“Basic Binding” and “Basic Book Repair” Prices

I’ve decided to make a follow up to the previous post. I wrote that sometimes it is hard for me to set a “fair price” on my bookbinding and book repair work, while I understand that bookbinding is a very special sort of work that shouldn’t be undervalued.

However, I’ve mentioned that my “basic price” for a binding or simple book repair is 2500 rubles (35 EUR, or 40 USD). I also wrote that I charge 3900 rubles (55 EUR, or 60 USD) for my 8-hour classes. For shorter 3-4 hour classes I get 1800-2300 rubles from each student.

For a leather binding or some elaborate box, I would charge 75-200 USD. However, I don’t see any opportunity to charge more than $200 for any work now. Maybe in the future =)

Now I’d like to ask you to share your “basic prices”. It would be very interesting to find out how they differ from country to country and from region to region. If you don’t want to post publicly, just send me an email or PM at Facebook or using this form.

Just to give you some more information for starters, here is something I have already:

• Calgary, Canada: “Basic Binding” price of $85 ($85/hour). Most simple repairs and rebindings in cloth are covered by that price. If the book needs to be resewn, or any other more detailed work, price rises up to $300. If the book is to be sewn in leather, prices start at $200. Tooling costs much extra, and books often go up to $500 to $700.
• Quzhou, China: $200 for full leather binding with foil tooling and a box.
• Vila Nova de Famalicão, Portugal: 10€ per hour for basic bookbinding works (cutting/aging/folding paper, preparing card board); 15€ for a simple long-stitch book with 9 signatures (material not included).

I understand that the picture may be somewhat patchy, but I’d like to try gathering some data anyway. Hope you’ll help me! I would continue to post the information anonymized.

Additional Resources

• Bookbinders and Money: Inner Conflict

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