#also can't wait for this fic to be finished so i can print and bind it and use these arts as cover art

[jennyandvastraflint]

Sobbing screaming throwing up about this stunning artwork I commissioned from @rosenkranz-does-things. LIKE. Roz, you deliver every single time!!!

LOOK AT THEM. GOSH. Jenny in that coat and bodice!? She looks more beautiful than I could have ever imagined. HER HAIR!??? The boots!!! And Vastra's happy face, she's just completely overjoyed. As am I, seeing that beautiful art! The embroidery on her skirt is so cuuute 🥺Also hELLO THE SHIRT!? THE ALGAE AND BUBBLES, AND HER ARMS!? Her beautiful shifter necklace!? Gosh, and her position looks so playful and graceful all the same! It's just. I love everything about this. Also, the orange background contrasts SO nicely with the other background for the first art piece I commissioned for Turn Loose the Mermaids!

LIKE LOOK AT THIS!!!! 🥰

[chubsonthemoon]

Finished binding @that-banhus's fantastic King of Infinite Space today! You ever get into a pairing fresh out of binging a series and read a fic that just solidifies the characters in your head? Like, they go from "funny lil guy I enjoyed watching on TV" to someone who could be real, someone you could know. That was this fic for me--banhus's Hob is such a delight to read, so vibrant and funny and optimistic. And of course Dream's voice in this is just *chef's kiss* pitch perfect.

Some process chatter, under the cut! <3

SIZE

So this was my first go at a quarto size on legal paper (8.5" x 14"), and I LOVE it. This size is perfect for that 10k-15k range, and with the community imposer designed by the lovely folks at @renegadepublishing (thank you, @simply-sithel and Cocoa!), it was such a breeze to figure out the formatting. (Printing, on the other hand, was a bit of a mess since my printer doesn't do duplex for legal sizes, but I figured it out in the end. And hey, I got a bunch of waste sheets out of it! XD)

BINDING

I did a variation of the paperback format I've seen floating around in the Renegade discord (@ashmouthbooks kindly explained it a few months ago, thank you so much!). French link stitching glued with PVA as per usual, although no tapes or mull.

The cover is made of scrapbook paper and is glued directly to the flyleaf (flyleafs? flyleaves?), although as you can see below I added an extra layer of kraft paper to give it more of a "board" feel:

The pictures in this post are of my second/author copy, with an added a half-centimeter hinge so the spine can open more easily. My first copy did not have a hinge so it's a little stiff when you open it, but it gets the job done baha. Now I know for future binds in this size: hinges are the way to go!

DESIGN (or, as I call it, VibesTM)

The first line of this fic has lived rent-free in my brain for months now: They sat at the New Inn until the afternoon melted into evening, the sunlight thickened to a rich orange, and the late crowd began to trickle into the inn in chattering groups. I remember reading it late at night and immediately sitting up and going "oh hell yeah." This fic gives me that "walking to class in the fall semester and feeling the whole world passing you by and you have books to read and papers to write but you see your friend from across the quad and they wave at you and you wave back and everything is okay, maybe, because the leaves are turning and you're going to make it, dammit, you are going to make it" vibes. So the cover paper is from one of Michael's paper packs, called "Autumn Blaze."

HOWEVER, Banhus also mentioned that the paper looks like a sandy beach, and I'm smacking myself over the head for not doing that intentionally because yes! There's a lovely lovely scene at the end where Dream and Hob are lounging on the shore of the Dreaming and are finally, finally figuring it out, and it's wonderful and so atmospheric and I am 100% going to pretend that my paper choice here was tailored for that scene specifically XD

Titling is permanent adhesive vinyl cut by my Cricut, Charlotte, with hand-drawn "bolding" around each letter done with my uniball Signo white gel pen. And since I've been trying to get better at documenting my fonts, the titling for this one was Perpetua Titling MT, and the body was my go-to Garamond my beloved.

As a bonus, here is my first go at binding this fic, but in quarto letter size instead of legal! Smol :3

And that's all for today! Thank you so much, Banhus, for letting me bind your work! It was a pleasure, and I can't wait for you to receive your copy <3

All my love!

[snek-panini]

It's been ages since I had a new book to post, but I finally got through my art block (craft block?) and finished some of the ones that have been languishing, cover-less, on my desk for months. To everyone who liked my last post about the copy of The Machine Stops that I made, thank you! But that was my first book ever, more than two years ago, and I make much better books now! Here, I can prove it:

See? This is Wine Fraud and Other Worthy Pursuits by ImprobableDreams900. It is (unsurprisingly, to anyone who knows me) a Good Omens fic that I asked to bind way back in February. It's a short-ish fic (14k, no slouch but on the short end for this size book), very well-researched and very in character all the way despite being an AU. Though if you're primarily coming from the TV fandom it will be a bit of a departure, as this is a book fic and predates the release of the miniseries. It's not overtly romantic and everyone has more bite than in TV!fic, more in line with book characterization. I love the romantic stuff but there's so much of it, and this was refreshing in comparison.

