Anatomy of a Cover

I have a method to my madness when it comes to cover design. In the light of day, I am an Art Director and Graphic Artist and I create my ads/files/images to satisfy clients and make sure that every file is created to certain specifications. But when I’m designing and printing for myself, a different set of rules apply. Below is the cover from my recent book. I have left the the Photoshop guides on the image to show you how I create a cover that I can print and cut myself with minimal hassle.

#1 These are the fold lines for scoring the spine. Sometimes I create a solid bar of color for the spine, so the scoring is straightforward. But a solid bar is also the least forgiving method. You must create your scores just right or the cover will appear off center and out of whack. By creating scoring lines that blend nicely into the color of the cover I am able to miss a bit and the finished product still looks good.

#2 These are the cut lines that run around the perimeter of the cover. By running your image beyond the cut you can create a nice bleed that gives your book a professional look. I always try to leave at least 1/8″ for the bleed, usually more.

#3 This is a sort of cut line that also blends into the color of the cover. After I cut the width of the book (this is a 4″ x 6″ book incidentally), I trim the top precisely on the edge of this mark. Then I flip the book and trim the bottom at 6″. This method works surprisingly well. If you are careful about your top mark your cuts will be very consistent.

#4 This is just the center line. All of my measurements begin here. Remember, if you widen your spine the rest of the cover must widen as well. In this case, the 4″ width is always measured from the scoring lines. If your spine is 1/2″, then your overall width would be 8 1/2″ (4″ + 4″ + 1/2″). If your spine is 1″, then your overall width would be 9″ (4″ + 4″ + 1″).

Be sure to keep your non-bleeding elements at least 1/2″ from your cut marks (unless your are pushing an element right to the edge for a desired effect). Print some practice covers on cheap paper until you get your spine thickness just right (this usually takes some trial and error).

You may have your own system, but this one works for me. I hope this helps you aspiring bookbinders.

Hardcover Experiment

For those of you who have followed me online for a while, you know that I have been on a mission to develop a method for quickly and efficiently creating hardcover books, much the same way The Atomic Binding Machine creates paperback books. I have used the library binding as inspiration. Click here to see what a library binding is. Building the book block with a modified Atomic machine has been fairly easy and successful. It’s just the covers that slow the process down so much.

This experiment is to see if I can create a sort of hinged cover that doesn’t require three pieces (spine + front and back cover). I’m sure I’m not the first person in the world to try this, but it seems like an efficient way to create a cover and save yourself a few steps in the cutting and gluing process.

The experiment was a qualified success. I did manage to make a nice looking cover that’s a bit stiff, but I can probably fix that issue with a wider cut. The real problem is that I had to cut these channels with my table saw. No matter the bookbinding problem, I always seem to come up with a woodworking solution.

I do understand, however, that not everyone has a spare table saw lying around the house. So my challenge is to figure out an easy, economical way to cut these channels by hand. And this method must also be faster than the old three-part one. Otherwise, what’s the point? Any ideas you all have on the subject would be much appreciated. My brainstorm is quickly becoming a mere cloudy day. Below are some photos.

Books from iPhoto

Creating your own personalized books is just getting easier and easier. Several friends of mine have made some incredible looking books by uploading their stuff to Apple’s website directly from iPhoto. The results are quite nice. But here’s the catch: the cost can be outrageous if you don’t keep your page count to a minimum. The large size paperback book is $19.99 for 20 pages. Expensive, but not obscene. Oh, but there is a bit of an up-charge for a higher page count. Wait for it… additional pages are 69¢ each. Let me do a little math. Naught, naught, carry the naught (lame Beverly Hillbillies joke). That puts a 100-page book at $75.19!

But a medium-sized 100-page book is only $49.19.

And the small book with the same page count is $27.19 (though you can only purchase them in lots of 3, and only with the Picture Book Theme).

This isn’t a bash of Apple (well, maybe a little). But I’m writing this on my old G5 that refuses to die and I design on Macs all day long at my real job so I obviously love the platform. What I’m really saying is that there are lots of self-publishing options out there and some of them are quite good. But for the cost of two medium-sized 100-page books from Apple you could own an Atomic Binding Machine. And you’re not stuck with a 100-page maximum either.

