Tag: reading

Create your Facebook book

Posted on by Team Blookup

At BlookUp we specialize in creating beautiful memory albums, using your social media pages. Our bestselling Facebook books are an easy way to showcase your best memories in a beautiful stylish paper book.

Re-visit your old memories

We share our best moments on Facebook, but we rarely re-visit our old posts or look back on them. At BlookUp we believe these moments deserve to be showcased and celebrated, and a beautiful photo album is the perfect way to do this. This also brings back the wholesome feeling which comes with looking through old memories books with family and friends, which is unfortunately becoming more and more unpopular today with the rise of digital cameras and social media.

A simple and easy process

By simply connecting your Facebook account to our site, you can have a preview of your book in a matter of seconds. Then, you can make the final touches to make the book truly yours, by editing the styles, colors and layout.

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Why you should print your Facebook Book

Posted on by Team Blookup

At BlookUp, Our best seller is our facebook Book. While we admit that Facebook can be a great tool to share memories, nothing compares to reading a physical book.

Not Convinced? Here are three reasons we believe the Facebook book is so popular

The pleasure of reading a physical book

In a world which is becoming more and more digital, sometimes being able to read a physical book can be so relaxing. We already spend so much time in front of a screen. Whether it be for work or aimlessly scrolling on social media, all this screen time is not good for us. Therefore, at BlookUp we believe we should be able to look back on our posts and memories, while taking a break from our screens. It cannot be denied that holding a real book and turning paper pages is so much more relaxing than scrolling through Facebook. Everyone could benefit from a break from the digital world.

Make it a family event

Due to this digitalisation of the world we live in, the older generation and young children are often left out. Without having physical copies of photos , it can be difficult to share these with older members of you family who are unsure of the digital world, as well as young children who are yet to have access. Avoid the difficulties of trying to get your grandchildren or toddlers to understand the facebook album while crowded round a screen and just show them the book. This also brings back the enjoyable family experience of flicking through a memory book or photo book, which is becoming less and less popular today.

Showcase your work

We know that people put a lot of time and work into taking the perfect photos for social media. That’s why we believe having a physical representation of what you’ve created is so important. Your blook is something you can hold, show-off and be proud off. As we use state of the art printers at BlookUp and create chic, stylish looking books we’d highly recommend placing this on show in your home. Plus, its always good to have a physical copy incase the digital one is lost.

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Why you should print your blog

Posted on by Team Blookup

Are you wondering where we got the name ‘BlookUp’? … blog + book = Blook

At BlookUp we have been turning clients blogs into gorgeous handheld books for 14 years, and we printed for thousands of happy bloggers. While we admit that the digital blog can be a great tool, nothing compares to reading a physical book.

Not convinced? Here are 3 reasons why we believe in the Blook:

The pleasure of reading a physical book

In a world which is becoming more and more digital, sometimes being able to read a physical book can be so relaxing. We already spend so much time in front of a screen. Whether it be for work or aimlessly scrolling on social media, all this screen time is not good for us. Therefore, at BlookUp we believe we should be able to look back on our blogs and memories, while taking a break from our screens. It cannot be denied that holding a real book and turning paper pages is so much more relaxing than scrolling through your blog on a screen. Everyone could benefit from a break from the digital world.

Make it a family event

Due to this digitalisation of the world we live in, the older generation and young children are often left out. Without having physical copies of photos or blog entries, it can be difficult to share these with older members of you family who are unsure of the digital world, as well as young children who are yet to have access. Avoid the difficulties of trying to get your grandchildren or toddlers to understand the blog while crowded round a screen and just show them the book. This also brings back the family experience of flicking through a memory book or photo book, which is becoming less and less popular today.

Showcase your work

We know that bloggers put a lot of time, work and love into their blogs. That’s why we believe having a physical representation of what you’ve created is so important. Your blook is something you can hold, show-off and be proud off. As we use state of the art printers at BlookUp and create chic, stylish looking books we’d highly recommend placing this on show in your home.

https://www.blookup.com/fr/products/

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Sensory fiction suit , the book which was plugged in

Posted on by Team Blookup

After hearing and smelling, books keep dropping physical barriers and surprising us!

