Had a talk with an old bookbinder in Baltimore that made me question my whole approach

Met a guy at a shop near Fells Point who told me I was overthinking my spine rounding. He said 'just let the paper tell you where it wants to go' and it hit me that I've been forcing things for 2 years. Anyone else ever get a reality check from someone who's been doing this since before you were born?

2 comments

2 Comments

richard_ramirez6d ago

Learned that lesson the hard way with my first few books. Once I stopped trying to make the spine do what I wanted and just felt it out, everything clicked better. Still catch myself overthinking sometimes but that old timer's advice is exactly right.

robinwalker5d ago

Felt it out" is exactly right, man. My first attempt at a spine I was basically wrestling the book like a grizzly bear, ended up with a cracked cover and a broken spirit. Now I just kinda let the book tell me what it wants, which is usually just "stop yanking on me.