Any progress on the zine?
I had the same problem with blurb. It just cost too damn much! I was fairly aggravated that a 7x7" softback black and white photo book was $19.95 plus shipping. I wasn't about to charge over $20 for this small book. I wasn't planning to make a profit it was just for promotional ventures and friends/family but the price point was too high for such a small book by an unknown photographer. A few close friends bought it but that was it. Blurb makes really nice quality books but they just aren't beneficial. (Unless you're doing one offs or printing only a few. The hardcover books are a really great way to present your portfolio. Make the biggest size photo book you can and pull out all the stops. people will really notice your portfolio book then)
I ended up getting a few books at the library on book binding and book arts and was able to put together a better quality photo book. It was a bw portfolio of about 25 images, hand bound on heavy paper with a hardcover slip case. Each book cost about $8 to make and I sold them for $12-15(15 when the edition started to run out!). It was much nicer and more personable than the blurb books. Plus, I had a great time teaching myself how to make books. Best part though is that you have absolute control of every aspect of creating your book.