Sensory Fiction is a unique book titled “The Girl Who Was Plugged In”, a science-fiction novelette written by James Tiptree (a woman, as her pen name tries to hide)… In 1973!

It resembles any book but its size and thickness are strange: In fact, this book allows to experience the emotions of its main character with a connected jacket to wear before starting the reading session!

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A 1973’s story in a book from the future!

The concept is still at the prototype stage but the technologies used are already advanced! The MIT Media Lab, which developed and delivered a physical form to the whole idea, used nearly 150 programmable LEDs to illuminate the cover of the book, allowing colors to change the atmosphere all around you while the jacket, equipped with a heating device (with the help of a Peltier junction), vibrating plates and a system of compression by airbags, will make you experience with the heroine the power of love and despair, the sensation of freedom and that of confinement…

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Front and back views of the Sensory Fiction suit

By playing on heat transmission, heart rate and the atmosphere of the room, Sensory Fiction transports you beyond words and, if it does not replace your imagination (fortunately!), it allows you to be immersed body and soul in the narrative!

We are excited to know if new stories will be adapted to the concept!

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Source | Images:  F3H3

Interview: Talking about literature with Nadia!

Posted on by Team Blookup

It has been a while since the last interview right ?

So, in order to give this year a good start, we are taking back our good habits and we open 2018 with Nadia, passionate about literature and author of the blog  Le Style de ma Plume (in French)!

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Introduce yourself in a few lines : You, your passions, your projects…


First of all, thank you to the BlookUp Team for your trust.
I’m Nadia from the literature blog “Le Style de ma Plume“. Mom of 2 little angels, blogger, administrative employee, I love this exciting rhythm of life: Diversify my occupations while keeping my literature priorities in sight.

Could you explain to our readers what your blog is about ?


Through my blog, I wish, to share my readings in an original way, without any pretention.

In my opinion, reading is a journey of senses. So, what is more natural than sending a postcard from my current destination to my readers…

I also share interviews that I make myself, and you will discover articles as well.

I wrote for Webzines et paper magazine (Alhy magazine, Foulexpress, On behalf of the graphic designer “graphidine”…)

the inside layout of nadia's blook __________________________________

So far, what moment of your blogger’s life was the most significant ?


The launch ! When I went from development to achievement by buying the domain name. Then by clicking on www.lestyledemaplume.com

From there, I only remember lots of beautiful encounters… Projects…

Did your passion for books and writing have a decisive influence on the idea to turn your blog into a book ?
Yes, quite… This was only logical to me. Turn my blog into a book, what an ingenious idea!

How did you hear about BlookUp ?


I spotted the concept a few months ago on the internet.
I was curious about testing it and share my experience, so I contacted you.

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What are the positive elements about the platform ?


The rapidity and the intuitiveness of the platform. Overall, the platform is open to anyone, with or without computing knowledge.

What are the areas for improvement ?


For me, and as previously exposed on my blog, it was the heterogeneous quality of the photos.

Nevertheless, you explained that from now, an alert will be put in place in order to have the possibility to delete or modify the picture when one is likely to be improved.

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What do you think of the final result and what are the feedback of your surroundings?


Receiving my blog in book was a real pleasure.

I love books… The paper… but also blogging… BlookUp is a beautiful alliance between both worlds.

Would you recommend BlookUp ?


It is a huge and sincere YES!

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A big thank to Nadia for agreeing to answer our questions, and thanks again to her for her article about us on her blog!

Visit her blog to share with her your taste for reading and writing, and find her also on :

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Hashtag Shelfie: Sharing your library under the hashtag

Posted on by Team Blookup

We know that internet, blogs and social networks gave or maintained a general taste for writing and creation! It also  gave the world of books a second youth by putting self-publishing at everyone’s reach.

Books and writing are part of the daily life for many of us. And the internet pays them tribute!

