Word: kaufmanns
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When Michelle Kaufmann discovered Blurb, she thought the Web-based publisher might help her make a book of photos from a recent vacation to Costa Rica, something to show her friends. "I downloaded the software on a whim," she says. "It just looked like something people did for personal...
...Kaufmann, an architect who specializes in sustainable design, soon realized that Blurb could help transform her business. Impressed with the quality of the finished product, she turned to a more important task: a book that would feature the work of Michelle Kaufmann Designs, the Bay Area firm she founded in 2003. She had been approached by conventional publishers in the past, but as a small business, she didn't want to wait years to accommodate publishing's long lead times. "I thought, This is the book we've been wanting to do," she says. She spent two months pulling together...
...distribution. "A real book is a great marketing tool," says Al Greco, an industry analyst. Architects, photographers, interior designers and Japanese anime artists are using self-publishing websites to produce books that showcase their work in a style comparable to that of established art-book publishers. Professional books like Kaufmann's "are the fastest-growing segment of our business," says Eileen Gittins, CEO of Blurb, which launched in May 2006 and is based in San Francisco. She expects revenue to reach $5 million to $10 million this year, as the company expands its printing operations with partnerships in Europe...
...books in the remainder bin. "In traditional distribution, you'd see $1 a copy," Gittins says. "A lot of Blurb authors are seeing $10 a copy. This is not necessarily quit-your-day-job money, but it might be new-telescope-lens money. It can help fund your passion." Kaufmann makes only a buck or two for each copy of her book that's sold at Blurb's online bookstore (it's priced at $42 in hardcover, $35 in softcover). The real value, she says, is the added exposure from having sold some 150 copies to date. She plans...
...surprisingly, San Francisco's new bank appeals first to customers who have already earned their green credentials. "We want to be working with people who have similar ideals," says Michelle Kaufmann, an architect known for her stylish prefab homes made from environmentally sound materials...