#fanficbookbinding

[mahoganydoodles]

Smash or Pass by @thisisadickinson; author’s, friends’, + personal copies.

Lydia Deetz finds a new horror podcast to listen to while she tries to fall asleep. The host has a nice voice. Too bad that's all he's got going for him.

21,591 words | 172 pages | 6 copies

Smash or Pass is one of those fics where immediately after finishing it, you start reading it again. It is so side-achingly funny and over-the-top emotional drama—often at the same time—that you can’t put it down. And it fits the alternate universe setting perfectly! If Alex Brightman had been hired to play a sleazy podcast host, this is exactly how he would have done it. 

One of the things I love about Smash or Pass is how cleverly horror movies are incorporated throughout, and what each character does or doesn’t know—or pretend to know—about the genre. I osmosised so much info reading this fic. From Lydia’s artistic sentiment to Betelgeuse’s low-brow focus, it’s a treasure trove of info and clear love poured into Lydia’s lofty essays on the evolution of the genre that BJ disregards on air. 

For this bind, I pulled design ideas from Suspiria, one of the most important movies to the plot. Seriously, if you’ve never seen it, the Technicolor in this movie is STUNNING (and it also has a bangin’ soundtrack). I wanted to pay homage to old horror posters with tons of fonts and more modern designs, which I did by starting each chapter with a 2-page spread of one of the iconic horror characters Betelgeuse rated Smash or Pass (spoiler: they’re almost all smash), recolored using different iconic combinations from Suspiria.

Other design elements take inspiration from the podcast where BJ does his reviews + ratings. The cover replaces the bloodied ballerina on Suspiria’s cover with a microphone stand and a cable pooling beneath it. Instead of page numbers, an episode progress bar crosses the bottom of the pages, color-matched to the character spread that starts the chapter. Each chapter also features icons tied to each character (Godzilla’s spikes that glow before using atomic breath, the curling iron Angela uses to kill Judy…) And the bookmark has a pause button on it, which I thought was a perfect fit!

Smash or Pass is a hilarious, hot story that celebrates horror + perfectly captures two classic characters we know and love. Read it on AO3, and thank you Saluvril for writing such a fantastic story!

[jmbinding]

It’s been a while! Here’s my paperback set of Detraquee by hystaracal

Art by @ellemisc

[no-name-publishing]

Interim (and company) by starkraving

After what has literally been a year and a month, I can call this project finished. The highs and lows of American football. You understand. Very grateful to the author for having written it and letting me bind them a copy! More photos and process pics under the cut.

The bookcloth material is faux suede, and the title decoration is cut from a glossy transparent HTV. The effect is completely swoon worthy, and exactly as I'd imagined it. That said I had a difficult time conceptualizing a design for the case at all; my only working idea was the endband, ribbon bookmark, and head and tail decoration. For 6 months everything I was coming up with for the cover was clashing very hard against these elements. So instead I took steps backwards, and thought how I could make something simple still visually interesting. I decided the difference in physical texture and appearance between the faux suede cloth and a glossy transparent HTV could be just what I was looking for, and I think it worked incredibly well.

The endband is done with adapted renaissance endbands in opposing directions, with a simple wrap of red thread in the center. I don't think peek-a-boo is the right phrase but nonetheless. The head and tail are painted with spray paint, in a gradient pattern that fades as it nears the foredge. The light blue accent lines are also spray paint, applied with a stencil I drew and made myself.

Typesetting shots. I use Word to typeset, and everything is designed and arranged within the program. Body font is Cochineal, the decorative title font is Caesar, as well as Sheikah and Hylian script.

The tiny books are simple, using elements from the main bind to tie them together. These are the spin-off short stories starkraving recently released as part of the Interim series. A testament to exactly how long this bind took me to complete, otherwise I would have included these in the main book. Oh well, it means I got to make tiny books.

Little video showing off the pieces. Particularly proud of the title page.

