From The New York Times:
Though not all blogs may aspire to literary permanence, they can achieve it through the new Book-Smart software from Blurb, a publish-your-own-book service. The software, which is expected to be available free later this month at www.blurb.com, features a “Slurper” tool that automatically downloads and reformats the contents of a Web log into a book that bloggers and their admirers can purchase online.
I love the idea, but negotiating the print rights to images and content lifted from news sources around the globe seems like a Herculean task. On the other hand, if all blog content is totally original, or paid for by a sponsoring brand, then the book idea truly has legs.
It should be noted, the software package helps individuals put a book together. One needn’t have a blog, nor any web presence whatsoever to take advantage of the product.
Art directors, copywriters, photographers and models might do well to make their portfolios using this technology.
