Making Books

Channelling my Chronomads’ goal to teach medieval peasants how to recreate modern society from scratch, I really wanted to try making physical copies of the book for myself, my test readers and my early supporters. This page outlines the steps taken to make the books, along with a quick video to show the steps in action.

Steps for binding a book from scratch

1.     Write your book [Computer]

a.     This is a whole separate guide by itself but luckily I have one elsewhere on the website – The Engineer’s Approach To Writing.

2.     Format your book [Computer]

a.     I based my book size on the beautiful special edition Terry Pratchet books and chose my font settings to match a similar words per page to Harry Potter.

b.     First select a preferred font and set the size for your text. I used Garamond (a font commonly used for novels) and size 10.5 to match the words-per-page in my favourite Harry Potter book. You want a font that is easy enough to read but remember that eventual print costs will be directly related to the length of the book.

c.     Go through the book and make sure that there are page breaks at the start of each chapter, pushing the chapter title to a new page. This is where you can have a bit more fun and show personality by selecting different formats for your chapter headings. I went with the Futura font in all capitals to give a bit of a Science Fiction vibe.

d.     There are a few conventions for published books that you will also need to match to make the novel look as professional as possible. Add a small indent for each paragraph (I used 5mm) but remove the indent for the first paragraph of each chapter. Justify the text of your book, ensuring that the spacing between words shifts to fill the full width of the page.

e.     Use your preferred writing software (I use Microsoft Word) to format your pages with the following margins. This will allow you to print the book using a regular printer on A4 sheets of paper. I have used 32-page signatures (the name for the chunks of pages that make up a book) for time efficiency but if you only plan to make a single book then reducing to 16-page signatures can make for a sturdier book while doubling the time required to fold and sew.

3.     Print the book [Printer, good quality A4 paper]

a.     I just used a regular laser printer and the nicest quality A4 paper I could find.

4.     Fold the pages [Printed pages, Lego brick?]

a.     Diligently fold the pages in half as accurately as possible. I used a Lego brick to ensure that the fold was as crisp as possible to ensure a tighter bind.

b.     For an ~400 page novel, this step took me about 20 minutes per book.

5.     Pierce the pages [Book press (chopping boards, bolts and wing nuts), pencil, awl]

a.     Before starting the sewing process, press all of the pages together in a book press and mark lines where stitches will enter each signature. For my first book I did seven stiches in each signature but for later books I found that five stitches worked perfectly well. For my 19.8 cm high novels, I marked the spine at intervals of 3.3cm – 3.3, 6.6, 9.9, 13.2, 16.5 and 19.8cm.

b.     A book press does not need to be anything fancy. For mine, I purchased a couple of cheap bamboo chopping boards and drilled a hole in each corner, ensuring that there would be enough space for the pages to fit between the holes. I then bought some long bolts and wing nuts which I inserted into the drilled holes and tightened to create the book press.

c.     With the pages marked, take your first signature and open it up before laying it flat on a craft matt. Ensure the pages are aligned before piercing each of the marked holes with your awl. This will create small holes through which your sewing needle can pass.

6.     Sew the pages [Thread, curved needle]

a.     With the pages pierced, put on a good TV show and begin the sewing process (I finished Avatar TLAB for my first books). I will outline the sewing process here but check out this tutorial by YouTuber Sea Lemon to see the whole thing in action.

b.     Thread around an arm’s width of string through your curved needle before tying a triple knot to hold it onto the needle. At the end of your string, tie another triple knot to create a ball that will hold against the spine.

c.     Taking your first signature, start from the bottom hole and pass your needle through the spine and into the middle of the signature. Slowly pull the string through the hole to avoid annoying tangling and then pass through the next hole to pull the thread out of the signature, pulling tight to maintain tension with each pass. Repeat until you enter the top hole then continue back down the book until you enter the bottom hole. Loop you string around the existing string inside the signature to tie a knot then pass the string back through the bottom hole, pulling until the knot exits the signature to the outside as well. You are now ready for the next signature.

d.     Pierce the holes for your next signature and then align with the signature you just sewed. Pass your needle through the bottom hole on the new signature, pull the string through and then pass back out the next hole. Loop your string under the string of the previous signature and around the hole string, pulling carefully to avoid tangles. Thread your needle back through the same hole, pulling the string tight so that the signatures are as close together as possible. Then thread back out through the next hole and repeat until the end of the page.

e.     Repeat step D until all of your signatures have been sewn together. If it looks like you are about to run out of string, leave about 10cm/3” of thread and bring the needle and thread through the next hole and out of the spine. Loop it around the spine band, tying a knot as you pass it through. Repeat this at the next spine band and then trim any excess string. Use this same process as you finish the last signature and the longest step is done!

