The Second Apocalypse

Miscellaneous Chatter => General Misc. => Topic started by: Wilshire on June 24, 2015, 06:46:40 pm

Title: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Wilshire on June 24, 2015, 06:46:40 pm
-- Updated --

The Binding of The Darkness
I  wanted to bind TDTCB (http://www.second-apocalypse.com/index.php?topic=1371.msg17149#msg17149), and thought the most economical way would be to do it myself. After many hours of research I decided it would cost too much to get the required tools and that not having an expert involved would likely make this turn out miserably. So since that didn't work out, I decided the next best thing was to get lessons. Below are the results of the process.

Beginning at the end, behold:
(click to show/hide)

Full Album: The Binding of The Darkness that Comes Before (http://imgur.com/a/a5slS)

Day 0: Its best to begin at the beginning
First edition, first print, mint condition, cover in protective mylar.... It never stood a chance.
http://i.imgur.com/adXLlhK.jpg
http://imgur.com/XryJ2h3
http://imgur.com/f6eFudG

Day 1: Murder
What remains after you cut off the covers and rip out the spine. The heart and the mind remain, to be reborn.
http://i.imgur.com/AUckxRe.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/Sd1jhIx.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/kNsaLGq.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/sRpVN0R.jpg

Day 2: Bored
Boards pre-shaping. basically just flat, dense binder's board. Lots of sanding. Not an exciting day.
http://i.imgur.com/exjlrCK.jpg

We also replaced the spine, made a hinge (the black material on the sides) which will help it open nicely, and glued in the end sheets.
http://i.imgur.com/kmUemmE.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/2foouNA.jpg

Day 3: We Can Rebuild
Boards attached. The all important text block now has some protection against those that would harm it. The cutout is where the label and artwork will end up, it creates a slight divot the thickness of a sheet of paper, hopefully making a very smooth transition from cover leather to label leather.
http://i.imgur.com/pbXQYBQ.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/MANinhL.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/ClX6EpG.jpg

Day 4: Rise and Rise again
Witness, the leather is now in place, the book is almost done. The blind tooling (those squares on the front/back) is where the artwork will be.
http://i.imgur.com/oA0SOBq.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/RYSKjuB.jpg

Day 4.5: To Die For
Got the hot foil stamps, aka dies, made. One for the front, one for the back. These are 11pt magnesium plates that measure about 4''x6''. The last picture is them sitting on the old boards.
http://i.imgur.com/D1b1qo4.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/bpgDot3.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/AfsqB5w.jpg


Day 5: Bound and Glued
Book is nearing completion. Today I affixed the book's hinge, that was previously glued to some pages of the text block, onto the cover, and set in some paper to smooth out the transition from leather to board. Basically another day for cutting and gluing. This can probably now be considered "a book", or pretty damn close. All that is left for the inside is gluing in one final sheet to make it look pretty when you open it.
http://i.imgur.com/RYSKjuB.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/oA0SOBq.jpg

Day 6: Final
Finally found someone to finish this up. Here it is:
http://i.imgur.com/qOCSUE5.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/SHyjJ0v.jpg



I will accept orders for those who think they'd like this done. Originally I thought that I would be able to do it myself, but this may not be the case. However, now that I have a relationship with a local binder, and she has an understanding of exactly what this will take, the price will likely be better than anything you could find on your own.

Quality, materials, and complexity drive up the price, and I used the most premium leather I could find and the artwork for the front/back came at a hefty cost.

For those willing to have me try to attempt one for you, I'll give you a cheaper cost, but I can't promise it'll be the highest quality thing you've ever seen.
For starters, I'd definitely go with more reasonably priced leather. Faux leather is neigh indistinguishable from the real thing, and I found that some binders don't even bother telling you its faux leather unless you specifically ask.

This book, finished, probably cost me upwards of $1200 for time and materials. It should have been closer to $800 but with the change in binders I encountered some additional expenses. It took nearly 5 years from start to finish, and was worth every penny of cost and hour of time spent.
-----

I *should* be able to make 1 person a nearly identical copy of this for ~$1000. PM me if you are curious. It will probably take 6 months to complete. - SOLD - For those curious, it turned out really well with the new binder.

In addition, I am looking into more affordable options closer to the $100 - $200 price range.
New binder said he should be able to do something similar for $400. About half of the price difference from my original is because of using different leather, the other half is this place is just way cheaper than the last place. If $400 is closer to your sensibilities, send me a PM or email.

Still thinking about a $100 option, probably involving faux leather if I can figure out the possibility of laser etching it.

In all cases, interest/orders would provide me with a reason to expedite the process and will yield faster results if you want a book.
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Garet Jax on June 24, 2015, 07:06:37 pm
That is awesome!  Congrats on the progress so far, Wilshire.

I wonder what a brand using that die would look like...  :o
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Wilshire on July 30, 2015, 04:02:04 am
Ok, another day, another upload. Pics of the bound (but not yet finished) book are now up.
The Binding of The Darkness that Comes Before (http://imgur.com/a/a5slS)

http://i.imgur.com/RYSKjuB.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/oA0SOBq.jpg
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Francis Buck on August 08, 2015, 12:44:28 am
I'm eagerly anticipating the final reveal.
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Thing called Sarcellus on September 25, 2015, 02:05:59 am
take my money
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Nil Sertrax on September 26, 2015, 08:58:30 pm
Wilshire,

Make sure you post a photo of the completed product.  I'm anxiously awaiting the big reveal and want to see what the heat branding looks like.  If it comes out looking good I think I may be placing an order!  Thanks for sharing this!
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Madness on September 26, 2015, 09:47:11 pm
Omnibus edition :)!

