Bookbinding sounds hard, right? It even sounds expensive. And if you Google it, the results will spit jargon at you as if you’re a college professor. Look, I’ve been making books for years now and here’s the truth – no matter what you’ve heard, you don’t need formal training to make a book.

You just need to be a little crafty.

If at first you don’t succeed…

When I set out to bind my first book, I asked Master Bookbinders for their advice. They all touted their years of study and recommended I do the same. Most wouldn’t even reply to my messages.

I felt rejected (not a new feeling if I’m honest, nerds like myself never really fit in) and determined to figure it out on my own. I wasn’t about to restart my career and spend years in France studying under the best of the best just to make a gratitude journal for my mom’s birthday. Jeeze.

Fast-forward many years later and I’ve handmade dozens of beautiful books, including the one shown below. I’m self-taught. The only “formal” training I’ve ever had was at a bindery in Seattle, WA where I took a 2-day class and learned to pare leather. Climbing on a giant cutter is the coolest experience ever! I recommend it to everyone! Ahem. Anyways…

Bookbinding doesn’t have to be complicated

Making a book is a mixture of measuring and cutting with some gluing and some sewing. That’s it. If you can measure, cut, glue and consider sewing…you can make books. Oh, you should also like books. If you don’t like books, I don’t know why you’re here. Go away.

Let’s recap:

You don’t need years of intensive study or decades as an apprentice to make a book.

You don’t need to know the lingo or own any fancy tools.

All you need to become a bookbinder is curiosity and a desire to create books. Seriously.

Handmade books are rare

Look, handmade books are rare today. Those who know how to make them are revered and appreciated for what they do because we’ve all read Fahrenheit 451 (if you haven’t, go rent it from the library. Now. Why are you still here?) and understand how important books are. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to live in a world without books. That’s why I make them.

You can make them, too.

If you’re willing to learn, I’m here to teach. It doesn’t matter if you’ve never created a book in your life. I’ll teach you everything you need to know and even the history if you’re willing to geek out a bit.

When people ask me why I’m so passionate about this topic, I tell them the truth: making books changed my life. It sounds like an exaggeration, but it’s true. As an engineer working on web apps, I didn’t feel like I was adding much to the world. Leaving behind a repository on Github wasn’t exactly my idea of a legacy.

Now, I get to leave books behind – many of which will be handed down from my kids to the grandkids and so on. I’ll also leave behind a tribe of people just like me – good people with their nose in a book and their head in the clouds. Some of us are engineers and love the way a book comes together. Others want to make beautiful, one-of-a-kind pieces of art history. Whatever the motivation, we’re all on the same page (pun intended).

Good luck to you!

More bookbinding goodness

✨ What tools do I need to get started bookbinding?

🌟 Looking for a simple way to start making books? 

Try a Complete Book Materials Kit. Each one has everything you need (+ tutorials & videos) to make a beautiful book without all the fuss.

Thank you for taking me along on your book making journey!

Misty