KEEP THE STORY · CHANGE THE COVER
First-time bookbinders wanted
Your first hardcover starts with a paperback you already love.
The book cloth, the greyboard, the mull, the headband—all cut to size, all in one box. You've seen how it's done. This is what it takes.
No Cricut. · No heat press. · No specialist book press.
Join the First Chapter and receive a $32 launch code. Your first kit will be $118.
Free to join · No payment today
What's in the box
Everything that's annoying to buy.
Book cloth doesn't come by the metre. Greyboard sells in packs of a hundred. Mull comes on fifty-metre rolls. Headband is sold by the reel.
I bought all of it once, in the wrong quantities, and then spent an evening working out what a single book actually needs.
That's what's in the box.
What's not in the box
Scissors. A utility knife. And a paperback you've read too many times.
You already own all three. The scissors are in the kitchen drawer. The knife is wherever you last left it. The book is the one you're already thinking about.
Book cloth and endpaper colors will vary. Each kit includes two sheets of book cloth, one silicone glue brush, and four endpaper sheets.
In case you missed one
The ones people ask about most.
Full rebinds, one-off repairs, and the small questions that come up halfway through.
Broken Paperback to Hardcover with Two Fabrics
Full rebind · Watch on YouTube ↗
Repairing a Broken Sherlock Holmes Book
Full rebind · Watch on YouTube ↗
A Corner-Cutting Tool Beginners May Love
Watch on TikTok ↗Everything is free to watch. The kit just saves you the shopping.
First-timers only
Start with one book you already love.
I'm building a kit for the person who wants to start but doesn't want to build a shopping list.
I'm looking for first-timers. People who have watched a full rebind three times and still haven't bought anything, because the shopping list is longer than the tutorial.
Leave your email and receive a $32 launch code. The regular price is $150; your first kit will be $118 with the code.
About Cloth & Chapter
It started with my grandfather's book.
My grandfather gave me a book. We read it together, and it stayed with me long after he stopped being able to read it to me.
Years later the cover gave out. The spine split and the front came away in my hand. Buying another copy never crossed my mind. I wanted that one back on the shelf.
So I taught myself to put a hardcover on it. Badly, the first time. Well enough, eventually.
I bought a lot of tools that year. Half of them I never used again. This box is the other half.
See you at the next chapter.
Before your first rebind
Good questions, clearly answered.
Is this kit suitable for a complete beginner?
Yes. It's built for a first attempt. If you've watched one of the full rebind videos and thought “I could try that”, you're the person I made this for.
What is included in the kit?
Book cloth, A4 greyboard (5 sheets), endpapers, mull cloth, headband, PVA glue, a bone folder set, a silicone glue brush, a rotary cutter, a cutting mat, wide-jaw clips, a straight ruler, and a T-square, set square and corner guide. Everything is cut or sized for a standard paperback.
Is PVA bookbinding glue included?
Yes. A small bottle, enough for your first few books. It's the thin, flexible kind made for bookbinding—ordinary craft glue dries stiff and cracks along the spine.
Does the kit include a paperback?
No. Bring your own. The whole point is that it's your book—the one you've read too many times and can't bring yourself to replace.
Do I need a Cricut or book press?
No. No Cricut, no heat press, no specialist book press, no sewing. The wide-jaw clips do the pressing.
What size paperbacks are supported?
Standard paperbacks up to A5 (around 21 × 15 cm). The greyboard is A4, so you can cut covers for anything that fits inside that. Mass-market and trade paperbacks both work. Large-format art books don't.
How does the first-timer price work?
The regular price is $150. Join the First Chapter and we'll show and email you a $32 launch code. Apply it in the cart to make your first kit $118.