Also, I'm surprised that the leather isn't stamped before the book is bound as you have it. What's the next (final?) step?

Also, also, long overdue but looks great. Camlost and I were joking that you have a hidden room to hide out in and obsess upon your craft.
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Garet Jax on September 28, 2015, 01:09:08 pm
Also, also, long overdue but looks great. Camlost and I were joking that you have a hidden room to hide out in and obsess upon your craft.


"It came to me, my own, my love... my... preciousssss." - said Wilshire, while petting his leather bound treasure.
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Wilshire on September 28, 2015, 09:53:17 pm
Alas, on hold until at least november, as I don't have a free weekend, or a free penny, until then.

Omnibus edition :)!

Also, I'm surprised that the leather isn't stamped before the book is bound as you have it. What's the next (final?) step?

Also, also, long overdue but looks great. Camlost and I were joking that you have a hidden room to hide out in and obsess upon your craft.
Thanks!
It is stamped post binding because it would be difficult - impossible - to line the leather up exactly. If its off by a hair, the design would be tilted and you'd see it. Easier to line it up and stamp it after its all set in place, or at least this is what I was told. Foolish lehmen.

Wilshire,

Make sure you post a photo of the completed product.  I'm anxiously awaiting the big reveal and want to see what the heat branding looks like.  If it comes out looking good I think I may be placing an order!  Thanks for sharing this!
Thanks. I thought it would be fun to post a bit of the process since it was going to take so long to get the final product complete.
For the sake of clarity: Heat branding brings to mind burning a design into the leather, leaving behind a blackened design in the leather. Something  like this (https://img0.etsystatic.com/000/0/6343724/il_fullxfull.267203764.jpg). While an awesome idea, and something I considered, this is not what I decided on. I'll be doing what essentially amounts to gluing foil onto the leather,  like this  (http://www.freecreatives.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Silver-Stamping-Logo-MockUp-full.jpg).

Also, also, long overdue but looks great. Camlost and I were joking that you have a hidden room to hide out in and obsess upon your craft.


"It came to me, my own, my love... my... preciousssss." - said Wilshire, while petting his leather bound treasure.

Its displayed on a wall overlooking my living room. Such treasure are meant to be seen.
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Madness on September 29, 2015, 12:52:08 am
It is stamped post binding because it would be difficult - impossible - to line the leather up exactly. If its off by a hair, the design would be tilted and you'd see it. Easier to line it up and stamp it after its all set in place, or at least this is what I was told. Foolish lehmen.

Damn. I don't know what I expected either way - I think I neglected to imagine the final product at all.

The burnt leather brand looks awesome. I'm sure the foil is going to look amazing too, though, and will probably better capture the intricacy of your efforts to mirror Rankine's piece.
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Nil Sertrax on October 01, 2015, 09:30:55 pm
I think the foil looks more polished and will do the cover justice.  Thanks again for sharing.
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Wilshire on October 02, 2015, 12:52:42 am
Yeah I'm with you Nil.

An option I toyed with was getting high quality but low grade leather. Low grade leathers mean it has some scarring, tearing , and even parts of brands (typically from older animals). The leather is still good, but it has blemishes. The added bonus with these is they are cheaper because people don't typically want it, and it would look damn cool if thats the look you are going for.

With something like that I'd imagine something more like the branding from above, or even using a wood burning pen to work in the letters.
It would look like it survived the first holy war ;)
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: mrganondorf on October 04, 2015, 07:13:36 pm
Yeah I'm with you Nil.

An option I toyed with was getting high quality but low grade leather. Low grade leathers mean it has some scarring, tearing , and even parts of brands (typically from older animals). The leather is still good, but it has blemishes. The added bonus with these is they are cheaper because people don't typically want it, and it would look damn cool if thats the look you are going for.

With something like that I'd imagine something more like the branding from above, or even using a wood burning pen to work in the letters.
It would look like it survived the first holy war ;)

ITS FROM THE LIBRARY OF THE SAREOTS!  too cool Wilshire
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Nil Sertrax on May 18, 2016, 12:02:41 am
Wilshire,

Did you ever finish this?  I'm still waiting to give you my money!
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Wilshire on May 18, 2016, 02:05:39 am
Had to hold off for a while, but I'm going to try and finish it in June before TGO is released.
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: ValHallAwaits on May 19, 2016, 12:06:35 am
I made an account to say I need this in my life and will pay for one as well as ship my 1st/1st to make it happen.

After rebinding will the DJ still fit?
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Wilshire on May 19, 2016, 01:17:43 am
I made an account to say I need this in my life and will pay for one as well as ship my 1st/1st to make it happen.

I appreciate it! Looks like I really do need to get this finished up, IMO the hot foil stamping is going to be the best part... Well, i dunno, the leather is incredible too... Anyway, I'm going to call my binder this week and get that scheduled!

After rebinding will the DJ still fit?

I had to run to my bookshelf and check. Honestly, it never occurred to me to put the dustjacket back on. The new hardcover boards are slightly bigger both in width and length. The dustjacket still covers about 99% of it though. That said, the boards can be cut to any size, so you could explicitly cut it so that it would be no larger than the original covers.

Once I finish, I'll be sure to figure out what it will cost to do it again. This has taken me over a year to do, though it's more like a week or two of work for a real binder working on it. Randomly guessing so that I can put my foot in my mouth later, I'd probably expect a 6 month lead time, more/less depending on how busy she is.
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: ValHallAwaits on May 19, 2016, 04:56:44 am

I had to run to my bookshelf and check. Honestly, it never occurred to me to put the dustjacket back on. The new hardcover boards are slightly bigger both in width and length. The dustjacket still covers about 99% of it though. That said, the boards can be cut to any size, so you could explicitly cut it so that it would be no larger than the original covers.


