On Making Books for Christmas

     It's no secret to any of my family or close friends. They know they'll get books from me at Christmas -- hand-sewn, hand-bound, and, in most cases, printed at home by yours truly. Usually the book contains the poems I have written that year. However, last year my poetic output wasn't enough for even a decent chapbook (a small, pamphlet-like book, usually of poetry, and usually 18-40 pages); so instead, I typed out an account, originally written by Ron Fellows, of my father's experiences during World War II, bound it as a hardbound, cloth-covered chapbook, and gave that to my parents and siblings for Christmas.

     I love making each book unique, choosing papers and fabrics according to each recipient's taste. That way, each knows that his or her book is absolutely personal. I suppose I could simply have them done by a professional printer, or through one of those websites that specialize in things like wedding books, but I prefer to make them even more personal and special by making them myself. Of course, this takes time. People often ask me how long it takes me to make a book, and that's a question impossible to answer, because I like to take my time, doing one or two steps a day, sometimes skipping days if I feel like it.

     The first step, of course, is choosing the texts. Fortunately, most of my poems are short and can fit on one half of a letter-size page (that is, when you choose the "landscape" orientation rather than "portrait"). This makes it much easier to plan the order of the pages, front and back. You have to count the total number of pages, including the title page, publishing credits, table of contents, etc., and even blank pages. That number should be divisible by four (again, this is if you choose to do it in "landscape" and fold the pages to form a book). If it isn't divisible by four, simply add more blank pages until it is, keeping in mind that the first page of text (usually the title page) should be on the right side, or "recto." When you divide the total number by four, you'll know how many sheets of paper ("leaves" in the book trade) to use for each book. For instance, thirty-six pages of text and blanks combined, require nine leaves. It helps to make a list of all the pages:

     Using this list, the next step is to make a sample book out of scrap paper, making sure to include the page numbers. The sample book is invaluable -- in fact, necessary -- when you finally go to the computer to type and create the document. All that done, it's ready to print! I prefer using 24 lb. 100% cotton paper, but if the book has more than 10 leaves, such thick paper is hard to fold and the book won't stay shut properly.

     After printing, fold all the leaves at once into one "signature," pressing the crease firm with the help of a bone folder or the side of a pen. Never fold the leaves one at a time and put them together afterward; you'll wind up with tiny gaps in the fold between leaves, causing the final product to be less sturdy at the spine. The folding done, the fore edge (the long edge, opposite the spine) should be trimmed with an exacto knife to even it up, and I like to trim the upper and lower edges as well so that I end up with the size of book I want, keeping the pages' side margins wide enough to be pleasing to the eye.

     For the past few years, I've chosen to make my poetry gift books softbound, using beautiful, heavy art paper for the covers and lighter-weight art paper for the endpapers. (Most people wouldn't bother putting endpapers in a softbound book, but I think it's really nice.) Usually I choose a solid color for the cover, because I like to surprise the reader when he/she opens the cover and sees endpapers with a striking pattern. Sometimes, though, I'll keep the endpapers simple and use a paper in a solid color that complements but contrasts with the cover. The cover and endpapers are trimmed to size and folded with a soft crease, not pressed, so that it molds to the spine with no gap.

     Next, I use a fine awl (a push pin works, too) to make the holes in the crease for stitching the leaves, endpapers, and cover all together. If I had the book made at a printer, they would saddle staple the pages. Hand-stitching looks so much better! Most bookbinders would probably do a basic 3-hole pamphlet stitch, which holds the leaves together with two long stitches; but I prefer for this size book to use five holes, which results in four shorter stitches -- I think it makes the spine sturdier. Linen thread is best, as it is stronger than other threads. Embroidery needles have blunt points that won't poke unwanted extra holes in the paper if you should miss one of the pre-punched holes when sewing. Here is one of my first softbound chapbooks and the contrasting endpaper:

     The papers I've chosen for this year's Christmas chapbooks are absolutely beautiful, and I'm proud of the poems I've written these past couple of years -- so I'm hoping the resulting products will be my best yet!