Here’s another great contest within a contest that will definitely appeal to all the creative Moderncat readers! If you don’t already know about Blurb.com, you’re going to love this. It’s an online service that lets you publish your own beautiful, full-color books, one (or several) at a time. It looks very easy, you simply download their software to help you create your book or you can create your book in your own layout software and use a pdf to publish it. Either way, the end result is a professional looking, bookstore-quality book. Once you’ve created your book online, you can easily promote it and let others purchase copies directly from Blurb and make a little extra cash for yourself. Both hardcover and softcover are available in a variety of sizes.
2009 Blurb Best Books Contest
Here’s the exciting news: Blurb is hosting the first annual Best Blurb Books Contest, and there’s a category for people passionate about photographing their pets. The grand prize for the pets category is $3,000, and there will be a runner-up who receives $1,000. Anyone can enter a pet-themed photo book through October 22. All you have to do is create a book, order one copy of your book and then enter the book into the contest in the pet category. Get all the contest details here.
To give you a little inspiration, here are some books people created featuring beautiful photos of their cats.
ENTER TO WIN A FREE BOOKMAKING CODE!
The team over at Blurb really wants to see what the Moderncat readers can do for the contest, so they are offering four free bookmaking codes! That means you won’t have to pay the $36.95 fee to create your book and enter it into the contest. So please leave a comment on this post to enter to win one of the bookmaking codes. The winners will be chosen in a random drawing on October 1 and will receive the codes right away so they can start working on their contest entries to have them ready by the October 22 deadline. Good luck to everyone!
September 29th, 2009 at 6:10 am
Blurb is awesome — i’d love the free bookmaking code!
September 29th, 2009 at 6:56 am
This is such a cool idea… I am already thinking of ideas for a book- all which involve my cats!
September 29th, 2009 at 7:07 am
These contests have really been hitting it out of the park lately. Such great stuff!
September 29th, 2009 at 7:08 am
Wanna win! x)
September 29th, 2009 at 7:10 am
This looks like it would be addictive! Book making about kitties! Oh Yes!
September 29th, 2009 at 7:10 am
Didn’t know this service existed. Very cool. Hope I win….
September 29th, 2009 at 7:11 am
Oh I would LOVE to do this. I am a designer so this is right up my alley.
September 29th, 2009 at 7:11 am
ooo we want it
September 29th, 2009 at 7:12 am
I would love to make a book of my kitty pics!
September 29th, 2009 at 7:12 am
Sure sounds like fun!!
September 29th, 2009 at 7:13 am
Sign me up!
September 29th, 2009 at 7:15 am
Great idea! Can;t wait to see the entries!
September 29th, 2009 at 7:16 am
Blurb is a great service, & I’m glad you’ve partnered up with them – particularly to provide us with another opportunity to be creative!
September 29th, 2009 at 7:16 am
How exciting is this!!?? I know Bruce (my scottish fold tabby) is!
September 29th, 2009 at 7:19 am
Oh, being a professional photographer (who photographs pets/families/couples, etc.), I’m definitely trying my hand at this one! Will have to get busy photographing our new kitten which arrives Oct. 19th to have lots of images of her in the book!
September 29th, 2009 at 7:21 am
Great idea! I’d love to try making one of these books.
September 29th, 2009 at 7:23 am
This is such a wonderful concept!
September 29th, 2009 at 7:25 am
Cool! I wish I could write a book but my paws are too small I think.
September 29th, 2009 at 7:25 am
Ooohhh! I want to publish a kitty book for my lovelies.
September 29th, 2009 at 7:26 am
i love this!
it’s not like we really need more pictures of our kitties….. 
September 29th, 2009 at 7:31 am
I’ve made a little book like this – didn’t look as sharp as this one though!
September 29th, 2009 at 7:32 am
If I had a dollar for every picture of my cat I have taken ever, I would have a lot of dollars.
September 29th, 2009 at 7:33 am
Please enter me to win a free bookmaking code.
September 29th, 2009 at 7:33 am
I’ve made books before, but never one dedicated to my cats! I want to now!
September 29th, 2009 at 7:34 am
free custom books? Awesome!
September 29th, 2009 at 7:38 am
I’d love to win!
September 29th, 2009 at 7:39 am
What a great idea, I want to try it!!
September 29th, 2009 at 7:40 am
This could be an interesting challenge. I’d never heard of the Blurb site.
September 29th, 2009 at 7:40 am
What a great idea! I love it! This would be so fun to have on our coffee table!
September 29th, 2009 at 7:40 am
I would use a bookmaking code!
September 29th, 2009 at 7:41 am
What fun! I already have some great photos of my cat and have been itching to take more! This would be great motivation.
September 29th, 2009 at 7:43 am
I just found this site today, and I love contests. The shown books are very insoirational. I am going to begin one of my own.
September 29th, 2009 at 7:43 am
I would love to pull together a book for this contest
It’ll be a great test for my new digital camera! 
September 29th, 2009 at 7:46 am
might make a good christmas present for that other crazy cat lady!
September 29th, 2009 at 7:46 am
I love blurb! I have made several books with it already and am working on a huge project right now. It’s such a great way to make professional looking books in smaller quantities.
September 29th, 2009 at 7:48 am
Once upon a time, there was a big cat named Angus who had very podgeable paws…on a dark and stormy night.
September 29th, 2009 at 7:48 am
What a great idea! I’d love to be able to do this
September 29th, 2009 at 7:51 am
I love this program!! I am using it to make a guest book for my wedding featuring my 3 cats. Since they can’t be there in all their kittyness, I wanted to have them apart of our special day!!!!!
September 29th, 2009 at 7:51 am
It would be awesome to get a code!
September 29th, 2009 at 7:52 am
What an awesome idea – so much easier than what is available now!
September 29th, 2009 at 7:53 am
What a fabulous site! Would love to make a book about my furry friends!
September 29th, 2009 at 7:54 am
My four cats will look great in this Hollywood style book! I need one please!!!!
September 29th, 2009 at 7:55 am
how cool is this!!!!
September 29th, 2009 at 7:56 am
I’m surprised this is the first comment, this sounds like a lot of fun.
September 29th, 2009 at 8:03 am
i would love to make a book of my previous cat. she was almost 21~! i have lots of great pics i would love to put in a book to keep her with me.
September 29th, 2009 at 8:04 am
wow! I’m loving the creative contests! I’d love a ‘reason’ to photograph my babe(s) lol
September 29th, 2009 at 8:05 am
Great contest, would love a chance to win this. Thanks
September 29th, 2009 at 8:08 am
Wow! Imagine a book filled with pictures of all my rescues….geez, that also sounds like a lot of work too.
September 29th, 2009 at 8:10 am
Another great contest! I’m already getting ideas…
September 29th, 2009 at 8:15 am
WOW, Blurb looks like an innovative tool fo those of us who are creative.