Process shots starting at my early test run of the my endband idea, to spraying the head and tail. Sewing the primary endband, and the completed bands on both books.

Very pleased altogether with how this came out. Also pleased to have it out of my WIP pile where I can take it off the shelf and fondle it whenever I want.

[artemisiasthings]

The Great IKEA Game by @batsandbugs

She’s done. My first bind. 🤌🏼 I’m so proud of this book and I cannot believe I made this with my own two hands!!!!

The story is incredible, The Great IKEA Game is a fic I come back to time and time again when I need a pick me up so it was a no brainer to choose this as my first bind. It’s the perfect length and I know I’m going to be eternally grateful to have it in my shelves if society collapses and the apocalypse comes 😂

I learned so much throughout this process about typesetting, materials, graphic design, conservation-grade techniques, and everything else that goes into making a finished, readable book. I wouldn’t have such a beautiful finished project without the incredible support and tutorials from creators on instagram and TikTok! I was blessed to find an answer for any question that came up either through existing videos or through kind responses to my frantic 3 am insta stories.

Needless to say, having a physical book that I CREATED WITH MY OWN TWO HANDS is fueling my god complex and I cannot wait to bind even more 😈

Progress Posts: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

[dgbookbindery]

My contribution for the #icanfixhimexchange with one of my favourite pairings everrrrr #tomione, and to the lovely @togethertomes - https://www.instagram.com/togethertomes?igsh=N205aTg2NnMwOXp5.

I bound Unsphere the Stars by CocoArtist @cocoartistwrites, available on Ao3 https://archiveofourown.org/works/24407335?view_full_work=true.

I used Canva and Procreate to design the front and back images, chapter headings and front and back cover HTV design. Sometimes I struggle and want to add ALL the DETAILS lol.

I also bound Peremo by Virennia @devdevlin, available on Ao3 https://archiveofourown.org/works/33960232?view_full_work=true. I used Canva to design these chapters headings and frames. This one is a coloured version hehe and includes pretty art in the typeset by various artists including the talented @stinkycheesecult and @artofcrumbs and of course the OG title art by @nini-june

I am in love with gold foil HTV, it still does not quite LOVE me back, BUT we will get there… If anyone has any recommendations for good gold foil HTV please let me know - I am currently using Siser Metal.

This was such a fun exchange, and I got to bind two of my favourite stories. If you haven’t delved into Tomione yet… What are you waiting for?!

. . . . . . .

[robins-egg-bindery]

The Sorcerer & The King by winterhill

Canon AU -- Merlin's death is only the beginning; with no-one to protect the kingdom, Camelot falls to an enemy sorcerer and Arthur is forced to serve in the court that he once ruled. When an escape attempt goes horribly wrong, Arthur is rescued by someone he never expected to see again -- and it's their destiny to put things right.

fic by winterhill

art by lukita

404 pages / 85,529 words

Title Font: Neoteric, Ever, Celticmd

Body Fonts: Pilgrim, Far From Homecoming, YOZAKURA, Aliya Ramsey

More on the process below the cut!

Ah, this wonderful fic! This was a fic I hadn't read before @runawaymarbles put it on my radar, and it was utterly wonderful! Proof still that the well of fic is deep and vast, and there will always be another beautiful story waiting for you.

I had a lot of fun binding this one; aiming for a tome kind of vibe, with a full Better Than Goat leather case, deckled edges, and gold accents coupled with the Celtic medallion, which boasts both a dragon and a trinity knot. I thought this was fitting, given that the coin analogy between Merlin and Arthur comes up quite a bit in this fic - the idea that, because it's a canon AU, they've strayed away from their destiny, and what that could mean for Camelot. The trinity knot also symbolizes the cyclical relationship between life, death, and rebirth, which is another recurring theme throughout the story.

I also chose some medieval, old-style elements for my typeset, include the side ornaments, and making the margins bigger on the whole. I definitely need to bind more Merlin fic; I forgot how much of a delight this fandom is!

