Blurb, the independent book and magazine publishing platform, today announced that wine blogger and Blurb author Alder Yarrow’s first book, The Essence of Wine: Celebrating the Delights of the Palate, made the New York Times’ Best Wine Books of 2014 list which is compiled by wine writer, Eric Asimov, each year. Yarrow joins a growing list of experts and authors who have opted to use self-publishing platforms like Blurb in order to retain complete creative control over their work, bringing their books to market in record time.
Independently published projects are increasingly winning mainstream awards and recognition, and delivering strong sales via distribution capabilities historically available only to “traditional” publishing houses. Founder and CEO of Blurb, Eileen Gittins stated, “We’re seeing a shift in who is publishing and how they are publishing; nowadays individuals and businesses are more often publishing their own projects themselves instead of hoping to secure a book deal from a publishing house.
“What’s happening is that people like Alder, who have valuable expertise and have cultivated a digital following, are selecting and then converting the best of their work into digital and print publications. In a world of abundance, the filter is the value – in this case, a blog reimagined – and a book becomes the ultimate in curation.”
Alder Yarrow is regarded as one of the most influential wine bloggers on the Internet today. Yarrow’s site, Vinography, features wine, sake, and restaurant reviews, editorials, wine news, event coverage, and more. Yarrow stated,”Over the years, I’ve been approached by publishers who wanted me to do a book with them, but when I was finally ready with a proposal for a book I was excited about, every publisher I approached turned me down.
“They thought it was too artsy, and didn’t think they could sell it as I had conceived of it. I wasn’t willing to compromise my vision for what the book would be, and needed a publisher who felt the same way, but it just wasn’t happening. So I decided to do it on my own using Blurb and I couldn’t be more pleased.”
In December 2013, Yarrow launched a Kickstarter campaign with an $18,000 goal. The money would cover a designer, copy editor, and publishing costs. Yarrow surpassed his goal, raising just over $24,000 from over 180 backers in fewer than 30 days. Yarrow added, “Self-publishing allowed me to retain creative control and produce a beautiful book that I’m incredibly proud of.”
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