Wednesday, August 1, 2007

seller of the month: MyHandboundBooks

each month i will be supporting an etsy seller who i believe creates unique and interesting items. the first seller of the month is myhandboundbooks! :D


WHO (Your name, general description, any random bit of info about yourself, a vague sentence):



Rhonda Miller - Nova Scotia - Canada



I am a bookbinder - unemployed librarian & web developer - mommy & spouse.

shop MyHandboundBooks.Etsy.com
blog MyHandboundBooks.Blogspot.com
email pertelote [!at] ns.sympatico.ca

WHAT (Tell us about your shop, the items you make):

MyHandboundBooks.etsy.com is my shop. I make books. Lately I have been doing most of my books with limp leather covers, but I also enjoy making hardcover books using as much Japanese paper as possible. I especially like to learn about really old bookbinding traditions, and then try to replicate them.

WHERE (Why do you sell on Etsy?):

When I first decided to sell online, I went to Ebay because I thought it was the easiest option. Since then a number of people recommended Etsy and when I finally took the time to check it out, I loved it instantly. So I switched to Etsy as my main outlet.

WHEN (When did you start making handmade items?

I started bookbinding about six years ago when I took my first bookbinding course. In an previous life I tried making and selling jewlery. And even before that, my mother and I did a lot of crafts using dried flowers and wicker, very trendy at the time, and people bought the stuff...but that was a long time ago.

When did you start selling on Etsy?

I joined Etsy in March 2007. At that time, I was working full time at an office job and seemed to have a lot of downtime so I was able to do a lot of the early work setting up the shop and preparing listings on company time.

Any tips for current/future sellers?):

Make your photographs as good as you possibly can. Of course we are not all photographers, but it is really important to have nice pictures. If you take some photos and they are blurry, then start again and take new ones! Don't ever use blurry photos.

WHY (Go on, free self-promotion time! Why should people buy from your shop?):

I want to make books that people will like, and so far, people seem to like them. I want to make books that are functional, durable, beautiful, and unique, and they are. I try to make each of my books unique so if you have one of my books, you can be pretty sure that nobody else has one quite like it!

FUN (Whatever you feel like talking about. A favorite shop or item on Etsy, a website you think others should check out, why butterflies and toe socks should rule the world):

Everyone needs to see this video on YouTube, especially if you are a book person in any capacity. Even better if you are a book person who has worked in the IT industry.

The Medieval Helpdesk - A monk is learning to use a new technology (the book) and has to contact the help desk for user support.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQHX-SjgQvQ

Aaaand…RANDOM QUESTION! What is your favorite constellation?:

I like The Hunter, mainly because I can always find him and be sure that it is him. Most constellations elude me and I am never sure if I'm looking at ursa major or ursa minor :\

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