I look at it the same way a lot of leather special editions are done (for example Steven Erikson lettered from Subterranean) which are both leather and wrapped in DJs, and I envision possibly even commissioning a traycase or somesuch to house the dang thing. I love this author so much that I'm going to make him a shrine next to my Erikson lettered...

Quote
Once I finish, I'll be sure to figure out what it will cost to do it again. This has taken me over a year to do, though it's more like a week or two of work for a real binder working on it. Randomly guessing so that I can put my foot in my mouth later, I'd probably expect a 6 month lead time, more/less depending on how busy she is.

These details are important but not as important as getting the thing done! I just can't wait to see the finished product and as long as we're talking about a price comparable to a standard special edition (~$350 or so) I'm in. Hell, 6 months is standard turnaround from preorder to book arrival from Subterranean, haha!
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Wilshire on May 19, 2016, 01:40:12 pm
You're one of the 52 people that have the Erikson lettered edition from Subterranean Press? I'm so extremely jealous. I was able to get in at MT, so I should have numbered editions of MT through CG once its all done. But the lettered editions, those are truly beautiful books. Can you post pictures of your collection somewhere?

Going to have to disappoint you on cost. $350 is probably a low end estimate for something like this. A comfortable number is probably double that. I will probably have spent $700-$800 once its done. The biggest issue is economies of scale. The materials alone are extremely expensive to buy for just one book, so unless you're making a 500 book print run, done on machines rather than by hand, it becomes egregiously expensive. I got to learn this lesson first hand.

Mind you, almost half of that cost was the super premium leather I purchased. Cheaper stuff can be used, and not to bash on your books, but the leather that Subterranean Press/Easton Press/etc. isn't nearly the same 'quality'. You can still make very high quality books with lesser leather, but you could still end up with $100 - $200 worth of leather to purchase for each book.

Doing this kind of thing is very time intensive and takes a lot of skill to end up with something that doesn't look like garbage - skill I definitely don't have. I'm thinking the bare minimum price would be closer to $500 per book, but I haven't discussed this with my binder. If you're wondering how I came to such outrageous prices, I have another thread documenting much of my journey here: http://www.second-apocalypse.com/index.php?topic=1371.0.
I was getting quotes from $700-$1000+ from bookbinders all around the country - and some flat out refused. I thought I could do it more cheaply going the route I did, and in the end it really didn't save me any money. It was fun, actually getting to craft it myself with guidance, but still expensive. Most of the cost is in materials, so its really hard to reduce the price.

But hey, I'll see what needs to be done. If there is a $350 option, I'll look for it. I recently found someone online that does custom books for cheaper, but they use some non-conventional  processes that I'm not sure would have the same effect.
Make sure you set up an email address for your account here, or link the PMs to your email, so that I can reach out to you with more information as it comes.


A clam-shell box (aka traycase) would be an additional expense. I'm tapped out as far as budget goes for this project, so I never looked into the cost of that, but I can do that for you as well, just to see. They really are the best way to keep your book in pristine condition, but I think its kind of a shame to hide it after putting all this work into it.
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: ValHallAwaits on May 19, 2016, 06:01:07 pm
Quote
You're one of the 52 people that have the Erikson lettered edition from Subterranean Press? I'm so extremely jealous. I was able to get in at MT, so I should have numbered editions of MT through CG once its all done. But the lettered editions, those are truly beautiful books. Can you post pictures of your collection somewhere?

Yep. Letter Y. Took these just for you, my friend: http://imgur.com/a/IxeOn

And here's a look at everything I own as of a couple weeks ago: http://imgur.com/a/5b78Q

As for the price for our leather edition dream, if it's somewhere around the $500 range I'm still game and would even eventually be able to swing all 3 of the original PoN trilogy books if possible.

Quote
A clam-shell box (aka traycase) would be an additional expense. I'm tapped out as far as budget goes for this project, so I never looked into the cost of that, but I can do that for you as well, just to see. They really are the best way to keep your book in pristine condition, but I think its kind of a shame to hide it after putting all this work into it.

I know a guy. Should be about $100-150 per box based on specs and 30 day turnaround time. I hadn't envisioned asking you to look into it actually, was going to do it on my own. Frees me up to design them the way I want as well.
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Wilshire on May 19, 2016, 06:24:29 pm
Those are so awesome. Thanks for sharing!

I hope Bakker publishes some limited edition stuff through someone eventually... Really just anyone other than Overlook.
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: H on May 19, 2016, 06:34:42 pm
Those are so awesome. Thanks for sharing!

I hope Bakker publishes some limited edition stuff through someone eventually... Really just anyone other than Overlook.

Couldn't agree more, I hate the fact that the books don't all match...
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: ValHallAwaits on May 19, 2016, 06:54:34 pm
I hope Bakker publishes some limited edition stuff through someone eventually... Really just anyone other than Overlook.

A year or so ago SubPress did an AMA on Reddit and someone suggested James S.A. Corey. Lo and behold, here we are and they're taking preorders on book 2.

I could also see Centipede Press being game to publish a special edition. The largest obstacle is Overlook. They seem quite miserly and I think it would be A Great Ordeal to get them to cede rights for a limited edition run.
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Madness on May 22, 2016, 03:08:02 am
Yep. Letter Y. Took these just for you, my friend: http://imgur.com/a/IxeOn

And here's a look at everything I own as of a couple weeks ago: http://imgur.com/a/5b78Q

Sweet collection, ValHallAwaits.