7.     Glue the endpapers [nice cardboard, paintbrush, wood pva glue]

a.     Find some nice thick A4 paper to use for the endpapers of your book. This is another place to show some of your book’s personality so pick something that aligns with the genre and feel of the book. I think 200-300gsm is ideal. 

b.     Fold two of these endpapers in half, once again going for a nice crisp fold. Then take your sewn text block and apply a 5mm strip of glue on the front page along the full length of the spine before placing the fold of the endpaper on the strip. Flip the text block over and repeat for the back page.

c.     Remember to wash your paintbrush before the glue dries! I have lost several brushes this way…

8.      Glue the spine [Wood PVA glue, book press, paintbrush]

a.     Put you endpapered text-block into your book press, leaving a few mm of the spine hanging outside the press. 

b.     Apply glue liberally along the length of the spine, ensuring that glue gets into all nooks and crannies and that any loose pieces of string are neatly glued over in line with the signatures. 

c.     Ideally repeat this step once or twice after each round of glue has dried for a stronger book.

9.     Trim the text block [Amazing knife skills or a friendly local print shop]

a.     I have previously tried cutting the pages by hand but to get a professional clean cut, bring your text-block to a local printer with a hydraulic guillotine. Some of these charge per page cut which can be ridiculously expensive so look for one that charges per cut made. 

b.     Trim each side of the textbook except for the spine. I typically start with the bottom edge, trimming off 2-3mm to ensure a nice even edge. I then measure 19.8 cm up from this clean edge to obtain the top edge of the book. Finally the side edge is cut 13.0 cm from the spine.

10.  Cut ribbons for the text-block [5mm ribbon, spine-width ribbon, scissors, candle]

a.     You can add a ribbon bookmark to make the book a little fancier. Choose a 5mm silk/synthetic ribbon in a colour that will complement your cover fabric and cut it to be 30cm long.

b.     Another ribbon can be used to hide the edges of the spine. Measure the width of your text-block’s spine and find a ribbon that closely matches this measurement. Cut these ribbons into 10cm lengths, two per book.

11.  Glue ribbons onto the text-block [pva glue, paintbrush, ribbons, text-block]

a.     Apply glue to the upper third of your text-block’s spine (be sure it is the top of the spine rather than the bottom, I’ve made this mistake more than once!). Place one end of your bookmark ribbon onto the glue and run the non-glued part down through the pages of your text-block. Leave about 2-3 cm of overhang out of the bottom and cut off at a 45 degree angle. Hold this angled edge near the flame of a candle to melt the edge and prevent it from fraying (practice this with some offcuts first as synthetic ribbons can melt quickly)

b.     Add some more glue to the top third of the text-block and then place the ribbon so about one third overhangs the top edge of the text-block. Add some more glue over the ribbon on the spine and then fold the ribbon over, ensuring that there is about 2mm of overhang. Repeat this process for the bottom edge and allow it to dry.

c.     You now have a complete text-block!

12.  Cut cardboard for the cover [Cutting matt, sharp blade, 2-3mm cardboard, metal ruler]

a.     I purchased a large sheet of thick cardboard from a stationary store, the thick grey grainy stuff you see if you have ever torn apart a folder or novel (Gasp! Only one novel was hurt in the process of making this book, it has since been repaired and donated to a good home).

b.     Using your cutting matt and sharp blade (I use a boxcutter), cut the sheet down into 12.5 x 20.2cm pieces. I managed to get covers for 8 books out of a single sheet.

13.  Cut cardboard for the spine [Cutting matt, sharp blade, 1mm cardboard, metal ruler]

a.     Use a thinner cardboard for the spine, thicker than your endpapers but not as thick as the cover.

b.     To work out how wide to make the spine, measure the thickness of your text-block and add 5mm to allow for a curved spine. Cut the thinner cardboard to be this wide and 20.2 cm long. 

14.  Cut fabric [Scissors, ruler, linen]

a.     Find a fabric that you like for your cover. I have used various coloured linens for my books but have used green for TWTW. I tend to buy about half a meter of this fabric at a time which allows for several books to be made.

b.     Cut your fabric to be 25cm high and the width provided by the fabric store. This is often not precisely cut so could be 50-60 cm but this will be trimmed to size later.

15.  Cut adhesive [Cutting board, ruler, blade, iron-on adhesive]

a.     Applying glue straight to the linen will seep through the cover so adhesive and tissue paper is added to create a barrier.

b.     Buy some iron-on adhesive. I have used Heat n Bond Ultrahold for all of my books.

c.     Cut the adhesive to be 25cm high. The width of the Ultrabond has always been enough for my books but make sure it is at least 30cm plus the width of your spine.

16.  Cut tissue paper [Cutting board, ruler, blade, iron-on adhesive]

a.     Tissue paper sheets seem to be a pretty standard size so I have always just cut these in half and trimmed off any excess later.

17.  Iron on the adhesive [Iron, adhesive, fabric]

a.     Prepare your fabric for the adhesive by first giving it a good iron to remove any creases and pull off any loose threads.

b.     Place your adhesive sheet on top of the fabric and slowly pass the iron over the top to bond the adhesive to your fabric. It should change colour slightly as it attaches. I use a dedicated cheap iron (with no steam) and a dedicated ironing board for this to prevent any adhesive from getting on my work clothes later.

