How much money do bookbinders make?
Most bookbinders do not make a whole lot of money. We do it for the love of the books. There are bookbinders that probably make lots more than I do. If they have apprentices they could probably do $60,000 a year. In my case I probably do less than $20,000 a year. I’m fortunate that I have a partner that makes good money. How many hours do you work each week? Probably about 20-25, if that. I can’t ever imagine working for anyone else now. What do you wear to work? Whatever I want. Sometimes it’s my pajamas. I have to be careful with sleeves. I don’t want to catch a corner with baggy sleeves. Do you ever get asked to bind a book someone is self-publishing, like a vanity press? I do get that call every so often. Sometimes it’s just a small number of books, which I could do. Two hundred would be too many. What’s your dream job? I wouldn’t mind having an antique shop or a bookstore, something like that. But still do bookbinding on the side.
