What does blook mean?
A blook is a hybrid of two media forms: the blog and the book. The term describes a printed, bound work whose content either originated on a blog or is consciously arranged in the episodic, personal style typical of one. As blogging exploded in popularity during the early 2000s, many successful bloggers accumulated substantial archives of writing, and publishers — or print-on-demand services — began transforming these archives into physical volumes. The resulting products were dubbed 'blooks', a playful portmanteau reflecting their dual nature. Interest in the format grew enough to inspire the Lulu Blooker Prize, awarded from 2006 to 2008 to the best book derived from a blog. Though never a mainstream term outside publishing and technology journalism, 'blook' captures a genuinely significant moment when digital-first writing crossed over into traditional print, making it a useful word for discussing self-publishing, content repurposing, and the evolving relationship between online and offline media.
nounA 'blook' is a book whose content originated as, or is structured like, a blog — typically a weblog that has been edited and printed as a bound volume.
- A book compiled from material originally published on a blog, or a work deliberately written in blog format for print.
"Her popular design blog became a beautifully illustrated blook after a publisher approached her about print rights."
"The novelist's early fiction began life as serialized chapters on her website before appearing as a blook."
"Print-on-demand services made it easy for any diarist to turn years of posts into a polished blook."
Standard regular plural; occasionally hyphenated informally, though the closed form is most common.
"Several blooks have gone on to become bestsellers in their own right."
The word 'blook' was coined by fusing 'blog' and 'book' — and it even earned its own literary award, the Blooker Prize, honoring books born from blogs.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of blook
Blook emerged in the mid-2000s as a deliberate portmanteau blending 'blog' (itself a contraction of 'weblog') and 'book'. It arose organically among bloggers and commentators describing printed collections of weblog entries, gaining wider visibility through coverage of the Lulu Blooker Prize, first awarded in 2006 by the self-publishing company Lulu.com. As an English coinage built from English components, it has no foreign-language cognates, though it inherits the lineage of both parents: 'book' from Old English 'bōc', and 'blog' from 'web log'.
How blook is actually used
'Blook' is an informal, internet-era coinage used mainly in publishing and tech circles rather than everyday conversation. It carries a light, playful connotation and is often mentioned in discussions of self-publishing and the convergence of digital and print media.
Easily confused with blook
A book need not originate from online writing; a blook specifically has its roots in blog content.
A blog is an ongoing online journal, while a blook is the printed, bound version of such content.