Welcome to the forum, by the way :). I've always loved Norse mythology, though literally started watching Vikings today.
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: ValHallAwaits on May 23, 2016, 12:19:27 pm
Yep. Letter Y. Took these just for you, my friend: http://imgur.com/a/IxeOn

And here's a look at everything I own as of a couple weeks ago: http://imgur.com/a/5b78Q

Sweet collection, ValHallAwaits.

Welcome to the forum, by the way :). I've always loved Norse mythology, though literally started watching Vikings today.

Thanks and thanks.

Cannot wait to add this leather Bakker collection to the shelf. Can't even contain myself at the idea.

I wonder if other avenues might be easier/cheaper/more preferable than a traycase or clamshell. Maybe a simple charcoal slipcase with silver foil stamping. I know a guy for that too.
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Wilshire on May 23, 2016, 12:25:55 pm
Do you happen to know, or can you find out, what the biggest die his hot foil stamp press can handle?
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: ValHallAwaits on May 23, 2016, 12:30:50 pm
Do you happen to know, or can you find out, what the biggest die his hot foil stamp press can handle?

I sent an email.

I've kicked tires on this sort of thing before with him and here's what he had to say about making something custom:
Quote
How it works is if someone designs the image for the the case I then get a metal plate made for the hot foil printing.The plates cost from about £15 to about £50, if enough people are interested in a certain slipcase like The Martian and RP1 then I don't pass on the cost of the plate.

Edit: And the slipcases I ordered from him in the past have been between £13- £15. So they're very reasonable.
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Wilshire on May 23, 2016, 12:37:00 pm
Well, I already have the design and the plates, my issue was finding a binder who had a big enough machine here in the US. As luck would have it, the largest one I was able to find was also the closest one to where I live - the one that is helping me with the books. Even still, I would have liked to have a full cover stamp of the Rankine cover art, but had to settle for less.
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: ValHallAwaits on May 23, 2016, 12:50:14 pm
Yeah I figure worst case scenario, if you're interested, we can go in together on shipping to send your plate across the pond to Jeff so he can use it to stamp the slipcases though that presents logistical problems should we decide we wanted to produce more books (need another stamp anyway).

So yes I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he can do a full reproduction of the art from the cover. Here's an example of some of his work:

http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/s603/jsmcmullen92/IMG_0026_zpsjs3kodr6.jpg (Holofoil stamping) It also appears you can scroll through that album for more looks!

Also a pic of a charcoal case with silver stamping. http://imgur.com/tRkpvIh

No idea whether he can handle a large, large stamp.

Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: ValHallAwaits on May 23, 2016, 12:58:35 pm
Sorry for the double post,

It occurs to me that if ever there were a precedent for an edition like this which we maybe ought to use as the measuring stick, it's the Elantris leatherbound edition recently produced by Sanderson's in-house publisher Dragonsteel. I do wonder, however, whether they themselves manufactured it or whether they could tell us where to look for someone who could do it. They were able to produce large quantities of those books and sell them for MSRP $100. That catches the eye.
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: ValHallAwaits on May 23, 2016, 02:25:55 pm
Triple post.

Jeff can handle a maximum size of 8.5"x5.25". All systems go.
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Wilshire on May 23, 2016, 03:10:37 pm
As I said, economies of scale. Doing a 1000 print run on less than super-premium leather would be ideal circumstances. Its how Grim Oaks, or Sub Press, etc, can sell their books for <$300 and make good margins. Having Bakker agree to get a s/l print done somewhere would be ideal for all parties (more affordable and likely of similar or higher quality, especially because you can print on higher quality paper). Grim Oaks has  Shannara up for $100, leatherbound. Easton Press does similar work, though their prints can be in the 10k+ unit range.

8.5x5.25 makes me jealous. I'd have to get a new stamp made, but I have a bitmap file that I personally created using copies of Rankine's original artwork that I bribed him for. If you look close enough, you'll notice slight differences from the ones printed in PoN compared to the ones I made. That took weeks because I'm an amateur, but I did it, damn it.
You used pounds as your monetary unit, so I assume you're in the UK. If that's the case, then I'd assume you'd be able to get this done yourself - probably even for cheaper. The leather I got was imported from England, binders are fewer here so are probably more expensive. The only thing you'd be missing would be the die. Which you could have made yourself or I could work something out with you and send one your way. But again, since bookbinding is more popular in UK/EU, such services may be cheaper and easier to find.
A larger die will make for an easier stamp since the fine details wont be so fine.

Rankine is very... lets say 'particular'... about the use of his art. Reproducing his art onto covers enmasse would probably come at a hefty cost, and likely just be impossible. I have an agreement with him for free personal use and a reproduction fee if I sell any books.

Also, with the stamping, it can be tricky, especially with art as intricate of the PoN covers. When you do a big run, you can afford to screw up a few covers and just re-print them. It also lets you dial in the machine so once its printing perfect copies, you don't have to worry about it. When you've only got 1 shot and a limited budget, messing up really just isn't an option, thus the need for the in-laid leather that I'll be having.


Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: ValHallAwaits on May 23, 2016, 05:13:12 pm
I hear you on all those points you've made. Am I alone in being happy no matter what way this turns out? If it gets picked up by a small press it's more cost effective but less special. If we do this ourselves we're part of a very small group of people in possession of the books and that's cool too, if more expensive.

I'm actually in the US but I used pounds for precision purposes because of the exchange rate possibly changing.

Would you be willing to go in with me on the stamp for the slipcase if we could use Jeff's equipment? I'd gladly pay it to have a badass slipcase with the full cover art stamped in silver, and I'd want to commission it as early as today because if the leather book will have similar dimensions we could have the slipcases long before. Here's Jeff's email if you want to drop him a line: jeffrey.whiley@ntlworld.com
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Wilshire on May 23, 2016, 06:03:44 pm
Oh no, you aren't alone. I'm pretty damn proud, as well as excited as hell because I did everything lol. Did the research, got the materials, went to the bindery and actually constructed it myself, pestered Rankine until he gave me some art to work from, designed the stamp, commissioned it myself. Lots of sweat equity in my particular book.