More pics under the cut!

Endpapers have vintage novelty corkscrews on them. I saw this Florentine print on the Hollanders site while looking for something else and knew I had to have it for this project, it's perfect. And because it's a small book I have tons of it left. The actual front cover is lokta paper, which I hadn't worked with before and am not sure I liked. It's super soft and doesn't seem like it'll be very durable, and it didn't like folding around the board edges. It seemed to get very feather-y as it was handled, shedding little fibers. Though I also experimented with waxing and burnishing the paper to make it waterproof and that might have had an effect. The black spine is book cloth, and the title was done with heat transfer vinyl. This was only my second experiment with HTV and I feel like I still have a lot to learn.

Spot the oopsies! I got the book cloth misaligned and didn't notice till after it was glued down. It's straight but overlaps much further on the back than the front. You don't really notice it unless you look from the top down like this though. In the second photo, you can see where the text block slipped while I was trimming it and I ended up with one signature slightly shorter than the others; it's the last one on the right. Remember to glue before trimming, I guess. It doesn't really bother me; I actually forgot it was there until I took this photo.

Interior photos, title page and first page of text. The artwork was a free download from rawpixel, turned out very nice. I couldn't find any chapter ornaments I liked for this one, so I kept the typeset simple and I think it suits the story well. Understated. Elegant. Exactly what you expect to be there, like a good forgery.

I enjoyed working on this, and it's wonderful to have finished projects to post about again. I can't wait to share the next one.

[silawastaken]

HELLO, ITS CHRIXYTY FROM AO3!!!! i decided to make a tumblr account just so i can interact with you on here :3 why? because i can. dont question me. i do strange things sometimes. (a lot of the time) but dont we all?

(i was serious when i said i would stop hovering like a ghost and start interacting. you better expect a LOT of comments from me from now on BECAUSE I JUST NEED TO SHOW MY APPRECIATION.)

ANYWAYS CHAPTER 13 🙇‍♀️🙇‍♀️ THANK YOU FOR THIS WONDERFUL PIECE OF ART. THIS WHOLE FIC IS A MASTERPIECE AND I LOVE THE ANGST !!! (ESPECIALLY DAZAI ANGST 🤗)

like im not even joking no fic has ever made my heart pound every second i read it before...like literally nothing could be happening and my heart is pounding at 150 bpm like damn its so good you might give me a heart attack frfr.

chuuyas so dense but i can kinda get his point of view :( UGH the slow burn is just making me anticipate the moment he finds out dazai's his soulmate even more...(betting chuuya will punch dazai out of anger because he realises dazai did all those things to himself...and then he'll feel the pain from the punch and be 100% certain and will start bawling cause idk emotion overload?? i can imagine it but yea im yapping a lot haha)

OH AND HIS FRIENDS FINDING OUT ABOUT ODAS DEATH??? AHH

also it makes me happy when authors refer to the canon universe in their fics somewhere like when dazai called his friends his "little detective agency" like its a small detail but it just makes me happy.

okay im SERIOUSLY yapping way too much but i needed to get all this out somewhere. my bsf is getting sick of me talking so much grrrrr >:(

(permission to one day when this fic is finished print it all out and bind it?? so i can forever keep it as like a memento and pass it down to future generations so they too can appreciate this amazing piece of literature??)

wow i wrote a lot. if only i could write this much for my fic in such a short time during writer's block.

WAITWAITWAITWAIT. I NORMALLY TRY TO ANSWER THESE TOPIC BY TOPIC BUT BINDING. MY. FIC???? HELL YES YOU HAVE PERMISSION WHAT THE HELL??? THAT'S SO COOL??? if i ask very nicely would you make me one too..? I'd pay postage and everything 🙏🙏 i wish i had the patience to bind fics into books but it requires so much time and patience that I don't have 😭

My only thing I would want to say is that I plan on revising some of the earlier chapters where it doesn't quite flow the way the rest of the chapters do, so if I finish it before I've done that (which probably won't happen, but just in case), I would recommend waiting a little!

ANYWAY. making an entire tumblr acc just to interact with me here? ...that's dedication man🫡 I already said it but I appreciate EVERY comment i get so i will be waiting with baited breath after every chapter!!

Glad you're loving the angst tho, I'm having a lot of the time throwing dazai and chuuya into a washing machine full of stones every chapter. great character building.

The reveals are gonna be so fun I can't wait to write them honestly. I'm so excited!!! Still got ages to go tho, so strap in it's gonna be a while.

