Book Binding and Garden Starts

Skills for a more authentic age

Shortly after the New Year I got word back from John Michael Greer that he was impressed by my poem about the work of the Octagon Society, Order of Spiritual Alchemy. When I asked him if he knew of anyone who would publish it, he said the only poetry published these days is The Current Thing. He suggested self publishing.

Having done a lot of research when I was looking into publishing my novel, I knew it would cost anywhere from a few thousand to $15,000 to self-publish. Randomly I started watching online videos about book binding, which I previously knew nothing about. I realized for less than a thousand I could get introductory equipment to bind my own books. Jan 15 I received my first delivery.

I’m probably 9900 hrs out from creating something even remotely like this:

I converted the plant starting station; the plant lights are stacked up at the end of the table. My first three notebooks, standing upright. They are a template size and shape, of the book I mean to publish. The first three have a simple cloth hard-cover.

I ordered some scrap leather from high end furniture makers, and continued the process, trying many variations, testing various techniques. I have made exactly 21 notebooks so far.

My dad was throwing out some worn-out jeans.

The following is one of the latest versions, much improved but a lot of work yet, understanding how to make these truly saleable. It is one thing to create a notebook, it is another to have it look tight and balanced like a machine produced book.

It is a challenge, keeping glue off the cover, not banging up or denting the leather as I am working with it.

The top image shows how the text block is a bit wonky, leaning down toward the left side of the book. The bottom shows how the text block and the end sheet are not in alignment. That has proved one of the most challenging details.

After reaching a point where I began to feel more confident, it was time to transition, so I moved the station to the lower basement, with the fermentable storage.

Setting up the lights for the grow station.

Everything is working.

I started some brussel sprout seeds, on the day of transition from Aquarius to Pisces, the 19th. I will start some tomatoes, peppers and cabbages on the new moon, Feb 27, and salad greens in the days after.

My first ever published book.

My first experiment with a leather “ribbon”, to hide the inside of the spine of the book.

This has all been a lesson in economic scale. If I were charging for these notebooks, what I charge for home remodeling, they would be about $200 each. I’m sure I can reduce that number significantly, but the point is, I am unlikely to make any money doing this, for a long time. There might be something of a market for these notebooks if I can get the price right, but the poem has next to no market. The poem, or series of poems I am working on now, I hope will be marketable. Long term, I’d be happy to sell even a few books.

So I am starting a publishing business, micro-scale. Though pretty soon, with the garden and warm-weather remodeling and building work, I will be too busy to find much time for this. I love it though, and will make time however little.