As for the rest, it would be icing on the cake if I could sell some of these to people fascinated enough with this series to have something truly unique made. Especially considering that at this current point in time, it wouldn't even exist without me .

I'll shoot you a PM, see what we can work out.
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: MSJ on May 23, 2016, 06:10:45 pm
If one was to be interested, what is the price we're talking about here? I need something and would be willing to add my name to the list just to drive the cost down. I left my TDTCB on the coffee table, and my 4 year old ripped the cover to shreds. My hardcovers are all in great shape and I've never made any marks in them. I'd be willing to spruce up Darkness, as long as we're not talking something too outrageous.
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Wilshire on May 23, 2016, 06:28:34 pm
If one was to be interested, what is the price we're talking about here? I need something and would be willing to add my name to the list just to drive the cost down. I left my TDTCB on the coffee table, and my 4 year old ripped the cover to shreds. My hardcovers are all in great shape and I've never made any marks in them. I'd be willing to spruce up Darkness, as long as we're not talking something too outrageous.

Check out the full post for a bit more info, but:
Going to have to disappoint you on cost. $350 is probably a low end estimate for something like this. A comfortable number is probably double that. I will probably have spent $700-$800 once its done.

The biggest issue is economies of scale. The materials alone are extremely expensive to buy for just one book, so unless you're making a 500 book print run, done on machines rather than by hand, it becomes egregiously expensive. I got to learn this lesson first hand.

Could maybe do it for less with lower quality leather. Maybe $400. Dont hold you're breath.
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: MSJ on May 23, 2016, 07:46:08 pm
Phew, that might be something I'd have to do around tax time, lol.  If you guys could get enough of us who want one and drive the price down somehow I'd be in before that. I do see the appeal, and would love to have one.
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Wilshire on May 23, 2016, 07:51:30 pm
Phew, that might be something I'd have to do around tax time, lol.  If you guys could get enough of us who want one and drive the price down somehow I'd be in before that. I do see the appeal, and would love to have one.

I'll ask my binder, but I doubt a bulk order would make much of difference - because its all hand made. I will ask though.

Its an expensive proposition, but there are lots of non-super premium options that may allow a more reasonably priced book. I found a binder that uses non-traditional teqniques and produces books in the $100 range - downside is no hot foil stamping for those.


Level of interest is important. I'm not going to spend a ton of time hunting down options for just, say, 1 person ;). buf if tis a couple of you, I'll see what I can do :)
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: MSJ on May 23, 2016, 08:20:20 pm
@Wilshire, yes that's why I wanted to add my name to the mix. In all seriousness, if you're still able to do a nice one for me next Spring, I will drop the money in a heartbeat. But, if enough of us want one and you could get it to a more reasonable price I would be interested also.
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Madness on May 24, 2016, 12:20:25 am
Lol - I'm in if you'll consider the Omnibus PON edition ;).

Though, we already talked about alternatives to that.
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Wilshire on May 26, 2016, 05:14:29 pm
@Wilshire, yes that's why I wanted to add my name to the mix. In all seriousness, if you're still able to do a nice one for me next Spring, I will drop the money in a heartbeat. But, if enough of us want one and you could get it to a more reasonable price I would be interested also.

What about something along these lines: https://www.etsy.com/listing/254390891/custom-leather-hardback-trio-of-suzanne?ref=shop_home

Could do a Tusk or a Circumfix on the front. I'm having trouble deciding on a third piece of workable imagery that might be put on the cover of the trilogy... How about a big face...

For an omnibus it could just say "Prince of Nothing" on the nameplate and have the circumfix below.

Thoughts? Interest at a price range of $100/book or $175/omnibus? I'd be making them myself, btw.
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Wilshire on May 27, 2016, 01:39:16 pm
Thoughts? Interest at a price range of $100/book or $175/omnibus?
I think if 5 people were interested I could really start pursuing this.
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Bolivar on May 30, 2016, 04:10:54 pm
I would absolutely be down for this. Especially an Omnibus if it's feasible.

Not a big fan of that nameplate for PoN. I assume it's meant to look like something from one of the Districts in the Hunger Games?

A Chorae might be interesting for a third image. And maybe the Heron Spear or Carapace down the line?
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Wilshire on May 30, 2016, 04:31:27 pm
Chorae is interesting. I was thinking maybe a castle for Ishual, for tdtcb.

Eye and tree for tje and wlw. Etc.


The design could be vastly altered. Laser etching  is versatile, would just have to find the thing. Maybe even just using the same font as the original covers.

The only problem with this particular leather is that it won't take hot foil stamping. Though it would be possible to laser etch the lether itself with whatever design. That might be cool. I could use the cover designs I already have.
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: MisterGuyMan on June 17, 2016, 01:32:45 pm
I am very interested.  In another thread a bunch of fans are speculating on creating an Bakkercon just because we want our books signed but if Bakker can sign off on this then this would be even better.

So if this isn't an official thing what are we talking about?  We would have to supply our own books for binding I assume.  Everyone would, again I'm assuming, have to have the same edition and print so they're the same size.  Could we reap the advantages of economies of scale if we bind different books in the series or does it have to be the same one?  Like say I want all six books bound and you wanted five, would that matter?

