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Overheard a customer at the Seattle library say they'd never pay over $50 for a handbound book
They were talking about a local artist's work, saying the price was 'crazy' for something you could just buy at a store. It made me think about how many hours go into a single project, like the 15 hours I spent on a quarter leather binding last month. How do you explain the real cost of materials and time to people who don't get it?
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mileslane25d ago
Yeah, that's the hardest part about making things by hand. People see the final price and compare it to mass produced stuff, but they don't see the week of work or the cost of good leather and paper. It's like they're paying for the store shelf version, not the human hours. How do you even start that talk without sounding defensive?
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roberth6626d ago
I used to think the same way until I tried rebinding an old cookbook. The paper alone was $30, and the linen thread another $15. After eight hours of work, my hands were sore and the result was just okay. That's when I realized a $50 price tag probably doesn't even cover the maker's materials, let alone their skill.
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