@earthscorners

What the shelf?

On Instagram, we find under the hashtag #shelfie a whole lot of inspiring photos featuring shelves and libraries. The word “shelfie” itself sets the tone by combining the words “shelf” with the word “selfie” (the famous self-portraits photographed in the 21st century, for those sleeping at the bottom).

Many of the photos feature furnitures arranged like they’re almost taken straight out of an IKEA magazine. But, and this is what interests us here, we can also find books!

@culturetripbooks

#Shelfie indeed is the occasion to make your personal library a star while the hashtag lasts ! It’s also the moment to share your reading taste or your  storage foibles to your friends and followers… Or even to discover what composes the tastes of others and how people organizes and surrounds one’s readings!

@bluestockingbookhelf

@bluestockingbookshelf

No boasting of elitist readings or endless rows of books here (even if we recognize that a full library is always pretty to picture 😉 ), only the joy of seeing beautiful book-related photos and starting exchanging about your favorite books!

After all, the contents of a library are often indicative of the personality of its owner(s): It is with this idea that the newspaper The Guardian launched the concept of the Shelfie in December 2013.

@shelfjoy

More than 820 000 publications are now classified under the hashtag #shelfie and more are coming everyday, so it’s always time to get involved and show what you have and love!

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Article source (French) | Images:  @earthscorners, @culturetripbooks, @bluestockingbookshelf and @shelfjoy

Books portage, when reading comes at home!

Posted on by Team Blookup

In France, the media library of Poitiers (named “Médiathèque François Mitterrand” as an hommage to one of France’s former Presidents who is said to be fond of arts and culture) has found a great solution to bring company and entertainment to the elderly, handicapped or isolated people. Books portage!

Poitiers’ inhabitants are thus given the possibility of being delivered of their books for free ! With all the books directly coming from the collections of the media library.

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Dominique Delbor receives her new audio books from Carine Chollet and Isabelle Brillanceau’s hands, from the media library staff

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The delivery is “included” in the price of their annual subscription to the library (costing from €6 to €16) ! Thus offering an invaluable service without any extra cost. The people that are delivered are visited by the Media Library’s staff and can exchange a few words as well as their books! Which they give back (of course;)) while borrowing again.

Every 24 days, a new arrival of audiobooks arrives at the tables of the beneficiaries. It allows them, thanks to the quantity and diversity of content available, to find their happiness for several years!

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The multimedia library makes nearly 2,300 texts available to read and has also signed a partnership with the Valentin Haüy association (located in Paris). It allows visually impaired subscribers to obtain access to an additional fund of 200 texts engraved in “Daisy” format. Subscribers can also freely download 20,000 titles from the Éole online library.

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Source (French only) | Photos credits: Bm-poitiers.fr et Marie-Laure Aveline

Books and videos: Who are the Booktubers?

Posted on by Team Blookup

When it comes to reading, profiles and behaviors are very diverse! More or less assiduous readers, young or not so young, with three tons of books on their hands or without any idea of what to read next…

Whatever the situation, navigating on the ocean of books that is literature can quickly become a real challenge. What are the trends? A title teases you, but you’re not sure you want to buy it  because you’re afraid of being disappointed? Which genre will truly move you or are which book will get you out of your comfort zone?

Well, as usual, to answer those questions, you have to look up for information. You may go to the nearest library, bookshop or on an online store… Or on Youtube.

A trend that actually began a few years ago

Booktubers appeared in the United States and in Mexico around the years 2010-2011. PolandbananasBOOKS, the most famous channel in America created in 2010, has currently 361,000 subscribers while Raiza Revelles, the most famous channel in Mexico and created in 2011, has 1,196,000 subscribers!

By comparison, Les Lectures de NiNe, a French channel, counts only 58,000 subscribers!

Many articles have been devoted to Booktubers since 2011, many channels have been created and have disappeared. The phenomenon is now generally well-known and followed by the english-speaking and spanish-speaking countries.

