Everyone’s publisher

As readers of trendwatching.com’s briefings will know, Generation C (the content generation) is a force to be reckoned with. Or, better yet, catered to! Which is exactly what Blurb is doing. This still in beta publishing software and services company partners with the world’s leading book printers to offer would-be authors bookstore-quality publishing. As they put it: “Holding a finished book with your name on the cover is a truly amazing feeling; it’s one of those experiences everyone should have. There’s no good reason why it should take tons of time, technical skills, big bucks or friends in high places to publish a book.” Blurb offers smart and simple book creation software named Booksmart (free to use) which includes an “automagical archive feature” for pouring blogs into pre-formatted pages. Prices run from $29.95 for a 40-page 8X10 full color, hardcover book with custom dust jacket to $79.95 for the maximum of 400 pages. For customers interested in selling their books, an online marketplace will be added soon. Opportunities are neatly summed up in Blurb’s press release: “Technology now allows average consumers to capture every moment and memory – a trend called “life caching” that spans technology-savvy Generations X and Y, as well as the many Baby Boomers now reflecting on their legacies at age 60. The volume of this content is overwhelming: Technorati is tracking more than 26 million blogs, and the Photo Marketing Association estimates 20 billion digital images were taken last year. Yet all these ideas and images are at risk of being lost, with digital formats and platforms becoming obsolete without warning.” How can YOU help Generation C earn money with their textual/audio/visual creations? Who’s going to be the people’s Penguin or Time Warner?