But if you like to spend a lot of money, don’t let me stop you.

Some Proper ‘Mission’ Photos

Here are the front and back of the bound novella. These are actual photos this time and not just the Photoshop files. I have sold a few copies (and given away just as many). I hope to have these in some local Colorado stores soon. As you can see on the back, it has a proper EAN barcode and everything. All ready to be on displayed on bookstore shelves.

It’s good to get back to some actual binding again. Building the machines has taken up most of my time for the past few months. I had to remind myself why I designed the Atomic Binding Machine in the first place—to bind my own novels. So here is the fruits of my labor.

The Book is Available

Just a quick note. On a Darker Mission is now available on my website.
Read a sample chapter here.

A New Novella – Hooray!

Well, I’ve finally finished my novella. It’s called On a Darker Mission. This horror story is set at the end of WWII and in 1957 as the Cold War is amping up. Here’s the blurb from the back cover:

The war is over…Or is it? The people of Hadley have put the specter of the German internment camp behind them, at least most of them have. But for Fred Barrett and the other former camp guards, the war is not over. It has returned to the small Colorado town with a murderous vengeance…

I have some advanced reader’s copies floating around right now. A few minor tweaks and it should be good to go. I hope to have them for sale by the end of the month.

The book is 137 pages long and costs $6.99 + shipping (probably around $2.00). Every copy will be bound with The Atomic Binding Machine, of course. I already have a placeholder on the website. Keep an eye out for the impending release.

Here is what the cover looks like, as well as the bookmark. All of the writing, layout and book design is mine. So all of the credit (or blame) should be leveled squarely at me. I had some very good editorial help from my buddy Jason Bovberg. But I did the final pass and proofreading, so all mistakes are mine and mine alone. Fixing mistakes, however, is the beauty of a short-run press. Glaring errors can be corrected on the fly, with minimal loss of materials. But I will try to avoid the temptation to constantly tweak the story. I’m not sure who said this, but I’ll give the credit to Mark Twain–a novel is never finished, but simply abandoned.

Or something like that.

I am currently hard at work on a vampire western that I hope will please my countless dozens of fans.

    

A Finished Book Press

After all of the hemming and hawing and back and forth, my first binding press for sale is a traditional version. This one is currently for sale on my Etsy page. If the demand is large enough, I will work it into the product line and offer it on the website. Check out the sale for all of the particulars. Here are a couple of photos.

  

Yet Another Book Press Design

I have become obsessed with creating a sturdy, affordable book press that doesn’t take me a week to build.  I am constantly prowling hardware stores, flea markets and thrift shops for odd screw thread tools that might be repurposed for us book binders. Here is a modified woodworkers vice that appears to fit the bill nicely. The press is a bit odd looking, but works quite well. This may be the one (he said again).

I may put some of my ugly presses up on my Etsy site. I just can’t decide if I want these hideous monsters out in the world with my name attached. Don’t get me wrong–they work just fine, but they are a sight to behold.

How to Survive Selling One Book a Year

Seriously. All you need is a few spare moon rocks lying around, or Muhammad Ali’s signature, or some super-rare Porsche photos. This is an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal about über expensive micro publishing. Anybody interested in a super-limited edition of my latest novel? It’s bound in yeti hide with unicorn blood for ink.

The Atomic Book Press – Part 2

Okay. I’ve been slaving away in the shop for a few weeks now and have built all sorts of book presses that have fallen short of my expectations. I am quickly running out of scrap wood to create these monstrous looking things. After much deliberation, this is the design I’ve settled on.

It has a quick-release button that allows the screw to be raised and lowered without tedious turning. (I’m all about the speed, baby). It has a 5" thickness capacity and will accommodate books up to 7.25" by 10.5". This should be able to handle most popular hardcover sizes. (I may up the capacity to 11" in the final design). It is able to apply a lot of pressure without pushing itself apart–like so many wooden presses are wont to do–thanks to the cast iron arm along the top.

I will keep everyone apprised of my progress. As usual, I see some things I want to tweak before sending it out into the world. I may sell the first few on my Etsy page to gauge the interest. No set price yet, but it should be quite affordable.

And like a misguided blind date, please try to look past the ugliness. (The ones for sale will be much prettier). I think my blind date analogy has become something I did not intend.