Famous Self Publishers
Self publishing is a time-honored tradition. Some of the finest writers have been snubbed by publishers and forced to publish their own works at some time in their careers. Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass, Howard Fast’s Spartacus, Lady Chatterley’s Lover, The Joy of Cooking and Huckleberry Finn first saw print because their authors were willing to put their own money on the line to have their works published. And this isn’t just a practice of the past–Grisham’s A Time to Kill, Canfield and Hensen’s Chicken Soup for the Soul, and the Celestine Prophecy all began their lives as self-published works.
I was a young pup working in a bookstore in Southern California when I met the authors of Chicken Soup for the Soul. They would deliver copies of their self-published book to our store and the damned things sold like hotcakes. Little did I know that the book (and eventual series) would turn into a worldwide phenomenon a few short years later. And all because they believed enough in their work to publish it themselves.
It is now so easy and affordable to print and bind your own books. Why not give it a shot? You may not get rich, but it’s hard to beat the satisfaction of seeing your work in print, even if it’s just you and some close friends who end up reading it.
The Atomic Book Press
This is the first of hopefully several tools for you hardcover bookbinders out there–The Atomic Book Press. This is a prototype version that is a bit of a Frankenstein’s monster, built from scrap I had laying around the shop (except for the press screw, which is new). I am still working out a few minor design kinks, but this is essentially the form it will take.
The final product will be made of 3/4″ cabinet-grade plywood, a heavier version of what is used in the other Atomic products. The pieces are put together with a series of dado channels which make it very sturdy and stable. Then everything is glued and screwed together. At first these will most likely be offered as a special order item. If the orders pick up, I will build enough to always have a few on hand.
The book press will have a capacity of 12″ x 9″ x 3″. I may increase the thickness capability a few inches, as I have some unused thread on the press screw. Might as well put that to use (one of the minor design tweaks I mentioned). These will be as well built as any wooden book press out there, but should be substantially cheaper than most. Let me know what you think.
The Small Press and Cashing In
I’m not a big fan of chasing every flash-in-the-pan trend in the publishing world. When Brad Pitt bought the rights to World War Z, there were dozens of zombie diary/documentary knock-offs. And the whole Twilight Saga has spawned countless gawd-awful angst-ridden teen vampire clones. That being said, small presses are in a unique position to cash in on trends–they don’t have to struggle with the slow moving beast that is big league publishing. No 12- to 24-month print schedules, no huge marketing campaigns to coordinate. Just get your story together, design your book and go.
I’m also good friends with a guy who makes inexpensive perfect binding machines. I can put in a good word for you.
Blasphemy
Some Binding Machine Improvements
I was experimenting with some cover paper that turned out to be a bit too brittle. Every time I tried to bind a book, a crack would appear on the back cover. Though I won’t be using this paper for covers, the failed experiment yielded some positive results. I have improved the front clamp on the Original Atomic Binding Machines. The front edge is thinner than the previous incarnation. It lessens the bend on the covers and makes scoring a bit easier as
well.
All future units will ship with the new and improved front clamp. Hopefully, I will soon be able to show you the new glue gun that I have spent too much time and money developing as well.
Old Covers Never Die
Judging a Book by Its Cover
Who says you can’t judge a book by it’s cover? Just watch me. These covers of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 are ranked from dullest to coolest. I only want to read the last two books on the right. Those look like rousing stories of flame throwers, guys in cool metal suits, burning and just general fiery mayhem. The other two look as if they are about to be assigned by professors of literature. Zzzzzzzz. Just remember this, self publishers–you may not be able to judge a book by its cover, but you can certainly judge its sales.
Bare Bones – $89
Postcards as Covers, Part Deux
The whole postcards as covers experiment didn’t go so well. I failed to take into account something that, as a woodworker, should have occurred to me–the grain of the paper. Wood has grain and so does paper. A printer friend reminded me of this basic concept. Score paper along the grain and everything folds smoothly, score against the grain and you get ugly breaks and cracks (see the scan below). Something to consider when buying paper or ordering prints.
The paper I printed these on was ‘Grain Long’, meaning the grain runs along the length of the sheet. Since I printed everything in landscape orientation, I was scoring my covers against the grain. What I really needed was ‘Short Grain’ so my scores would have been with the grain. Or I could have placed the cover files in portrait orientation (not an option with the size of my covers).
Oftentimes, the paper label will make note of the grain. On a package of Kromekote plus Cover in my desk drawer, it simply says ‘Long’. Sometimes you can tell by the dimensions of the paper. 8.5″ by 11″ is probably ‘Long Grain’, while 11″ by 8.5″ is ‘Short Grain’–the second dimension listed is the grain direction. Sometimes the grain direction is indicated by a bold or underlined dimension number. And sometimes it isn’t mentioned at all.
Now doesn’t that clear everything up?
Postcards as Covers
Home laser printers can’t always give you the look or quality of cover you desire. Case in point below. Without some sort of UV or aqueous coating the blacks just didn’t pop the way I wanted them too. Everything was very dull and, well, laser-like. I have actually used postcard covers in the past, usually for smaller books, but some printers offer letter-size postcards or brochures that they will print on a cover stock.
When I submit these files I sometimes get questions from the printers. ‘Are you sure this is what you want?’ or ‘What about your bleed? Surely you want a bleed on your postcards’. I just smile and politely tell them that I know what I’m doing and to just print the cards. Most don’t question me much, as long as my credit card clears.
This was a bit of a failed experiment. I printed a small run of postcards from Overnite Prints (don’t let the name fool you–it took 10 days to get these). These are 14pt stock, too heavy to score properly. I have some more on order that are 10pt (not from Overnite). I think they will work fine. I’ll let you know.
The Binding Blog 