The Zen of Making Books | Part One
There must be an easier way to do this.
This thought crosses my mind often as I am creating hard cover copies of my books. To be fair, it is a painstakingly long process, though one that I thoroughly enjoy (for a time). I feel that making my own books is an integral part of who I am as a writer. I believe that book making and writing fit so perfectly together.
There are those who would argue that a writer’s time should be spent writing… and leave the book making to those who are gifted at doing just that.
There is a lot of truth to this statement, though to be honest, I don’t think that a writer can truly appreciate their work until they have poured blood, sweat and tears into its full creation. I find this is especially true when hard cover binding your work.
My first collection of poetry and short stories ("Doing Time...") was soft cover bound. I had no idea what I was doing and this appeared to be the simplest way to go about binding it. The cover was made of heavier stock linen paper and the cover image was printed on stickers which I applied to the paper. The binding was done using black plastic clip bindings which actually looked quite good.
The process (per book) did not take very long and the outcome was received quite positively by those who bought copies. I was able to sell the copies for a small price as not a lot of time was invested (again, per book).
Still, I longed for a hard cover collection to call my own. So it was that I started reading up on how to hard cover bind books. I read instructions on how to create a variety of styles, ranging from crafty, bejeweled books to serious chapter books. In the end, I opted for something that I believed would look quite elegant. This was for “it’s about no longer being a bastard”, my second collection of poetry (sans short stories this time).
I spent hours working on it, and when all was said and done and that first book was completed, I had to burst out laughing from the disappointment of it all. This thing was terrible! It did not look anything like the fancy picture from which I’d followed the instructions to the letter. It looked ridiculous.
Well, this simply would not do.
So I took about studying actual hard cover novels. I nearly tore some apart to see how they were bound. I studied other book making tutorials online (true book making, not crafty nonsense… no offence to those who can actually create nice crafty books… cause I sure as hell cannot).
I then came up with my own style using everything I’d just learned. I applied traditional concepts with newer, interesting ideas and the result was a beautiful book.
It was a lot of fun planning this book out… everything from the creation of its design to the colors which I wanted to use. The cover image took quite a long time to make, however that is because it uses so many different blended images (many Photoshop layers on that one). Still, that too was great fun.
I’d made quite a few of these books which were very well received. People didn’t seem to mind the price jump, as they appreciated the incredible effort that went into each book. For you see, instead of the few minutes (per book) which “Doing Time...” took, “it’s about no longer being a bastard” took over four hours (per book) to create. It’s no wonder I had some people telling me that I wasn’t charging enough. That being said however, I did not feel that it would be right to charge any more than I was (in an effort to respect that not everyone would consider each book a work of art, but rather that which it was… a book of poetry).
Still, that was fine by me. I sold less books this way which made it easier for me, as I had less to create. I still got my work out there, and those who now own one of those copies have a very rare limited print.
I got tired of the work involved, and decided to stop partway through the creation of the last five copies (which remain unfinished, though I will bind those along with the newest collection simply to finish that which I’d started three years ago). Now, ready to bind my latest collection of poetry ("The Zen of Shaving One’s Balls"), I have decided that it too will be hard cover bound… and so I’ve dug my heels into the ground and am prepared for the insane amount of time I will need to do so.
I have already been fielding orders despite the fact that I have not even created the first book. People have come forward and told me they want a copy based on the caliber of the work and the fact that they know the end result (actual binding of the book) is going to look wonderful.
This makes me feel very good. It’s nice to have that kind of faith in your life, and support for your creative endeavors (hence this collection’s dedication). So taking all that into consideration, I know that I have to do a good job. I don’t want to disappoint anyone.
If anyone reading this is interested in also purchasing a copy of “The Zen of Shaving One’s Balls”, know that they are selling for $30 USD which will include shipping and handling. I will continue updating this blog series (The Zen of Making Books) to show the progress and to demonstrate how the books are made (the effort and the love).
I’ve not yet setup the official PayPal entry to purchase the book, however that is because I wish to control the amount of orders which are going through. If you are interested, you may e-mail me via this member list page. Advise me of your interest and of how many copies you would like, and I will let you know if I am able to place you on my order list (and if so, when you can expect your copy).
I will be offering rebates to those who would like to purchase a copy of “Doing Time...” and/or “it’s about no longer being a bastard” along with their copy of “The Zen of Shaving One’s Balls”. I’ve a few copies of my first collection, as well as the five copies of the second (pending binding) available. Once those are gone however, they are gone.
Stay tuned for Part Two in this series where I’ll discuss the work that went into creating the cover image for “The Zen of Shaving One’s Balls”.