18.  Iron on the tissue paper [iron, tissue paper]

a.     When the adhesive has cooled onto the fabric, slowly peel off the backing paper to expose the adhesive. Lay your issue paper over the top (shiny side down) and then pass your iron across the paper. The adhesive will once again go darker as it bonds to the tissue paper.

19.  Glue the cover and spine [pva glue, paintbrush, cover material, spine and cover cardboard, tiles]

a.     Lay your spine in the centre of your newly-bonded cover fabric with a cover piece on either side. Ensure that the tops and bottoms are aligned and that there is a 5mm gap between the spine and cover boards. With these roughly in place, apply glue to the first cover card and use your paintbrush to spread the glue evenly across the cover and to the edges. Place the cover down and repeat for the other elements, making sure that the edges remain aligned and the 5mm gap remains.

b.     The moisture in the glue will be enough to warp the cardboard elements so press them down as they dry to ensure that they stay flat. You can use a layer of baking paper and some big books but I bought some large tiles which provided a nice flat surface and sufficient weight to press the covers.

20.  Trim the cover material [cutting matt, blade, metal ruler]

a.     After the covers have been pressed (usually overnight), take your metal ruler and trim off the excess fabric. I try to leave 2-3cm so it can be easiest to just use the width of the metal ruler.

b.     To prepare the corners for gluing, cut a wedge out of each corner. Starting with your knife 2mm from each cardboard corner, make a slightly angled cut. This will allow the corners to be folded more cleanly.

21.  Glue the cover edges [glue, paintbrush]

a.     Starting with the width of the book, apply glue to the cover overhang and spread it evenly with your paintbrush. Fold this long edge over on top of the cover and press down, making sure that it folds completely down onto the spine.

b.     Repeat now for the shorter edges. To get nice crisp corners, make sure that the fabric on the corners is folded in tightly before pressing the cover material down.

c.     I used this step as a way to back-up all of my book-related digital files... As I glued edges on a random selection of the books, I inserted a micro-sd card containing all of the book drafts, notes etc under the glued flap. This isn’t visible once the book is fully assembled but I know that there are backups scattered around the world.

d.     Once all glue is applied, place in your tile press once more to ensure the glue doesn’t warp the covers.

22.  Bend the spine [Curved dowel]

a.     I love the look of a hardcover book with a curved spine. To achieve this, I pressed the cover’s spine down over a curved piece of dowel to bend it into a gentle curved shape. The cardboard spine can want to only fold in a single spot so repeat several times to get a nice gentle bend.

23.  Stamp cover design [stamp, paint, roller]

a.     A plain linen cover looks great but I had envisaged a full-cover graphic for my book so designed one in PowerPoint then arranged for a local makerspace to cut a rubber stamp using a laser cutter. I have done a similar approach for a friend’s book but with just a small logo in the centre of the page.

b.     It was important to find a paint with a high amount of pigment. Several of the early paints I tried were quite watery which didn’t give a vibrant cover image. Trial the paints on scraps of your cover material to see how it looks.

c.     Another option here is to use a Cricut to cut foil for your cover. This is something I am hoping to try for future handmade books.

24.  Attach cover and text-block [glue, paintbrush, plastic pocket]

a.     Moisture in the glue can once again cause chaos, this time by warping the pages of your hardwon text-block. To minimise this risk, trim a plastic pocket and so that it can slip over your text-block, leaving the two outside endpages exposed.

b.     Apply glue to the first page, using your paintbrush to ensure an even coating and to push the glue right to the edges but be careful not to get glue on the plastic pocket.

c.     Flip the glue side down and carefully place onto your cover, making sure there is an even overhang of a couple of mm around each edge.

d.     Apply glue to the second endpage, spread it evenly and then carefully fold the cover down while ensuring the same small overhang.

e.     Place the finished book under your tiles once more and load with weight to press the book into shape. Leave it to dry overnight.

25.  Admire the finished product

a.     Remove the weight and take out the plastic pocket.

b.     You now have a handbound book, made completely from scratch!

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Making My First Copy

After months of writing the first draft of TWTW, I was definitely ready for a break from the computer screen.

Reviewing and editing boring A4 prints didn’t sound like fun so what better excuse for a break than to make my own review books?

I followed tutorials on Sea Lemon’s YouTube channel. The review copy looked great, though a little rough around the edges (literally!).

It was so nice to be able to sit on the couch or the train and read my story as though it were a real book.

Making The “Zeroth Editions”

Having enjoyed reviewing my own physical copy of the book, I wanted to make review copies for my first round of test readers.

The first book had taken many hours to produce but constructing a batch of ten copies provided some economy of scale and I slowly became more efficient. Sewing the spines reduced from five hours to one hour.

It took weeks but I eventually had a stack of ten clothbound hardbacks, now with nicely stamped cover designs too!