Growing an audience
Running the business
Both cover self-publishing. Here is what separates them on price, billing, what you can take with you, and coverage.
| Blurb | PublishDrive | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | From $3.99 | From $13.99 |
| Pricing model | One-time purchase | Free plan, paid tiers |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Billing | One-time purchase | Annual only |
| Free trial | Not stated | None |
| API | Yes | Not stated |
| Data export | Not stated | Not stated |
| Their cut | Not stated | None |
| Runs on | Web, macOS, Windows | Web |
| Covers | Self-Publishing, Merch & Print on Demand | Self-Publishing, Digital Products & Storefronts |
| Works with | Nothing in particular | Nothing in particular |
| Founded | Not listed | Not listed |
| Reader rating | No reviews yet | No reviews yet |
| Live deals | None right now | None right now |
Print books and magazines one copy at a time
Blurb prints a single copy as readily as a hundred, which is what makes a photo book, a zine or a portfolio possible without an inventory. Layout happens in its own tools or in InDesign through a plugin. Paper stock and trim size move the unit price a long way, so the calculator is worth opening before the design is finished.
Our note
Paper stock moves the price further than page count does, with the same photo book running from $32 to $70. Work out the real cost at the binding you want before setting it against Lulu. The $12 headline is the cheapest possible configuration.
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Ebook distribution with no cut of royalties
PublishDrive charges a subscription and then takes nothing from sales, which inverts the usual aggregator deal and pays off the moment a book sells steadily. One upload reaches over 50 retailers and a library network most authors never get near. Plans are capped by title count, so a back catalogue costs more than a single book does.
Our note
Draft2Digital takes 10 percent and costs nothing up front, so it wins on a book that barely sells and loses on one that does. Work out your annual royalties before choosing: the crossover for the Starter plan is somewhere around $1,700 a year in sales.
Ratings are the average of reviews readers left. The facts are stated by each tool’s own listing and are not verified by CloutStack. How we make money.
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