Blurb on the BookBird Author Score
Author Score · publishing platforms · #5 of 12
Best for: Illustrated and photo-heavy books sold in print
77.8 of 100 points = 7.8 out of 10. How this score is calculated
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
| Software | Score | Price from | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon KDP | 9.9 | No upfront fee | Authors selling mainly on Amazon, including Kindle Unlimited readers |
| IngramSpark | 9.6 | No upfront fee | Authors wanting print books in bookstores and libraries beyond Amazon |
| Lulu | 9.2 | No upfront fee | Authors selling print books direct to readers as well as on Amazon |
| Draft2Digital | 7.9 | $12 a year | Authors going wide with ebooks who accept a small activation fee |
| Barnes & Noble Press | 7.7 | No upfront fee | Authors 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.