|
The last printing of the Phoenix Journals occurred decades ago. The final remnants consisting of more than 100,000 volumes went into storage facilities from which shipment of a few copies is simply impractical, as it takes hours to locate them. Moreover, only about half of the Phoenix Journals exist and the earliest Journals are extremely hard to find anywhere, at any price.
The solution? Self publishing!
All of the 115 officially accepted (previously published) Phoenix Journals have been formatted so anyone with a duplex printer can print them in 8.5” x 5.5” (half letter-size) format. Click on the following link to download all of the Phoenix Journals, which can be opened using most word processing software (free, open-source LibreOffice Writer is recommended).
Download all Phoenix Journals in a single compressed zip file.
Optionally (but highly recommended) you can download the files to make jackets for the Phoenix Journals, either with or without printing along the spine of the jackets. Spine printing adds substantially to the degree of difficulty and will take some practice, so novices to the process of manual book binding should probably use the jackets without spine printing. For this purpose you will need to acquire suitable legal-sized cardstock and we recommend 65-pound weight, which can be handled by most home printers.
Download jackets for your self-published Phoenix Journals, without spine printing.
Download jackets for your self-published Phoenix Journals, with spine printing.
You will need some basic, inexpensive tools, as shown in this picture:
- A3 cutting mat
- Plastic, sliding paper cutter
- Ruler
- Pencil
- Bone folder
- Exacto knife
You will also need to make your own book binding jig, as shown in this picture:
The jig can be made of any Smooth-4-Sides (S4S) wood. Poplar is a good choice, if available, though the image shows the jig made from red oak with a clear lacquer finish. Your local lumber store will usually cut the S4S wood of your choice to your own dimensions prior to purchase. We intend to make a slideshow or video to explain the process of making the jig but for now, please feel free to ask, using the email link at the bottom of the page. Here is a list of the parts required to make the jig:
- S4S 1x8x12”
- S4S 1x2x36”
- 2x#10 screws, 3”
- 2x#10 lock washers
- 2x#10 wing nuts
- carpenter’s glue
Finally, you will need a hot glue gun to bind the pages of your book together and to attach the jacket. A 100-watt glue gun is recommended and it works best with clear, 11mm glue sticks.
We intend to make available slide shows and/or videos to explain every aspect of self-publishing for the Phoenix Journals. Meanwhile, you might benefit from studying the information available on the following YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@DIYBookbinding
|
