Moo, Blurb and Etsy...

Those on-line book publishing people, Blurb hosted a series of seminars in London last Friday and I was there. They used a 'pop up' shop for the day and dressed it and populated it with their books and posters in only a day! Along with Blurb there was Moo, the company that prints those amazing Moo cards. I use their minicards for my photography work. I intend to use Blurb very soon for  my Project 52 book, but I had never heard of Etsy.

So, what did I think of the day.

Blurb first. There was literally hundreds of theie various books in all the shapes and formats available, from coffee table photo books to text boks. And everyone looked fantastic.

The seminar came in the form of a lesson in how to make a book using Blurb's 'Booksmart'  software. It could not be simpler; you download the software and the rest is reasonably intuitive. If you have ever done a powerpoint presentation, then the jump is easy.

I had a couple of questions. I am in the process of putting my first Blurb book together and I was thinking of making a small photobook as a proof; indeed, on the day,  Blurb recommended this approach. But the drawback is that if you want to make a bigger book, you then have to make the book all over again. I cannot help thinking this is a design flaw. It won't stop me using Blurb, but I would like to be able to copy accross the book, or just press a button and change the format

The second question was about colour and dark images. In a nutshell it was recommended that the images are brightened a bit because of our backlit monitors. I am going to increase the exposure in my shots by about a half to one stop. This could be trial and error, depending on what type of shot you take. They also recommended 300dpi as a minimum for photographs.

The big question; will I be using Blurb, most definitely.

Moo was next. nothing to say. If you don't already use them, then go to their website and get sorted. they have a huge array of business cards, minicards and holders; all great for any business. They also do a regular blog showcasing what people have used their moo cards for... you will be surprised.

This was a new one for me. Etsy is a craft / creative on line community for selling. I logged on when I got home on Friday night and was pleasantly surprised. There is everything on there, from apple cosies, yes, apple cosies... (I am still thinking about that one) to photographic prints to scarves to tee shirts to ceramics, mosaics, the list goes on.

I met a lot of people who have had great success selling their various item on Etsy and they only had praise for the site. So, I am going to give them a go. I am going to put together a set of my Infinite Ireland prints and put them up for sale there and see how they do.

For me the day was a great success, Blurb hosted it and took very good care of use with coffee, sandwiches and the odd beer or two in the evening.

Blurb website is here, if you are thinking of doing a photobook check out their website.

Moo are here, go nowhere else for your businesss cards.

Etsy are here, an amazing community of creative people selling their wares.

A big thank yuo to Blurb, Etsy and Moo for a very educational and enjoyable day. I shall definitely be back for more.