I'm a bookbinder and an author. So seeing the sprayed edges/gilded edges craze is a bit on the odd side for me. The edges are indeed pretty - but not worth the major jack up in price. The sprayed edges are all you get sometimes, no autograph in the book or anything else special. Just something cheap added to hike up the price and to super sell first edition copies (so a publisher (a traditional one, particularly) can say a book did well, even if no one cracked open their copies). For me, it's just a bit on the weird side.
Some very, very short history: colored edges, such as fore-edge painting and gilded edges, have existed for centuries. Back then, it was to know if someone tampered with the book via taking out pages (as is the case for marbled edged books, because the pattern would become wonky), or to seal the pages because de-acidification is a recent thing (started in the 1990s). Before paper was de-acidified, paper held its natural acid lignin, which would make the paper go brown at the edges. That would make the paper crumble and just generally be of terrible quality due to it being exposed to air and light. You can de-acidify a book but the process isn't quick or easy.
I have journals from early 2000s bought from Barnes & Nobles and Claire's that has those exact problems. Especially journals from Barnes & Nobles. As a preservationist, the oldest book I have worked with was from the 1300s and the pages did not have these problems so it basically was (and is) a case of how much did the maker cheap out on the paper to get the book made. They basically ran under the motto of "looked good when we sold it". By the time you start seeing signs of cut corners and poor materials, it's long after the refund window. It's your problem now.
To fix this problem back then (before instituting a "why don't we just use de-acidified paper?" as a rule), books would have colored edges, usually red but sometimes they were green or blue. Those were basically sealants to defend against the issues of de-acidification. (Ditto with gilded edges. They helped books last longer.) These sealants blocked out the light and air for the pages and helped them stay decent for longer (and helped booksellers sell cheap books at a markup because "oh, look at the pretty. Nothing wrong with the book at allllllll." ::koffkoff::). In other words, the painted edges/gilded edges were basically like looking at pretty duct tape for a banded-up leaky pipe instead of installing a pipe that doesn't break or fancy bondo on a car to cover up a deep ding.
Granted, like I said prior, there could be multiple reasons for gilded and painted edges in the past, including publisher brand identification, to make sure the books aren't tampered with, to bondo-up a book that has sub-par quality paper, or just because painted edges/gilded edges are just plain pretty.
Speaking about now in the current time, me seeing the craze for sprayed edges, and seeing some authors feeling pressured to have them, it's a bit odd because it feels gimmicky to me when the book isn't signed or things like that. It also feels odd because … this stuff has always been here. Decorated edges has existed for centuries so it's just a feel of "ok, why now?" The story isn't made better because there's some paint on the edges. If the book isn't signed and/or has other special effects (or it isn't a case of "this is standard printing protocol, all books will have sprayed edges"), it just feels like a cash grab by trad publishers.
And of course, here comes the parasite cold callers crawling into the inboxes of authors, preying on their insecurities and possible fear of missing out (FOMO), offering the promised ability to provide gold lettering, fancy edges, etc, etc and other bs like that - for a monumental price and a golden opportunity to have a major headache from dealing with people who care only about money, not quality. The prices they charge are wild. As a bookbinder, you can tell they're pretty much in the business of scheming and dupin' the stupid.
Since decorated edges has been around long since hector was a pup, I don't feel a race to decorate my edges. It's not hard for me, I've already done so with a couple test copies of my book Dreamer via inkpad and compact airbrush.
Top: Airbrushed
Bottom: Inkpad
I think the pearly dark blue on the bottom book is lovely on the edges and the shimmer of the top book is simply brilliant … but the story is the exact same. I would rather someone buy my book because the story caught them - let the painted edge be just the icing on the cake, not the cake itself. The ink I used on the top dark blue one is Stroke of Midnight by Ferris Wheel Press, a shimmering, mid-sheening ink, airbrushed on. The bottom was plain ol' shimmering inkpad padded on.
