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Blurb Review: Price, Features and Score

Blurb at a glance: No upfront fee, on web. Below are its plans, what its own site says it does for an author, its score and the products to compare it with. We did not test it ourselves; the data was checked on October 7, 2026.

Prices and data checked October 7, 2026 · Author Score computed by a published formula, not paid for

Blurb on the BookBird Author Score

Author Score · publishing platforms · #5 of 12 ·

Best for: Illustrated and photo-heavy books sold in print

BookBird Author Score7.8/10 #5 of 12 publishing platforms. Worked out from Blurb’s own pages, its price and US searches for its name, not typed in. Author jobs50 pts38.9/50Each of the 9 author jobs on the publishing platforms list is worth an equal share of 50 points, and counts only when Blurb’s own pages confirm it. 7 of 9 confirmed = 38.9 points. A job the vendor does not mention earns nothing.Cost25 pts25/25A free plan, or a platform that takes no upfront fee, earns all 25 points.Adoption25 pts13.9/25Searches, 20 points: 2,900 a month for “blurb books”, against Amazon KDP, the most searched in this category (246,000), on a log scale = 12.8. Trend, 5 points: down 29% (last three months against the first three of the year) = 1; a fall of half or more earns 0, no change 2.5, a rise of half or more 5. 77.8 of 100 points= 7.8 out of 10 The full method, with every product’s points →

Author jobs, from Blurb’s own pages

  • Not stated: Ebooks (not stated)
  • Yes: Paperbacks
  • Yes: Hardcovers
  • Yes: Free to publish
  • Yes: Royalty rate stated
  • Not stated: Non-exclusive (not stated)
  • Yes: Distribution to other stores
  • Yes: Library distribution
  • Yes: Free ISBN

Blurb pricing

The platform takes a share of sales. There is a free plan. The plans as Blurb’s own site listed them on October 7, 2026, in US dollars:

  • Publishing account: Free

No upfront cost; you pay printing and add a markup. Blurb Bookstore: keep 100% of the markup, no commission. Amazon: $1.35 + 15% of list price fee. Ingram: you set the wholesale discount.

What Blurb offers

From Blurb’s own pages, checked on October 7, 2026:

  • Paperbacks, hardcovers, photo books, magazines, notebooks and journals
  • Blurb Bookstore: no fees, you keep 100% of your markup
  • Amazon listing for photo books and trade books from the dashboard
  • Ingram distribution to 45,000+ bookstores, libraries and online retailers
  • Free ISBN printed on paperback and hardcover books
  • Free BookWright design software plus Adobe InDesign, Lightroom and Photoshop plugins
  • Volume discounts from 10 copies, offset printing from 750

Runs on: web. Launched: 2006.

Who Blurb suits, and what its pages do not say

Best for: Illustrated and photo-heavy books sold in print.

Not confirmed on Blurb’s pages when we checked: ebooks and non-exclusive. That is what the vendor states, not a test; a feature can exist without being described, and the score only credits what is.

About 2,900 people a month search Google in the US for “blurb books”, down 29% over the past year (Google Ads data via DataForSEO).

Blurb alternatives

SoftwareScorePrice fromBest for
Amazon KDP9.9No upfront feeAuthors selling mainly on Amazon, including Kindle Unlimited readers
IngramSpark9.6No upfront feeAuthors wanting print books in bookstores and libraries beyond Amazon
Lulu9.2No upfront feeAuthors selling print books direct to readers as well as on Amazon
Draft2Digital7.9$12 a yearAuthors going wide with ebooks who accept a small activation fee
Barnes & Noble Press7.7No upfront feeAuthors adding a direct Barnes & Noble listing alongside other stores

Compare: All publishing platforms · All software for authors

Blurb questions

How much does Blurb cost?

No upfront fee.

What does Blurb run on?

web, according to its own site.

How the score is computed: the formula, step by step. Prices and features were read from Blurb’s own site on October 7, 2026; nobody pays to be listed.