Imaginarium Reserve Press

Thank you! It was a fun project (if stressful at times, which is true for all projects)!

I made a custom edition of an anthology from the Indie Author Collective for the Scares That Care AuthorCon VI silent auction. The leather is color-shifting, the paper is iridescent, and the HTV on the cover is glow-in-the-dark holographic. The bookmark charm is a haunted house, complete with ghost!

Sorry for posting so late, it was a busy day! We already sold the first copy (of the three available at the Scares that Care AuthorCon VI) and hopefully the other two will sell just as quickly. You can see the final details in the video, including the titling (done with paint and a stencil)!

Covering the books didn't take too long (I just forgot to post). First the leather is applied on the spine, tying up the raised bands from the cords with cotton string so the leather stays in place once dry. Then the boards are covered and the leather turned in on the edges.

Final pictures to come!

Lacing on the boards can be a time-consuming and fiddly process, but makes for a much stronger connection between the covers and the text block than just gluing endpapers! The ends of the cords are frayed and thinned, then glued down. Another board glued to the outside sandwiches that connection.

It's been a while since I posted an update on this project, due to a combination of holidays, illness, and new projects. Also, I had to trim all of these by hand, which took quite a while! After trimming, I glued the ribbon bookmarks on and sewed the endbands. These are almost ready to be covered!

For this copy (and likely all subsequent copies of this project) I used a linked herringbone stitch instead. A medieval style that uses much less thread than the packed stitch, it's still stronger than straight stitching because each stitch loops under the one below it, anchoring the whole support.

This copy was sewn in a medieval style of stitching called a packed stitch, where the thread is wrapped multiple times around the support (double cords, in this case) at each station (hole). This makes the motion of the spine much smoother, as the supports act like springs.

I used a custom multipoint tool and a custom punching cradle from Affordable Binding Equipment to punch each copy (including the cloth hinged endpapers you can see at the top of the stack). After another 24 hours in the press each, they're ready for sewing!

Despite each copy pressing for around 24 hours, there's still noticeable swell in the stack as you get higher (it's around 19.5" right now). Once their sewing stations have been punched, it's back into the press for another 24 hours each to try and manage that swell before sewing.

For my next project: a special limited omnibus edition of the entire "Of Imprint & Erasure" trilogy by Gareth Ian Davies, including bonus scenes.

It took me a while to print all 10 copies since I had to manually duplex each sheet through the rear feed tray, but now the fun can really begin!

Endbands, ribbon bookmark, and mull glued on. Once it's dry, I can build the Bradel case and dry fit it before covering it with leather and casing in.

All three edges trimmed using, once again, the handheld plough and finishing press from affordablebindingequipment.com

Next to affix the ribbon bookmark, the endbands (premade this time), and the mull to the spine. Then I'll be able to start on the Bradel case!

A bare text block sewn with a French link stitch.

I'm binding a special copy of Echoes of the Future, third and final in the series Of Imprint & Erasure by Gareth Ian Davies, as a gift to the author (the surprise was already ruined, so I can post about it). I sewed the text block today, using a French link stitch. Next up: gluing and trimming.

We’re excited to announce the acquisition of @macey.bsky.social 's BLOOD OF QUEENS, a gothic historical fantasy featuring Tudor-inspired court intrigue, necromancy, and an audacious heist. For fans of M. A. Carrick’s The Mask of Mirrors and Holly Race's Six Wild Crowns, this hits shelves Spring ’27!

All I need to know is when it dies.

Good luck!

Cover art designed and decorated by my friend Mars. All the line work was done with the We R Memory Makers Foil Quill, supplemented by Liquitex acrylic ink for the title. This project is officially done, and leaves tomorrow for the Scares That Care AuthorCon V where it will be available at auction!

The improvised clasp was pretty challenging, but it came out very nicely! Each half is riveted, to the front cover and strap respectively, and then the strap is attached to the back cover with more rivets. The dye job is sealed with Eco-Flo Satin Shene® leather finish from Tandy Leather.

I used my Cricut Maker 3 to cut the small leather pieces of the strap for the improvised book clasp, which came out surprisingly well. The black Eco-Flo leather dye from Tandy Leather was applied using the Craftool airbrush (also sold by Tandy) which was amazing to work with!

Leather is on the spine! Currently it's sitting in the tying-up press, being tied up so that the leather can mold to the raised bands formed by the cords. The paste takes several hours to dry, so fully casing in (putting the leather on the book and pasting down the endpapers) is a lengthy process.

The cover boards are laced on with the cords, much like in medieval/gothic bindings, and mull/super (a stiff, loose-weave fabric) is glued over the spine and holes to strengthen the spine. The ink I used is water based, so you can see what happens when it encounters the PVA 😂

Starting from the inside of the text block, I pulled a single length of Gütermann silk thread from Jo-Ann (RIP Jo-Ann) halfway through and alternated wraps around a leather core with each section to create what's known as conservation endbands - usually used to mimic medieval bindings.

I'm still allergic to orphan and widow lines 😂 I'll do just about anything to avoid one.

I used Diamine's Oxblood ink to stain the edges (with a pipette for maximum coverage); it does look eerily like blood, though no oxen were harmed in the making! The bookmark is made of black velvet ribbon, with a sterling silver and black agate charm I got from Jo-Ann's closing sale (RIP Jo-Ann).

I meant to post earlier, but I had to make an entirely new copy of the text block because of an error in the first signature (it was folded inside out). Basic mistake that I should have noticed about five steps ago, when it was easy to fix, instead of after the thing was already glued and trimmed.

I meant to take a picture while trimming the edges, but got so into the rhythm I forgot 😅. I've trimmed the bottom and top edges using the handheld plough and finishing press from affordablebookbindingequipment.com because they were a little too uneven. The fore edge I left as is for a bit of charm!

Sewing on cords gives the spine more support. This text block doesn't strictly need it - I could use tapes instead - but the cords create raised bands on the spine that show through the leather, as seen on medieval books. The sewing frame used in the video is from affordablebindingequipment.com

Using an awl to punch sewing stations; the punching cradle and guide ensure the measurements are consistent. You can also use a saw to create the holes; recessed cords require a wedge shaped to be sawn into the spine at every station for the cords to sit in.

Staining the paper does add volume! The paper in question is a warm white vellum finish by Via, ordered from churchpaper.com as they provide it in short grain. The grain direction influences how easy it is to fold the paper, and how much the paper lays flat in book form!