Personally, I'm a "Less is More" guy.  So if there's a design I would I'd prefer something simplistic and relevant.  I can't think of one for TDTCB but something like a circumfix for The Warrior Prophet which, come to think of it, would look like a basic Xmen symbol.  Or just have that script the runs down the NA release on the cover.  I'd honestly like a simple "The Darkness That Comes Before:  Second Apocalypse Book I" on the cover.  Maybe translate that into Nonman or some Earwa language for flavor.

TLDR:  TAKE MY MONEY
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Wilshire on June 17, 2016, 01:45:44 pm
The more I think about it, the more I like the laser etching idea. I don't know if I can find someone to do little pewter figurines like I suggested in the previous post.

However, I think i should be able to find someone with a laser in my area. This creates a nice minimalistic cover using the designs I already painstakingly transcribed.
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Wilshire on June 17, 2016, 02:33:13 pm
I should address your questions more directly, MisterGuyMan. See below.

So if this isn't an official thing what are we talking about?  We would have to supply our own books for binding I assume. 

Correct. This is not 'sanctioned' by Bakker or Overlook, ie they are not reprinting books or anything and I have not contacted them about this project. That said, it is perfectly legal. Bookbinders have been doing this for centuries.

Everyone would, again I'm assuming, have to have the same edition and print so they're the same size.  Could we reap the advantages of economies of scale if we bind different books in the series or does it have to be the same one?  Like say I want all six books bound and you wanted five, would that matter?
Economies of scale are only vaguely working in my favor at this point. The plan, currently, would be for me to personally rebind each book. I can only do so much, so I'd start with a set of, say, 5 TDTCB and move on from there. One issue is I don't have the means to support a large supply of excess materials, so I need to be careful not to buy to much leather and other materials. I would hopefully make 5 more/less identical copies of TDTCB and then see where things stood.

You would need to supply your own books, or in the very least, pay me for the base book that I am binding (ie. I might be able to find one, but you still have to pay for it). For these, I was thinking the large edition paperbacks would work really nicely. They are tall enough that I think an omnibus edition of PoN wouldn't look totally ridiculous, as well as cheaper and easier to find than the original hardcovers.

Also, keep in mind, we're talking about ~$100 per book, which is a best guess. I haven't purchased any materials or figured out how many hours it'll take to make these. If you want every book individually bound, you're getting close to $700 before tax and shipping and such.

Personally, I'm a "Less is More" guy.  So if there's a design I would I'd prefer something simplistic and relevant.  I can't think of one for TDTCB but something like a circumfix for The Warrior Prophet which, come to think of it, would look like a basic Xmen symbol.  Or just have that script the runs down the NA release on the cover.  I'd honestly like a simple "The Darkness That Comes Before:  Second Apocalypse Book I" on the cover.  Maybe translate that into Nonman or some Earwa language for flavor.

TLDR:  TAKE MY MONEY
If you haven't, go back to my original post in this thread and check out my hot foil stamps. Or just click here http://imgur.com/AfsqB5w. The original Rankine cover art for the first prints of each PoN book had a unique design. Unfortunately, Rankine did not do any more after that, so I have no clue what designs for AE would be good. That's way too far down the line though.
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Wilshire on June 18, 2016, 05:30:35 pm
Alright guys. Since posting the potential for a book that costs closer to $100, there have been 6 of you who have shown interest:

Bolivar - Omnibus edition
Madness - Omnibus edition
MisterGuyMan - TDTCB
Nil Sertrax - TDTCB
Ciphrank - TDTCB
MSJ - TDTCB - though if you're still potentially interested in the $500 one, let me know


With that, I'll really start pursuing this more, though to make it work I'm going to need you guys to work with me. Yes, that means you need to PM or respond to this post :P .

For starters, what book do you want bound? Small edition paperback? Large edition paperbacks? Hardcovers? Do you really want to find/buy/send me a 1st/1st hardcover? What about the 1st/2nd that have the cheaper paper and printing press errors?

What color? The laser etching needs to stand out, so it can't be any dark colors. I can't guarantee anything, but, if you could choose, what color(s) would you prefer? I'm seeing some decent reds, browns, maybe yellow and light grey. What would be your preference?

If you are imagining to have a whole set, would you want all the covers to be the same color? Doing it that way will help control costs.

These are important things I need to know before I can start.

Also, omnibus, still a maybe. I'm not sure I can handle that, so I'll start with binding however many TDTCBs I can with 1 order of materials. I'm thinking that's somewhere between 2 and 6. Hopefully they turn out acceptable and you guys buy them from me. Otherwise, I'll just put them in the coffers and never make another ;).


Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Nil Sertrax on June 18, 2016, 06:14:30 pm
Wilshire,

I trust your creative judgment.  Choose the edition that you think most appropriate and choose colors that you would like.  I'm not picky and I'll buy.
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Madness on June 18, 2016, 08:17:21 pm
I think he's in "renewed vigour" mode ;).
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Wilshire on June 18, 2016, 10:32:55 pm
Wilshire,

I trust your creative judgment.  Choose the edition that you think most appropriate and choose colors that you would like.  I'm not picky and I'll buy.

Noted. I'm assuming that's generally the case, but I figured I'd leave a period open for input.

I think he's in "renewed vigour" mode ;).

Yes, and I need a few more bits of information before I move forward from the binders and such, so while I wait I figured I'd open up the floor.
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: JellybeansGalore on July 07, 2016, 06:12:14 am
Wilshire, your book turned out great! I'm sorry for totally bailing on the thread when you first started the project. Using a woodburning pen is nice because it gives you a lot of flexibility, and makes each copy unique. The downside is that with dark leather, you don't get the nice contrast you do with light, but now I'm wondering if one could gild the burnt areas with foil in a similar fashion to illuminating a manuscript, and how durable the results would be. Hmm. I may have to experiment with that tomorrow.
Example of burnt-in design on light leather:
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Wilshire on July 07, 2016, 12:52:44 pm
Welcome back JBG!
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Wilshire on August 24, 2016, 08:33:50 pm
Status update:

Dropped my book off a month ago to get hot-foil stamped because I wasn't going to have time to finish it. It was supposed to be done about a week ago, but I can't seem to get in contact with my binder... So AFAIK its lost to the abyss, or sitting on someone's floor being used to stabilize a table.

