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Just found out the average bookbinder in Portland charges $85 an hour
Saw that number in a local guild survey from last year and honestly it made me rethink what I've been charging for repair work on old hardcovers, anyone else way under on their rates?
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daniel_lane3023d ago
Honestly, questioning whether paying a bookbinder $85 an hour is "way under" feels a little dramatic. Ngl, that's pretty solid money for gluing paper together.
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aaronclark23d ago
Hear me out on this one. Bookbinding isn't just gluing paper together, it's more like being a surgeon for old books. You're dealing with things like matching the exact shade of leather from 1850 or rebuilding a spine so the pages don't fall out when someone opens it. I've seen a restorer spend two hours just matching the color on one damaged corner of a book because the original dye is long gone. The materials alone can be crazy expensive too, like a single sheet of handmade paper for a repair that costs $40. Your mileage may vary but I think calling it just gluing misses the skill and time that goes into fixing something right.
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