Blum was born in Queens, New York, and graduated with a degree in English literature from the University of Chicago in 1977.
[1] A 1985 New York Magazine cover story by Blum is credited for coining the term Brat Pack for a group of young 1980s actors.
In 2002, he was named an adjunct professor at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
[1] Blum was editor-in-chief of The Village Voice from September 2006 through March 2007 (one in a string of editors the publication had in a short period of time),[4] and editor-in-chief of the New York Press from September 2007 through June 2008.
[7] In 2010, Blum joined Amazon.com as the founding editor of Kindle single, the retailer's effort to sell long-form nonfiction for its e-reader device.