I ALSO LOOOOVE REFERENCING THE CANON WHILE WRITING. THE NYE FLASHBACK WHERE DAZAI THINKS ABOUT HIS CONVERSATION WHERE THEY WANT TO BE DETECTIVES. OMG. I WAS SO PROUD OF THAT. AND THE 'soulmate detective agency'.

Do not feel bad about writing a lot cause I loved reading this and responding and once again YOU HAVE FULL PERMISSION TO BIND IT ONCE IT'S DONE.

[lowlywriter]

Hello! You are an amazing fanfic writer and I am such a big fan of your works, honestly you write just *chefs kiss* if that makes sense.

So I love Yuuei Survival Guide and I love to reread it a lot, but recently I've been working more on computers due to my major/career so I've been starting to get more headaches from screens. As a result, I was planning on just physically printing out some pages for a binder before my friend directed me to a custom book website. Not for retail or selling or anything, just like printing one singular book for myself so I can read it without having a glaring screen in my face.

I was wondering if you'd like the pdf sent to you along with the link for the printing website? I don't plan on distributing them to anyone else since it's not my work, but the product turned out really good and if you'd like a physical version, I have the first 25 chapters fully edited and formatted for a book. I can also send over pictures of the final product, it looks amazing.

Again, I don't plan to sell this or throw it out for others to use (not mine to throw around) but I thought you might love to try and get a physical copy since your the author! No one else will be getting the pdf copy and the link to the website from me, I write fanfics myself and I wanted to make sure I got permission from you about your work before I posted pictures of the physical copy anywhere. Let me know what you think!

Hello! Thank you so much, I'm super glad to hear you love the fic! its definitely one of my biggest accomplishments, so I'm happy people are still loving it too!

I really don't mind so long as there's no profit being made anywhere! I don't want to get in trouble, and I don't want anyone else to get in trouble either. That said, I think book binding is super cool, I wish I could do it! Hopefully at some point I'll get a physical copy of something I've made, sounds like dream honestly!

I'd love to see the pictures, link and pdf files! Sounds really cool!

Also, I'd just like to warn you, I'm doing major editing on YSG and a few other fics on my LowlyWriter account as I find the time to do it. I'm nowhere near chapter 25 (it's a very slow process), so if you're that far, you should be good to keep going to the end before I catch up, but it is slowly being rewritten with better grammar and stuff as I learn more and my writing style matures!

Not sure if that makes a difference to you, but thought I'd give you a head's up! :D Hope your project goes well, and can't wait to see the finished product!

[hide-in-imagination]

Yall. I'm here again. I may or may not have finished all your fanfics in less than a week whilst my Six of Crows book is collecting dust... You cannot judge me for this. It's a damn good fanfic that I have not been able to stop thinking about. You're really doing gods work. I don't know what my life would be like if Roads that cross didn't exist. It is so cute and my everything. You're a great writer at everything. I usually struggle with fics that have smut in them. Not because I don't like reading about it (The very opposite 😏😏) but because I find it so hard to find something that speaks to me. When I do (like now) it is my everything. I think a big part of the problem is I feel a lot of authors just copy and paste the same smut scenes across however many chapters. Roads that cross, how do I say this kept everything delightfully fun, fresh and interesting 😌😌😌. Chefs kiss. Also I doubt I would ever get bored of these two.

I am so excited for the next chapter already. Keep doing what you're doing. This fic is so much more than just one thing, it has everything. Simon and Ambar are literally made for each other and you really have me believing in them, despite having still not seen the show yet.

Also I hope you're having a good day/night/evening/timezone appropriate period. If you ever need anything like prompt or romantic situation ideas, let me know because I have so so many. But respect if not because it's your fic after all!!

Lots of love, Jellie xx

Oh my Jellie Jellie bean, you are so sweet!! I wanna print this and hang it on my bedroom wall <3

(sorry for the nickname, I just think it's cute ksjdnf)

"I may or may not have finished all your fanfics in less than a week whilst my Six of Crows book is collecting dust... You cannot judge me for this." And I do not! I have all the Harry Potter books my parents gifted to me 3 years ago and the whole collection of Sherlock Holmes book that I bought myself because the box was pretty, and you think I've read any of that?? No 😂😂 I totally get you, don't worry.

