I recently made a book of all of my blog posts from 2011. I say "recently," but what I really mean is for eleven stinkin' months. Who knew that making a blog book would take so much time? I started it in January, and granted, I didn't work on it diligently every single month, but I think I spent close to 100 hours putting that (d-word) book together. I must qualify that by saying that 2011 was a huge year for us, so there were tons of posts and tons of photos (the finished blog book is 210 pages), and I must also acknowledge that I am the world's biggest perfectionist, so I'm sure that some of those hours were poorly spent with me rearranging and trying to make everything just perfect...but still, what a project.
Before I started this colossal undertaking, I researched websites to use, and I found Blog2Print (which just slurps your blog into a PDF file and binds it, and you don't have to do any formatting at all)--but when I tried that, it made the spacing in my book all wonky, and there was no way to go in and edit it. The photos were also super small, and it was just one long, continuous document, so sometimes the title of a post would be at the bottom of the page before...it didn't look professional, and I knew it would drive me nuts. If this was going to be our family journal and photo album, and if I was going to pour time and money into it, I wanted it to look really nice. So I decided to use Blurb.com. It slurps your blog into a file, so all of the words and all of the photos are there, but then you have to go through post by post and choose or create layouts that fit. It sounds easy enough, but let me tell you, it takes some serious time (especially when you are still figuring out the program).
I love the way my book turned out, but the thought of doing it again--for the years 2008 and 2009 and 2010 AND 2012--makes me shudder. There has to be a better way. I mean, can I honestly keep blogging if it is then going to take 100 hours to transfer a year of posts into a book?
I do think the next book will go faster, now that I know the computer program better and know that I can't be such a perfectionist, and I do recognize that the years 2008, 2009, and 2010 will probably add up to the same length as the year 2011...but I am still feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of starting again.
Any suggestions? Has anyone else run into this problem? Have you figured out a way to make it more manageable? Do you have tips for better ways that I can write my posts in order to make the transfer to a book easier? I would really appreciate some advice!
I use blurb. I'm not a perfectionist though. I do the same background for the whole book (which I like), I try not to talk about specific pics in my post. That way I don't have to try and find a layout that puts the text and pictures next to each other. Instead I talk about them generally so that whatever layout I pick works for them. That helps it go a little faster. I know some people that make their book as the year goes on so it's not overwhelming at the end (the same time they post they just ad the same text and pics to their book). It's worth the time though. Plus you can print as many copies as you want so I print five and have one copy out to look at and one put away for each kid. So it's less work for me than it would be if I had to make them each their own book.
ReplyDeleteRachel Shaw just made her books from "Cutest Blog on the Block". I've yet to check out the site, but it's similar to Blog2print in how it slurps it... I think. But Rach made it seem like you can still go in and edit??? I'm still working on reuploading all the lost pictures from my blog from the fiasco of the summer of 2011! I will easily spend over 100 hours redoing these pictures. It's so discouraging and overwhelming!!! I blog way too much! :)
ReplyDeleteUgh - I totally feel you here. I did 2008-2009 and a 2010 book but still haven't done 2011 and 2012 and I am so overwhelmed about the thought of doing it again. Takes FOREVER. :(
ReplyDeleteHm, I came to your comments section hoping for some good advice because I'm thinking of taking on a similar project, but sadly it looks like there's no simple way? Bummer.
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