On occasion I use MagCloud (the "lower cost" version of Blurb) but haven't had the need to use Blurb for a few years. I tried the Bookwright software but the type tools were too limiting for kerning and leading...
So, I simply used the plugins for InDesign and that way I could also repurpose my books and do my own PDF and ebooks without locks and watermarks.
One of the lock-ins you deal with most of the Print-On-Demand (POD) vendors is that they a handful or more of formats and one may have to reformat their work to fit the next size. For instance MagCloud has 8x8 and 12x12 books while Blurb is 5x5, 7x7 and 12x12. Other than the 12x12, you've got a little work to do. It's a similar situation on other sizes.
For the most part, I haven't been anal regarding color reproduction. Going for "pleasing color" gets it pretty close for a lot of my work. Few people who buy my books will ever compare an image to my prints and fewer would even notice that the color will be different between the two.
Learning from my long-time professional graphic & fine artist friends who used to use 5-6-7 color printing, touch plates, etc., tuning the color to the n-th degree, the costs got out of hand and that extra 5-10% of color tweaking amounted to 90% of the cost of their printed reproductions. They learned after paying their dues to go to pleasing color since nearly all of their customers and clients were satisfied and onboard with the results of "pleasing...".
That said, another option is KDF, a division of Amazon. Many formats for books, now hardcover for some and quite pleasing color and pretty good consistency batch to batch. I believe they, too, use the Indigo presses which is not quite to offset quality like on the Heidlebfrg DI presses for short-run printing or the Komura presses, but still quite adequate. The price is quite reasonable per unit, also.
You have to figure out some of the set-up on your own and there's little hand-holding available. BUT there are ISBN numbers and the ability to list and sell it on Amazon.
Amazon used to fulfill in under a week when I started to use them several years ago but now they make about 10-14 days and mostly seemed to be fulfilled on the east coast. When I started, they were printed in Southern California and I'd have them in less than a week, but I guess they moved their printing plant to a cheaper venue.
I haven't tried their hard-bound books yet, but as far as the overall experience, if you know InDesign and can create a proper PDF (KDF has a plugin/preset for this), then it may be worth giving it a try. If you need more control over paper, color, etc. then by all means pay the price and have Blurb, MagCloud and the others do the printing for you.