"You're really doing gods work. I don't know what my life would be like if Roads that cross didn't exist." Oh my god, thank you!! kjsdnfls. That's is- wow. So heartwarming. So gratifying. It's the kind of words that keep me going. To be honest, I don't know what my life would be like without RTC either. It's been 5 years and it feels like a lifetime. I can't wait to finish the story so that I can focus on other wips, but I guess Roads will really be THE one even after I'm done with it. (I mean, with that word count? I might as well print it and bind it 😂)

"a lot of authors just copy and paste the same smut scenes across however many chapters." oh my god, who does that?? You've been reading the wrong fics, what is up with those people?? I always try to make each scene mean something different, explore something different, especially since in Roads they're just starting a relationship which means they're learning each other's bodies, what makes the other tick, they're trying different things just for the fun of it or because as their bond gets deeper they find new ways to express it. I'm so happy you think it's "delightfully fun, fresh and interesting"-- That's all I ever wanted.

(Btw, that sounds like a New York Times review on the backcover of a book and I love that 😂💕)

I gotta admit, I'm not very confident on the quality of this story since I started writing it many years ago and I feel like the first 15 chapters or so don't reflect everything that I've learned since then. I've been working on editing those past chapters when I have the time, but there's still a long way to go, so I'm relieved that you managed to consider it good and engaging even with the... sometimes deplorable narrative choices I made back then sdkjfsn. (I gotta learn to be kinder to myself, I know; tell my perfectionism that.)

"Simon and Ambar are literally made for each other and you really have me believing in them, despite having still not seen the show yet." Oh my god, they really sound made for each other?? That's so sweet. I don't know if I ever thought that about them while watching the show. I mean, of course I believe in their love and I think they could be great together, but made for each other? Wow. It's so interesting that my writing conveyed that, it's very flattering. I'm so happy you've fallen in love with them through my writing 💕 Now I'm scared you'll watch the show and go "Wait, this is how they act around each other?" 😂😂 Maybe it'll be very different or maybe they'll give you the same vibe, who knows, only time will tell 😂

I've read this in the morning but now it's afternoon! 😂 It's taken me a while to type this. Thank you for offering your help 💕 I think I have enough ideas for now (sometimes I fear I have too many as my wips folder gets longer and longer) but if the opportunity ever presents itself I'll let you know!

Eternally grateful, - C

[chubsthehamster]

A little over a year ago I started bookbinding, and today I finished my very first go at binding at my own writing! This is Letters from Heaven, written for last year's kghn big bang and also for my undergraduate thesis.

This fic has such a special place in my heart--so many people were involved from pen to press, encouraging me when I was stuck and answering questions about paper and vinyl and letting me rant about planes and writing and volleyball and everything in between. I can never thank them enough. Special thanks to Pearl on Twitter for letting me print her gorgeous art.

I had so much fun with this one (and got to use my brand new shiny cricut!!) and can't wait to keep binding many more in the years to come <3

[snek-panini]

It's been a bit since I posted a new book on here. I have one finished and ready to share (it's gorgeous! I can't wait!) but we're in the middle of moving so I haven't had time to take photos yet. And all my bookbinding stuff is packed up so I can't work on anything new yet, and we won't have internet in the new space till next week so I can't even print anything because the printer is wireless and I can't find my patch cable thingy.

Anyway. It's stressful because moving always is, and binding has become a de-stressing thing for me lately, but all I can do right now is share photos, so it's time for bonus photos! These are from the two author's copies I've made and sent out.

These are from The God Below author's copy, which I posted about back in October (link is to my other post, where you can find a link to the fic). I used the same materials as I did with my copy, except that the title inset is a different color. The crows on the endpapers are also unique to this version and were done with embossing powder. There are two blue-eyed crows in the fic and I had the idea to add them while I was working on it. I used stamps but the eyes had to be done by hand with a toothpick. Absolutely love how they turned out.

And these are of The Voice of the Lion was Heard in the Land (link to my post, where you can find a link to the fic). I love having the photo of both copies side by side, wish I'd done that for God Below before I sent it off. They're indistinguishable in the photo. The only difference between them was a printing error in my copy, where some of the text on the title page came out blurry and I didn't notice it until it was already sewn in. I carefully wrote over mine in pen, which I liked the look of, but I'm glad it printed correctly for the author's version.

So this one isn't an author copy, this one is mine, and it's of no love like your love, posted in November. I loved how it came out, except for the ribbon, which is too sproingy and was getting in the way while I was reading it. It wouldn't lie well when the book was open and kept flopping forward into the page I was reading. It also came out a little short, and didn't react well to the fraycheck I used on the loose end. So here was my solution:

Tiny feather charms! They match the silver feather on the front cover (you can just see it here, there's a better photo in the post I linked). No more flopping! And it covers the stain from the fraycheck! I've always had mixed feelings about charms on bookmarks but this improved the readability so much that I'm rethinking them. Probably not for every book but I have no regrets here, especially since it now looks like I planned it that way from the start.

Hopefully this is enough to sate the binding bug until I can get set up in the new place. Or at least until I can take some photos of the new book.