work procedure & front page goodness

The question "how do you work?" was recently posed within our Bookbinding Team. Everyone has their own way of working, and the trick is to find a method that best suits you. I make books one at a time, so I only have one book going at any given time. However, I prepare each part of the book aforetime in batches.

For example, I'll spend the better part of one day just sizing and cutting leather for various journals (enough to make, say, 10-15 books). The next day I'll spend my time ripping paper and getting text blocks prepared. Once that's all prepped, and I have all parts assembled, I will start to make the books one at a time.

I like working like this because I can then focus on a single task at hand; once I get "in the zone" of a particular task, I work much more effectively and rapidly, without having to change over to a different task. So it's been an order of production that's really worked well for me. I make anywhere from 2-6 books a day, depending on my schedule and how I feel.

As for how I organize my workspace I have an office where I cut all my leather and prepare my text block, however, I assemble all my books in the comfort of my livingroom. I will often watch TV or a favourite period drama as I make my books - it makes the binding process even more enjoyable.

In other news, one of my journals made Etsy's front page yesterday. Thanks for the heads up, Elzeline!