[zerosconsort]

Ok, so @chaotic-kass popped this question onto the most recent fic bind.

I'm going into my reply for this question as if you are genuinely asking and are not sure about etiquette around fic binding. As this is the first time I've gotten this question on tumbler, and haven't actually stated my stances on some of the topics you touched on, this'll be a little long. Sorryyyyy.....

Question one & two: How much does it cost to make a bind? How long did it take?

Not to be super coy about it, but cost of a bind is very hard to estimate for a variety of reasons. That is mostly because your not buying just enough paper for this one book, or the specific yardage of fabric or vinyl for the cover, or just enough glue and wax and thread to put it together. Like any handmade craft, the start up cost is always going to be steeper then what it costs you to make something months later. 

Also: I have a Circuit that cuts my vinyl, a guillotine to trim text blocks, a pretty ok printer, I use CanvaPro to make some graphics, I have a drawing tablet for all my other art needs - all of which would have a portion of their cost and upkeep factored in to my overall cost of a bind. 

What I can't factor in at all is the cost of my time. That price is..... to hard for me to compute. I spent about a month making all that's said in the lowlight, from when I started the typeset to putting it physically on my shelf. At least 50 hours minimum on my 'personal' time just doing the typeset. A lot of that was because I was new, BUT I made this typeset extremely personalized. I did research. I sketched out my ideas. I scraped the thing twice and started over. The actual printing/sewing/binding/cutting/ironing/putting together part was the smaller portion that I did over 4 to 5 days, in-between work and life stuff.

Do not be afraid to make your own bind. You can make a book for less then doordashing 2 meals from a restaurant on a friday - you just have to not be afraid of making something bad. Anything you try to make for the first time is going to be bad: fic binding, like any other skill, is one you acquired over time.

To answer your last question: Am I willing to sell a copy?

Binding is extremely personal to me, and it's something I do out of dedication to the fic and its author. I only make 1 to 2 copies of a bind, one for my personal library at minimum, and one for the author - maybe 2 if they ask to give one away. I have made binds for my friends, with permissions from the author as well, as birthday gifts. I do not do commissions.

I DO NOT DO COMMISSIONS.

I'm always open to make binds for the writers of the works I'm interested in making. I have done trades with the writers of the fic I'm looking to bind - that's actually my preferred method of exchanging goods with writers. That way I 'get' something - in that there is more content of the fic I love/the universe I'm invested in - and the author gets their work personally made for their shelves.

Perhaps the only time I'll deal with money is when I'm shipping a book over seas/out of the US - as that's getting to be a little pricy. Maybe one day I'll get to a point, when I'm dying leather and making multi-book collections, that I'll need help buying materials - but that is far in the future, and not something I would talk about with people other then the author I would be making it for.

TLDR: There are a lot of ethical, moral, and legal logistics surrounding fanbinds. I think that people who are selling fanfiction on Etsy are disgusting. Please quote me on that. Profiting off of fanfiction is wrong, especially if the work your selling WAS NOT WRITTEN BY YOU THE SELLER.

Here's a wonderfully written article by Elizabeth Minkel from Wired about about this exact thing. They talk about the whole 'buying fanfiction' much more eloquently then I could.

I'm not a writer - I'm just a bookbinder.

I am deeply flattered that you would ask for a commission. That my work inspires you so much that you would want it in your house is a legit huge complement.

I've only been doing this ficbinding thing for a year and change now, so my opinion and ideas are not be-all-end-all - but I'm pretty sure my opinion matches a good majority of the other binders out there.

More then happy to answer questions about this if anyone has them. I hope I answered your questions specifically @chaotic-kass - and, for real, thank you for the opportunity to talk about this stuff.

[belespe-bindery]

Trust Falls (and welcoming arms) by SpangleBangle 🧡

Part of an exchange for Blak_books_bindery on Instagram 🎃