your dreams aren't silly, they matter no matter how small.

I need more 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

If you can keep the original cover and just glue the hardback to that you wont lose your facing page on the inside. Old mans war is an awesome book. If you like Scalzi's work then I recommend "Legion of the Damned" by William C. Deitz.

It is easy and fun to convert a paperback into a hard cover. I have been doing it for years. But there is one important factor. It will not do to convert any paperback to a hardback. These days most paperbacks are glued, the paper is of rather poor quality and they will not stand in hard covers for long- they won't take repeated reading.. Mass market paperbacks will surely disintegrate soon, with or without hard binding. The proper paperback for conversion to hard cover is the trade paperback with sewn (signature stitched ) binding. These when bound will be very good to handle, can be read repeatedly without fear of damage, and can be fully opened so that they lie flat on your table when opened. This is the mark of a true hardback. If you want to test the truth of what I say, try Penguin hardcover Classics and Everyman's library volumes. The Penguin is hardcover only in name; the book block is glued and the book cannot even be opened fully. Everyman's is section sewn, can be opened fully. It is sewn books that deserve to be converted to hardbacks.

Hi Aaron! That "cool coloured braiding" is called a headband! It's main functioning is keeping the top of the book strong, seeing as how we usually pull a book off the shelf from the top, tilting it until we can grab it fully. You can sew them yourself (though it is quite time consuming) or you can make paper ones. Thanks for showing your process, it was very interesting!

Usually I don't like give constructive criticism like I used to because of how negative KZfaq comments have gotten but I am going to give you some pointers because I believe you have a lot of potential 😆. Here goes: 1- You did not film the process you used to make the hard cover so it's hard to figure out how you made it and thus more experienced people can not give you their tips. 2- From what I saw with your final gluing it's best to glue in sections rather than everything at once, this is why the pages glued together, but also if you glue everything at once it can be glued disproportionately. If you start first with the front cover you can add wax paper and leave the book open, put something heavy on it let it dry enough and then work on the back cover, let it dry enough and then just finish the rest. Obviously you rushed it but it's best to do it in sections. I remember when I first made my own journal it took me two months because of the research it takes when you're a noobie and some of the supplies to make these books can get expensive. But anyway those are my pointers for you. Good luck 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼 P.S. Glue is your friend in these type of book making projects and you are going to need A LOT of it especially if you want the cover to look really slick and clean and without bubbles between the cardstock and paper.

😊👍🥰 Good job!!

I think you did a great job for it being a maiden voyage. Having watched other videos on the topic I was able to glean how it worked out for you just by showing your final product even though you didn't document the process inch by inch. Your basic cover came out really well and I liked the idea of using three pieces instead of tri-folding one long piece like I had been (unsuccessfully) doing. So, thank you and good luck on your next ones!!!

The important material starts at about 5:00.

I like this for when I want to read whatever self-help book so people don't know my business because I like to sit in library and read. Plus, sometimes I know that I will be studying a book quite extensively and that it will be used for a long time and I want the books to last not fall apart like a paperback will. Thanks for the video. Very helpful.

One thing I would have suggested for the end pages so you didn't glue the front title page to the paper that's glued to the hardback is to have placed it under the spine so you still had the title page.

I love Old Mans War! Its the book that really got me into the "Space Marine" Genre.

Great job!

Wow that’s so cool 😎

It looks good! This has me excited. I have good paperback books, but I like the look of hardcover much more. Going to start working on something like this.

If you're that into bookbinding, you should really try to find a book press! They don't make them anymore, they were used before bookmaking was industrialized, but you can still sometimes find them in antique stores and stuff. A friend of mine found one and managed to restore it really well, she still uses it to this day.

Elmer’s school glue works the sane as PVA

Super helpful! Thank you!

Wheel of time, classic 👌

Need to "tip" the end sheets onto the text block so you don't lose the first page and when you glue the end page to the cover use a piece of parchment paper (baking) in between the end pages to stop the pages from being glued together.

Old mans war is an awesome read.

I love it! Looks really good! Gonna have to do this to my favorites 😁👍🏻❤

You did a great job here. Really nice case. Hopefully by now you've figure out how to tip in end pages so you don't have to lose that title page. You could even glue the paperback cover to the cover of the case. I hope you do more.

मस्त रे भावा 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻

Have you made any comic books hardbacks yet? Basically a trade hardback like the Marvel Omnibuses?

Not silly; I am obsessed with paper myself...I kinda would laugh at myself too as when I went to Paris I would bring back 10 lbs of French paper products.... not wine or cheese but paper lol

Thank youuu its very helpfull

How do you make a booklet into a book?

Can I have your Harry Potter? Good job btw.

Hi, Aaron. Just looking KZfaq on bookbinding and came across your video. Like you, I also have a long time interest in bookbinding. Right now, I'm going to see if I can repair a cheaply made, (not so cheap to buy) paperback maths book, that is now falling apart. This video about 15 months old, how is your bookbinding going? Cheers

No dreams are silly 😊

Hey man, you ever follow up with this? I'd love to see your improvement if you stuck with it. This is something I've been wanting to do for a while now.

You have the Darksword Trilogy!!!! I only had the first part. :(

Really great first shot, any kind of binding drives you crazy because there are so many types. However, converting paperbacks, while difficult to work with because of acid paper in older ones, are plentiful and cheap and rewarding to convert. So you have lots of practice material. It appears this video is about two years old, have you kept working over that time frame to improve technique? Covid has impacted some material supply chains, and measuring can drive you isane😀.

Not trying to start a war here, but seems logical to start with Harry Potter before going for the likes of Lord of the Rings. Experience is paramount 😅

You just only talk and talk and talk, bro.