Would I do sprayed/gilded edges? Given that I already have the skillset to do it myself, I don't see why not but I rather not go super sayan gimmicky with it. 20-30 books are easy to do in a pressed stack and they can be for promotional giveaways on The Storygraph (which would make my life easier, logistically speaking) and perhaps conventions, maybe keep a spare ten around for the MMP online store for those who can't attend conventions and don't win giveaways. I would probably spray them with the fountain pen ink I originally wrote the book in because I personally think that would be cool. If the story wasn't originally in fountain pen, it may be in the color I signed them in. Maybe do a stenciled design if it suits the story. The books would be signed as well because why not? Basically, the books would be true limited editions because I cannot and am not interested in cranking out 746846643 books just because people want the pretty over the story. They can have both. Besides, I feel like ppl are treating the sprayed edges in a Pokemon "gotta-buy-'em-all" kind of way.
I rather decorate the edges of my softback books because it's my personal preference as a bookbinder. Plus, I put out books to be used, to be read, not to languish away on a shelf somewhere. Let it languish away on a shelf after it's been read at least once, lol. It's not too common to see someone sit on a train with a thick, hardbound book, fancy edges or not. Books are utilitarian first, then add the fancy.
I also know how to do hidden fore-edge because I have been doing that since I was about 15 trying to not have people take my stuff, teachers included. A personal story: I once had my Barnes & Nobles copy of David Copperfield taken by a teacher because she said it belonged to the school (she couldn't believe an inner city Black kid actually would own a copy of Charles Dickens' David Copperfield). It actually was a Christmas gift from my mom. I had my name in the book and instead of that being seen as proof it belonged to me, it was seen as "vandalism of school property", which is potential suspension. I was 15 and I didn't want them getting mom involved, especially since it seemed like everyone who had a pair of ears and was an adult just blindly went with the "stolen & vandalized school property" story, no matter what I said so I basically lost an entire book thanks to some racist biases by the end of January. They at least let me keep my bookmark and didn't suspend me, just stole my book under the veneer that I was the thief. They didn't care that it was a recent edition, they didn't care that the school didn't carry Barnes & Nobles edition, they assumed some parent (a White parent because, remember, they can't imagine how a Black kid at a IB/Blue Ribbon school or their parent would be caught dead with this book) donated the book out the kindness of their heart and now here I come to steal and mark it up as if it belonged to me. Despite the fact that it did.
Sidenote: the most common format I read books in are in ebook form. Easier for me to manage my vast libraries of books on the go or at home, harder for a racist to abuse whatever authority they don't deserve and say I stole whatever book I actually genuinely own and they don't.
Historically, hidden fore-edges were made to hide markers of veracity. They're usually in gilded/painted books because otherwise, the image comes out looking squished and not at all hidden.
The deco-edge helps hide the hidden fore-edge, thus making it hidden. The only way to reveal it is to fan the pages, which naturally happens when the person has the book open.
Some readers are spraying their own edges, which is nice. They should be using at least craft spray paint and not the cheapest can of Krylon money can buy, though. Air brush would be smarter - unless they like flaking and cracking every time they use the book, a risk that happens with cheap spray paint or too thick a layer. Dry painting does exist and has been done for centuries but it's also basically one step before pointilism, a painting style via dotting the page a bunch. Most may not have the patience for it and I can tell you for fact modern shelved books do not have it. Their edges are sprayed because it's cheap & quick to do, it just takes a few minutes, some painter's tape and a steady hand. Some may wreck their own books in the process but that's learning a skill for you. Some do look decent. At least it creates a touch of personality and it's an easy way to mark that you own the book and that it's from your personal library should you lend it out. Also, these folks need to also learn that painter's tape exists and they don't have to spraypaint their presses with all the colors of the wind if they don't want to.
But sprayed edges/decorated edges shouldn't be a super jack up in price. Unless the art is hand-done by an amazing, established artist, it shouldn't be an arm, a leg and a soul in the price tag department. Cheap bibles have guilded edges. It's just a heat press and some gold leaf.
As for authors: a book is going to sell fine if the story is good enough. Any person who is only on the lookout for sprayed edges is not a return reader usually. Plus, readers ought to know that not all books are gonna have a gimmick on the edge and books that do have a gimmick on the edge may not always have an amazing story, just an amazing edge. Focus on the story, decorated edges have been around for centuries, it's literally nothing new. There's no point in throwing out a bunch of money you may or may not have for a risk that potentially comes with crackly edges, flaking paint and stuck pages. If you can DIY it, do so - but only if you actually have the skill.
It seriously bears to mention: I have a litany of skillsets.
