Blurb CEO Eileen Gittins founded the online book publishing service after she had an "awful, brutal" experience trying to get her own book of photography published.

That generated a "personal passion" in her for the idea that anyone should be able to publish a book with high-quality photographs or other art work.

Less than three years later, Blurb has become a phenomenon -- publishing more than 80,000 titles in 2007 and creating a community of book lovers that numbers 250,000.

While Gittins wouldn't reveal exactly how much Blurb's cost is per book, she said the company makes money on every book, some of which sell for as little as $12.95.

Blurb, which employs about 40 people, expects to be profitable later this year, according to Gittins.