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Making The Books
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.
The chapter-by-chapter progress print (left) and the bound test book (right)
Choosing a fabric for the cover. I couldn't decide so I got both!
Making the cover for the test book
My initial concept for the review copy's cover
Trimming the pages for the review copy
Stitching the review copy together
Gluing the spine and a size comparison to some other books
Spine stitching and gluing for the review copy complete
Attempting to make a stencil for the cover art. A stamp might be the way to go...
A more advanced cover design, including a customised font to enable easier stencil making
The finished products – review copy on top and test copy below
The finished products – straight-spine test copy and curved-spine review copy
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!
A stack of ten copies of the completed book
The three stages of the text: printed pages, folded pages and the bound text block
The pages fresh out of the printer. The text was typeset using Microsoft Word to match the spacing and dimensions of other popular hardcover books
The pages were all folded crisply in half in 32 page booklets (known as signatures)
The pages were pressed in a makeshift bookpress and five equally-spaced holes were measured before being pierced with an awl.
The book's thirteen signatures were sewn together using a kettle stitch. Polyester thread provided a more robust bind and a curved needle made the task less fiddly.
The finished text block
Several thick layers of PVA glue was applied to the spine in my makeshift book press to ensure that it wouldn't crack after repeated bending. Cardboard end pages were also added to the text block.
The covers were made next, using thick cardboard for the cover and thin cardboard for a curved spine. Green linen was chosen for the cover, a common cover material.
Tissue paper backing was applied to the back of the linen cover using an iron-on adhesive so that the cardboard could be glued onto the fabric. The cardboard was spaced to allow for a 20.2cm by 13.5cm book. An even layer of PVA was spread across the cover with a brush, though the edges were thinner to avoid seepage.
The wet glue made the covers warp so weight needed to be applied as they dried. Creating so many copies at once required some creative solutions...
A box of large floor tiles was used to press all of the covers and ensure that they didn't warp as the glue dried
My desk became a different type of painting station after my cover stamps were laser cut by Happy Lab Wien
Gold and copper coloured paints were used to trial the stamps on the different coloured fabrics
A scrap of linen was used for the first trial of the large stamp for the cover art
The large stamp was then used for my first two covers. The art represents a wormhole, used to drop my main character on a way one journey through time
The cover art on the two linen colours
I got the pages trimmed at a local copy shop (19.8cm by 13cm) and I finished the text blocks by gluing ribbons for a bookmark and to cover the glue on the spine
The ends of the bookmark ribbons were melted to prevent fraying
The stamped covers were attached to the text blocks using PVA glue
The full collection of test books waiting for their covers to be attached
My existing book presses were used for the first copies...
...but the tiles came in handy for pressing the remaining copies all at once!
A progress shot of the stack of books
I couldn't help but see how they all looked on the bookshelf
A short questionnaire was prepared to prompt the test readers' comments upon finishing the book
They were then all wrapped in cellophane to provide some extra protection during transportation
The final stack of wrapped books ready for shipping
An old printer box was used to make robust delivery packages
The books all packed up and ready for shipping. Unfortunately most needed to be unpacked and shipped in a single box to make it back to Australia!
Using AI To Make A Cover
Check out this page to see how I used multiple AI programs to create a cover for the paperback version of my novel.