Hopefully I'll be able to get it sometime soon - though I fear that my order has been forgotten, and the slog will continue for a while yet.

JBG, that's exactly what I envisioned. Looks slick, only downside if you need lighter leather to contrast the image. Did you ever try to gild it?
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Wilshire on September 02, 2016, 04:43:30 pm
Indeed, ill tidings from my binder. She bailed, decided that it would be too difficult to do the hot-foil stamping, which is a damn shame because I made the stamps to the exact specifications of her machine - so its likely that I'll have to make new stamps. D:<

I'm in contact with another binder at my new place, recommended highly by my previous binder. Unfortunately, she does not seem keen on the idea of finishing this project with me. I'm on the lookout for new paths now.

The finish line, as it looms near, moves ever farther away.
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Madness on September 08, 2016, 01:07:59 pm
Very sorry to hear, man :(.

Also, I like your new sig.
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Wilshire on October 14, 2016, 03:49:09 pm
I hesitate to post since I'm going to guess that these plans will fall through, but I have an appointment with a book binder set for October 22 who will assess the possibility of completing my book. Should he deem his skill and equipment up to the task, it should be completed on the spot in a couple hours. - Scratch that. Actually, he said he'd just be evaluating. If he agrees, he'll get to it some other day.
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Madness on October 24, 2016, 12:30:58 pm
Excited to hear about a possible conclusion to this saga. Especially because it's going to look goddamn beautiful and it has obviously been such a labour of love.
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Wilshire on October 24, 2016, 01:09:42 pm
Well, it'll be expensive, but should be done sometime this week or next.
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Wilshire on October 24, 2016, 05:28:42 pm
Well, its done. Cost me a small fortune, but the binder just sent me pictures of the stamped leather.

Assuming he has no trouble putting the labels on the book, I should be able to pick it up on Saturday. Earlier if I get the time to go down there, but probably not.


Small preview below. I'll post the final result when I pick it up.
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Hiro on October 24, 2016, 05:35:52 pm
Coooool!
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Madness on October 24, 2016, 05:38:30 pm
Too cool, man. I suppose you should probably get that signed when all is said and done, no?
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Garet Jax on October 25, 2016, 04:01:19 pm
That looks awesome, Wilshire!  Finally a product to put on those stands!
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: MSJ on October 25, 2016, 10:51:38 pm
I am jealous. Looks awesome Wilshire. And, very happy that your quest has finally came to an end. Congrats, very nice!
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Wilshire on October 26, 2016, 02:10:22 am
Here's another little preview.

http://i.imgur.com/HfTmT7V.jpg
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: H on October 26, 2016, 12:11:18 pm
Here's another little preview.

http://i.imgur.com/HfTmT7V.jpg

Sick.  Looks great, can't wait to see the final product.
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Wilshire on October 29, 2016, 08:10:47 pm
Well, finally finished it.

http://i.imgur.com/qOCSUE5.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/SHyjJ0v.jpg

Looks pretty great. The stamps, as expected, were a bit too detailed and so the final product didn't come out as crisp as I might have dreamed, but it still looks amazing.

If anyone wants one just like it, I have enough to make 1 more. It'll cost you about $1,000.
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: MSJ on October 29, 2016, 11:12:24 pm
Amazing, Wilshire! Now, when will I be receiving my copy in the mail? Happy that it's finished, and I'm sure it will have a special place to be appreciated. Congrats!
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Wilshire on October 30, 2016, 02:16:52 am
Thanks!

You can get yours in about 12 weeks after I receive payment :).
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Redeagl on October 30, 2016, 06:53:30 pm
Well, finally finished it.

http://i.imgur.com/qOCSUE5.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/SHyjJ0v.jpg

Looks pretty great. The stamps, as expected, were a bit too detailed and so the final product didn't come out as crisp as I might have dreamed, but it still looks amazing.

If anyone wants one just like it, I have enough to make 1 more. It'll cost you about $1,000.
Looks awesome Wilshire  :)
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: H on October 31, 2016, 11:02:21 am
Amazing, if only I had a spare grand laying around.
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Wilshire on October 31, 2016, 01:48:06 pm
Amazing, if only I had a spare grand laying around.
Don't worry, I'm pretty sure no one does :P .

I don't know how many hours I spent researching, making calls, going to places, the actual binding, etc. etc. I'd suggest that its easy enough to do yourself if you've got lots of free time - but I know you're short on that too though :/ . Maybe one of these day's I'll get a cheaper option together for people.
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: H on October 31, 2016, 02:05:55 pm
Don't worry, I'm pretty sure no one does :P .

I don't know how many hours I spent researching, making calls, going to places, the actual binding, etc. etc. I'd suggest that its easy enough to do yourself if you've got lots of free time - but I know you're short on that too though :/ . Maybe one of these day's I'll get a cheaper option together for people.

It's all good man, more a lamenting of my current financial situation than a real commentary on the cost.

It sure would be neat to get the whole series done like this, but man, that sure would be an insane amount of work.
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Wilshire on October 31, 2016, 03:00:40 pm
Well, now I've got a foot in the industry right? I know a couple binders, raw material suppliers, a place to use/buy/rent equipment, relationships with said binders I might draw upon for questions, and I have a some minute modicum of experience.