Here, it's best you play Spanish Flea while reading the list, it'll make it easier:
List of skillsets:
Hardback bookbinding
Softback bookbinding
Mixed media bookbinding
Painted edges (by hand and airbrush)
Painted fore-edge
Gilded edges
Book stitching
3D Printing
CAD design
Machine building & repair
Robot building & repair
Coding
Circuitry and soldering
CNC etching
Seed beading (by loom and by hand)
Jewlery making, incl. metal work
Sticker making
Gold foiling
Resin work
Mold making
Mold casting
Soap making
Candle making
Knitting
Crocheting
Handsewing
Machine sewing
Graphic design
Fashion design
5+ languages
Weaving, both loom and by hand
Fountain pen care & repair
Fountain pen ink work
Typewriter, use and repair
Deco-den, crystal/encrusted style
Cabochon, clay and resin
Sweets deco-den
Stamp carving
Stamp making (via 3D printing or using rubberbands)
Stamping, paint
Embossing
Screenprinting
Stenciling (by hand or spraypaint/airbrush)
Stencil-making
Bookcloth making
Tool making
Doll making, fabric
Doll making, knitted/crochet
Audio engineering
Audio design
Audio restoration
Video digitizing
Paper digitizing/scanning
3D object digitizing
Virtual object creation via within virtual reality
Ebook design
Ebook coding (both original and corrective)
Audiobook metadata creation
3D design correction
Book formatting
Book interior design
Font/typeface creation
Custom circuit board creation
Music instrument playing (plz don't make me list the instruments, too lazy)
Music mixing
Audio mastering
Research (historical)
Research (contemporary)
Restoration and preservation, paper and books
Restoration and preservation, fabric
Restoration and preservation, mixed media
Clay bead making
Clay figurine sculpting
Clay modification
Papier Mache
And More!
The list goes on and on, by the way. This is just what's off the top of my head.
By the way, I didn't really go to school for any of this. A vast majority of this was self-taught. No one thought Black kids in the hood were worth the programs and whatever creative programs we did have, there was always a lot of work and effort to have them cut and taken away. It's part of why I have a very Devil May Care/F#ck You attitude to anyone middle class and above who pitches whines to me about how they don't have my skillsets. Not my fault they wasted opportunities that were handed to them over and over that would have benefitted a kid in the hood a billion times more and even put a reversal on the numerous harmful policies that instead was instituted so it would be a lot easier to shove a kid in the hood into street nonsense and from there into jail, the grave or both. These creative programs are super needed in communities that will actually use them, not communities that don't. The fact that I had to learn these myself shows a major problem and anyone who tries to spin this negative into a problem is also part of the problem.
Further more, while I learned all these while dealing with institutional and social policies designed to be sure I don't, a middle class person or above should have at least triple that list, given all the resources they are personally handed (sometimes on the backs of kids in the hood, so they can put "worked in disadvantaged communities" on their resumes) to succeed. It's a bit of a grumble of mine, to say the least.
Anywhoodle, in short, I have a lot of skillsets the average writer doesn't have. On top of that, I'm not traditionally published so that gives me a lot of leeway to run things as I see fit. I don't have to worry about a publisher sidelining me and undercutting promotion or cutting corners in how my book comes out because they can't get past their own well-nurtured and constantly-instilled racism. I just others do (or don't do), look at my skillset and wonder if I can impliment the same or do something better. I also have a disorder to consider so it's important to me to make sure whatever I do can fit inside the constrains of that disorder. Because it's a disorder.
So doing stuff like deco-edges comes a bit easy to me because I already did all the hard work in learning this. However, in knowing how to do this, I know when someone is being greedy with the pricing or not. Sprayed edges are extra work but not burdensome extra work. It shouldn't be a terrible jump in price between the two. An author can do this themselves but they do run the risk of messing up their books in the process if they're brand spankin' new to all of this. They would have to use airbrush paint as a start off point. I'm using fountain pen ink because A) I already have it on hand and B) I already know how to do this. Also, if that author is traditionally published, that is the job of their publishing company, not them. If they still want to deco the edges themselves and the company is cool with it, their publishing company had better up the royalty rate.
All in all, this isn't half bad. At least it's entertaining to make, or else I wouldn't bother at all. And I can probably keep this up long after the sprayed edges bandwagon fades out.
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