supposed to guess which is the Blurb and which is the Amazon book. And it’s close enough. Everyone says that yes, the Blurb book looks and feels a bit nicer but if you didn’t have them side by side then you’d never think anything of it.

So just to clarify, it’s the same book! Every page is the same (except for the very first couple pages because of simple technicalities like one company prints on the inside cover and the other leaves it blank). So if you’re in the US, I highly suggest you buy the Blurb book, but if you’re anywhere else, compare it with the Amazon one and possibly that’s a better option for you.

The one cool thing about Amazon is that you can leave reviews. Which of course could be awesome and scary! But so many of you have sent me the most wonderful feedback and messages about the book, and really I’d like others to have the convenience of some reviews to help them decide if it’s for them.

So once again I just want to say such a big thanks to all your support and enthusiasm as I’ve embarked on this new project! So happy that you’re enjoying my book, and your patience with my inexperience is much appreciated!

I’m hoping that this Amazon option will feel simpler and more approachable to some people!