Hello! Bookbinding does not actually take all that much equipment to get into. In fact, I started this blog on the premise that you can (mostly) bookbind with stuff you get out.of dumpsters. You need:
A needle and thread. (Preferably thicker, preferably waxed thread. You can use the non-plastic dental floss for this at first)
Some thicker/prettier paper for the covers
Something to poke holes with (a thumbtack, an awl, etc)
(optional) something to help you fold pages. The official bookbinder’s tool is a bone folder but you can use a credit card or the flat back of a butter knife to start
You can start out by making pamphlets with nice covers to get the hang of the sewing bits. Once you move onto books with harder covers, you will need
Some kind of stiff thing for the cover. Cardboard from cereal boxes, taking the covers off of cheap thrift store books, etc
Craft knife, the kind that uses single use utility blades (usually pretty cheap)
Glue. PVA for bookbinding is a little more expensive but you can use white Elmer’s glue for your first try. Also a lot of bookbinding uses wheat paste, which is just flour and water
Something to squish your book flat while it dries. You can use cutting boards with a bunch of weights on top, and people have also been able to make their own book presses out of wooden cutting boards and big carriage bolts for not too much money, although it requires a drill.
As with many hobbies, you can get pretty far into the rabbit hole of “fancy crafting equipment” but there is a lot of technique you can learn with just simple stuff.
YouTube channels SeaLemon and DAS Bookbinding have some really great tutorials to look through!
Plus also the @renegadepublishing discord is extremely newbie-friendly and willing to answer all sorts of questions!
