How to Make a Book: Choosing the Right Tool

One of the most common questions we get asked is ‘which tool should I use to make my book?’. Although Blurb has many options to choose from, making the decision is quite simple.

When choosing your tool we recommend taking three questions into consideration.

1. What type of book are you planning on making?

Will you be making a Photo Book, a Trade Book, an ebook, or a print magazine? Make that decision before you start, as not all of Blurb’s tools make everything Blurb has to offer.

2. How much time do you have to create your book?

Probably the most overlooked aspect of book-making is how much time you have to spend on it. Or from another angle, how much time you’re willing to invest in your creation. Whether it’s a couple of days, a month, or six months, and beyond, deciding this up front will save you lots of pain as you go through the book creation process.

3. Do you have any experience with a particular tool?

Have you used BookWright  in the past? Do you work with Adobe InDesign or Lightroom already? Do you use Microsoft Word, Powerpoint, or any other program that has a Save To PDF feature?

In an effort to save yourself time and to be able to focus on getting the design of the book exactly how you want, use a tool you’re already comfortable with. Don’t get caught up in a frenzy trying to learn to use a design tool you’re not confident with. In addition to our downloadable and online tools, Blurb accepts PDFs from just about anything, so keep that in mind before you get started.

Subscribing to the adage a picture is worth a thousand words, below is a simple decision tree to help get you on your way!

What’s your favorite book-making tool and why? Lets us know in the comments below!