I've run or been involved with three crowdfunding campaigns at this point: two for The Letters of the Devil, and one for Less Than Secret. For all of them, we've offered special editions with handmade booksleeves. While I had some assistance with the most recent project, the majority of the construction work was done by me.
Although I condensed the process into a single panel, it's worth noting that booksleeve-making is a very time-intensive process. Every one is custom-fitted to the copy of the book going inside it, which means that they all have to be measured, cut, and assembled individually. In addition, book-binding glue takes 24 hours to fully set, and you have to glue different elements in different stages, so making a stack of special editions can take several days to complete.
Complaining aside, the booksleeves always look incredible, and they've been really popular items for the crowdfunding campaigns. I always make extras for selling at cons, however, and that has proven to be much less fruitful. For whatever reason, they just don't move well in the Artist Alley. That said, the rare occasions where I've moved one have immediately turned decent cons into great cons.
Rock on, guys, and never stop drawing.
Although I condensed the process into a single panel, it's worth noting that booksleeve-making is a very time-intensive process. Every one is custom-fitted to the copy of the book going inside it, which means that they all have to be measured, cut, and assembled individually. In addition, book-binding glue takes 24 hours to fully set, and you have to glue different elements in different stages, so making a stack of special editions can take several days to complete.
Complaining aside, the booksleeves always look incredible, and they've been really popular items for the crowdfunding campaigns. I always make extras for selling at cons, however, and that has proven to be much less fruitful. For whatever reason, they just don't move well in the Artist Alley. That said, the rare occasions where I've moved one have immediately turned decent cons into great cons.
Rock on, guys, and never stop drawing.
