Blurb Drives More Than $45 Million in Revenue in 2009

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Blurb, the creative publishing and marketing platform, today reported record growth in 2009 as consumers and creative professionals worldwide turned to Blurb as their preferred publishing platform to create, publish, share and sell professional-quality books. The company, which is profitable, achieved more than 50% year-over-year revenue growth with 2009 sales of more than $45 million. Blurb created and shipped more than 1.2 million books in 2009 – more volume than the company had shipped in total since its launch in 2006.

"Despite the tough economic times, our business is thriving because people around the world are particularly eager to tell their stories right now.  Capturing your work in a book means it matters," said Eileen Gittins, founder and CEO, Blurb. "In December 2009, Blurb published more books in a day than most mid-sized publishers publish in a year.  And here's a stunning statistic: at peak volumes, we were publishing a new title every 1.1 seconds."

In addition to its strong growth among the consumer market, Blurb significantly expanded revenue through its focus on the creative professional community, including photographers, designers, and advertising and marketing agencies. Blurb delivered its new PDF to Book workflow, making it easy for designers to create Blurb books using the design tools of their choice. Blurb's PDF to Book workflow features templates for the leading design application, Adobe® InDesign®, and gives creative professionals complete creative control from start to finish. So far the number of titles produced using PDF to Book has surpassed projections by 20% and now represent an important part of the company's revenue mix.

In 2009 Blurb significantly expanded its business internationally. Blurb more than doubled its business in Europe achieving 128% year-over-year revenue growth in the region. The company expanded its offering to customers in Australia with personalized services, pricing and shipping options. Customers outside of the United States now account for nearly 40% of Blurb's revenue.

About Blurb

Blurb® is a creative publishing and marketing platform that unleashes the creative genius inside everyone. Blurb's platform makes it easy to design, publish, market and sell professional-quality books, using Blurb's free, award-winning Blurb BookSmart® software. Blurb's bookstore and online marketing tools enable customers to market and sell their books, and keep 100% of their profit. Blurb's social and community features allow customers to create and share Blurb books among friends and colleagues with ease.

Blurb was founded by Eileen Gittins in 2005, and includes a team of design, Internet and media veterans who share a passion for helping people bring their stories to life. Blurb is based in San Francisco with offices in London, and is funded by Canaan Partners and Anthem Venture Partners. For more info, visit http://www.blurb.com

SOURCE Blurb