How do I make a pulp book?

March 2, 2016 12:59 PM

How would I go about getting making a copy of a friend's writing look like a classic SciFi "pulp" book?

I'd like to get 30,000 - 40,000 words printed up so that they look like pulp scifi fiction, but I have no idea where to start. Any and all suggestions are welcome. Part of my problem is not having a clue how to search for what I want.

Idea 1 ) get the book printed "on demand" style on pulp paper. No idea how much this would cost or howto find someone who could do it.
Idea 2 ) get pulp paper, print it, bind it. Problems - no idea where to buy the paper or how to bind it.

Both ideas have rather significant flaws even at this early stage. I don't even know where I could get a cover designed.

So... assuming I'm a complete idiot over my head beyond my comprehension, how exactly would I be best tackling this?

( Since I'm sure this adds extra complications, I'm in the UK... )

posted by twine42 to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (8 answers total)

If you need a cover for pulp sci-fi, you could certainly do worse than the PULP-O-MIZER.
posted by Faint of Butt at 1:07 PM on March 2, 2016 [6 favorites]

The most important step is to get cover art that features a gorgeous woman in revealing clothing -- say, a skintight pressure suit, or a leopard-skin bikini, or something equally politically incorrect.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 1:09 PM on March 2, 2016 [1 favorite]

You can get newsprint at an art supply store, but I'm not sure if you can successfully run it through an inkjet or laser printer. If you can, using a slightly distressed font might help with realism. You don't want too sharp a typeface. Alternately, you could look for a small letterpress outfit that might be able to help you.
posted by rikschell at 1:31 PM on March 2, 2016

Have these people print it (it's pretty cheap -- under $4 for a single copy if it's around 80 pages). You can upload your own cover art.

If you want to make it look old, take some fine grit sandpaper to the surface edges of the cover and the cut page edges. Bend the binding every couple pages so it buckles, then sand that a bit. Then you can airbrush (or paint, but airbrush would work better) the sides with a brownish-yellow water-based paint like gouache. To age the pages, soak it in strong tea or coffee and press it with heavy weights and/or clamps so it dries without warping.
posted by ananci at 1:44 PM on March 2, 2016 [2 favorites]

Maybe contact this UK press. They say they can make books of any size. If they can't help you, perhaps they can point you to someone who can.
posted by FencingGal at 1:47 PM on March 2, 2016

You could find a digital printer who'll print one copy of a paperback book — I've used Colorworks in Bath in the past. They'll have a range of papers to choose from so they'll probably have something suitably pulpy. It would probably cost around £40.
posted by Chenko at 1:55 PM on March 2, 2016

If the feel of the paper is important to you, I think manila drawing paper is closer to cheap yellowed paperback pages than newsprint, and it's substantial enough you should be able to run it through a regular printer.

In the US, you can take the pages to any of the standard office supply places or copy shops (FedEx, OfficeDepot, Staples) and have them 'perfect bound'. Not sure what the specific process is for the covers, but that's your search term for the equivalent UK businesses.
posted by yeahlikethat at 5:21 PM on March 2, 2016 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: So, something like A6 manilla (possibly) perfect bound with a custom designed cover, yes?

I'll also check out Colorworks.

Guys, I love you all. :)
posted by twine42 at 11:01 AM on March 3, 2016