In short - I left with my merest fraction.

Hopefully I can leverage it to get the rest of you something 90% the same at 10% of the cost :D . That's the dream at least.
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: H on October 31, 2016, 03:08:14 pm
Well, now I've got a foot in the industry right? I know a couple binders, raw material suppliers, a place to use/buy/rent equipment, relationships with said binders I might draw upon for questions, and I have a some minute modicum of experience.

In short - I left with my merest fraction.

Hopefully I can leverage it to get the rest of you something 90% the same at 10% of the cost :D . That's the dream at least.

Good point.  I mean, a large part of the cost was getting the stamps made, right?  And labor, of course.
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Wilshire on October 31, 2016, 03:37:56 pm
The stamps were a huge time investment, but surprisingly not terribly expensive once I finally ordered them. Not cheap, but I think less than 20% of the total cost.
Leather was the biggest raw material cost, probably 66% of the total. Though if someone does in fact order and buy another copy, that cost drops to about 33% of the total (leather order was enough for 2 books, so that doesn't keep decreasing with more orders).
Stamps should be able to be reused about 1000 times, so I'm not worried about those. I think each was used about 5 times, so unless I start to get close to 200 orders it shouldn't be an issue.
The rest is labour, and time. All subsequent books should be cheaper and faster. Unfortunately, whoever buys this 2nd book is saddled with additional costs. Twist my arm and I might let it go for $1200.

Future options to control costs would reduce the overall quality slightly, but I'm talking differences that only your elitist bookbinders would sniff at. I'm not kidding about 90%+ quality, 10% of the cost. (well, maybe a bit more than that, but at least 50% less).

---
Further on dyes:
They dyes were made exquisitely, but the foil stamping process is too imprecise. Many of the finer details that I painstakingly recreated for the stamp came out perfectly in the metal, but when stamped came out muddled. I'm not too worried about it as it still looks great, but I might tool around with the files and see if I can't make something better.

This is also why I'd like to try laser etching. Should be more precise, and I can etch over a larger area (the whole cover), which should doubly help with the details. That, btw, was another limitation on the hot-foil dyes - the size I made is the largest that anyone was willing to do.
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: H on October 31, 2016, 03:47:14 pm
That's interesting, but I could understand how a stamp can only transmit a limited amount of detail, given the nature of leather.  How expensive is laser etching though?
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Wilshire on October 31, 2016, 03:54:43 pm
Well, laser etching might be free if the one out my public library works. Otherwise, there are a few places around me that I can get quotes from. I'm expecting it'll be low cost.
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: H on November 01, 2016, 01:52:01 pm
Libraries have laser etchers?  Man, I haven't been to a library in years though, what else am I missing out on?   :)
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Wilshire on November 01, 2016, 02:01:48 pm
Libraries have laser etchers?  Man, I haven't been to a library in years though, what else am I missing out on?   :)
Well, I'm guessing the library here is special, but its got a laser etcher/cutter, three 3D printers, a poster printer (wish I knew about this before I made those TGO posters, would have save me like $100), button makers, free usage of computers with full adobe creative suites (photoshop, etc.), a studio quality sound proof recording booth (including audio editing), green screen and rentable video camera,  and probably something else I forgot about. This place was amazing.
If you haven't been to your nearest big city public library, maybe you should check it out. They also now, via an app called overdrive, allow you to borrow audiobooks and ebooks.

[edit]
forgot to mention a book printer. give them a PDF, and it will print you a mass market paperback book for about $0.05 a page.
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: H on November 01, 2016, 02:27:46 pm
The local library here is almost literally a hole in the wall.

I have a feeling though that even the "biggest" (non-New Orleans) Libraries here wouldn't have anywhere near the much stuff.
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Wilshire on November 01, 2016, 02:33:31 pm
The local library here is almost literally a hole in the wall.

I have a feeling though that even the "biggest" (non-New Orleans) Libraries here wouldn't have anywhere near the much stuff.
Yeah, major city libraries are where its at, apparently. We have some cool local ones, but none of them like the this library.
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: MSJ on November 01, 2016, 10:25:24 pm
@Wilshire, so when you say a 10% of the cost you paid, does that come to $1000? Or, 10% of $1000? I'm just trying to figure out if you spent $10,000 on this project of yours. If so, Ladies and Gentlemen, we have found the young, good looking rich guy that is always being mentioned as a Bakker fan!
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Wilshire on November 01, 2016, 11:07:08 pm
Lol no the 'at cost' is in the $1000 neighborhood. So, a copy of this one will cost someone about $1000. (fyi, its about $500 in materials that I already purchased, and $500 for labour)

I know I can get something very similar for $500 after that - but I need to make some of my money back from the first two before I can do that. No cash left for me to subsidize that project.

I'm trying to figure out how to get something made between $100 and $200 - that's the 10% I'm talking about ;) . I know if using faux leather the cost drops, but I need to verify that the leather in question takes laser etching - it might just melt.

Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Francis Buck on December 16, 2016, 09:05:52 am
Just catching up now with the final version, looks fucking fantastic. Love the approach of avoiding any recognizable real world text, really makes it seem enigmatic and not unlike how such a tome might appear in the universe itself. Achamian's map on the back was quite clever and a nice final touch.

I love the idea of a copy of this just sitting tucked away in a library for someone to find be "huh, what's this" and read the opening pages. Would be akin to discovering a mysterious Epic from some long lost mythology.
Title: Re: Custom leather bound: The Darkness that Comes Before
Post by: Wilshire on December 16, 2016, 02:31:42 pm
That's exactly what my thought process was :)

Glad you liked it, I'm quite pleased with how it turned out.