A French “Ipsos” study of 2016 made for the National Book Center (Centre National du Livre) linked the omnipresence of Internet and screens with new reading habits, not with a disinterest in reading! Booktubers, which attracted only 5% of young people according to the study at the time, are the expression of these changes!

Young people talk to young people

Their profile? Mostly female Booktubers under 30, whose audience also includes young female readers. The books presented come from all genres and lovers of great classics or more specific styles can find what they want between two fantasy or science fiction novelties!

A variety of speeches and formats form the wide range of videos made by Booktubers, like “In my Mailbox” (IMM), “Bookhauls” and “Wrap-Up”. for example.

Some of these formats already existed on Youtube for a while, such as the unboxing, which consists of opening a package (sent by a brand) in front of the camera in order to discover its contents with the subscribers. Like other Youtubers, Booktubers often initially order objects themselves, privately: When the channel becomes more famous, publishing houses send them gifts for them to talk about.

The key here is to find a form of book club 2.0: Booktubers talk to people with whom they share the same love of reading (or sometimes convert those who were not interested!) and organize Challenges and Events in order to animate and unite them.

No wonder why publishers are trying to forge partnerships directly with these video makers who are now invited in trade shows and literary debates! But even when they are part of a network, very few Booktubers make book sharing their main activity. Each of them deserves to be viewed though, and of course to be followed!

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Article Source | Crédits Vidéos :A Clockwork Reader, jennaclarek, PolandbananasBOOKS,Little Book Owl, jessethereader 

Growing trees out of books!

Posted on by Team Blookup

A small publishing house in Argentina recently made a totally organic book that gives back to nature what it took from it by growing into a tree (Which might remind you of our previous article about the Japanese blooming newspapers). What’s their secret? Well first, unlike the majority of books, this one is made using organic ink along with acid-free pages that allow it to be planted without harming the soils. Seeds are put inside the paper during the making process and will wait until their time comes to grow into a magnificent tree!

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This book tells the story of a man wandering inside the equatorial jungle as seen through the eyes of his son.

 

Pequeño Editor, the publishing house specialized in books for children,  wanted to deliver a message to their young readers: “Books come from trees. Today, a tree comes from a book.”

Even though changing the way we make books on a global scale seems difficult (If not impossible), we have to salute the effort made by the people of this publishing house who do not only show us an eco friendly alternative but also educate children in the process!

“If your plan is for one year plant rice. If your plan is for ten years plant trees. If your plan is for one hundred years educate children” – Confucius

If you want to know more about Pequeño Editor and their work, be sure to check out their Facebook and Twitter page!

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Back in the days, we had bookmobiles!

Posted on by Team Blookup

Many of you probably don’t remember that time before Amazon!  Before even the internet was a thing, people still managed to bring books home though. Most of them went to the local bookstore or to the library, but what about the country folks or the people living in the suburbs ? The ones who did not have this chance?

Well just like Pepperidge Farm, BlookUp remembers!  Bookmobiles, were the solution to those who lived too far  away from the city and thus did not (or hardly) have access to the riches and joy that brought books. We have to travel back to the late 1850’s in Warrington (England) to see what is believed to be the first bookmobile, a horse-drawn van full of books. Behind this idea was a philanthropist, called George Moore whose project was to spread the goods of literature to the small villages around the city.

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The Perambulating library of Harrington in 1859, believed to be the first of its kind.

Needless to say people spread the word and the concept continued growing to the point of reaching the United States. Ultimately horses were replaced by cars, more efficient, and allowing the librarian to carry more books. Bookmobiles eventually reached the peak of their popularity in the mid 20th century before slowly disappearing.

Picture of a bookmobile in the 20's
Photo of a bookmobile in the 1920’s. Credits – Numismatic Bibliomania Society

However there still are a few of them out there, their goal remained the same: diffusing good literature and educating those who need it the most. Many libraries like San Francisco Public Library or Toronto Public Library have bookmobiles driving around the city, who knows maybe one day you’ll see one of these mobile libraries too!

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