Since launching bookleteer.com – a unique artist-created self-publishing platform – back in 2009 I have devised and led a variety of workshops to introduce people to the concept of public authoring and self-publishing using hybrid digital/physical formats. The workshops have gone under various guises and names over the years, the most recent being “pop up publishing”. In 2014 I led a series of such workshops for the general public in public libraries in 3 London boroughs for the LibraryPress project, and have subsequently given similar formal and informal workshops, masterclasses and training at other places and venues.

What are hybrid digital/physical formats?
Bookleteer allows people to create and share publications that are both digital and physical; publications can be read online via a book reader version [example] or downloaded as a PDF, then printed out on a standard home/office printer and hand-made into a physical book [example]. Bookleteer also offers the ability to have books printed and bound professionally at low cost [example]. It also allows people to create and share StoryCubes of their own designs.

Why Pop Up Publishing
Traditionally the publishing of a book is the endpoint of a creative process, but we feel this does not have to be the case. One of the key ideas behind bookleteer is that publishing can be more like an evolving conversation, not just an authoritative statement or full stop. Our platform allows people to create and share publications with ease and speed, updating or creating different versions at will and at no or negligible cost. A bookleteer publication might be created simply to be read online, or it might be intended as a highly personal one-off handmade book as a gift to someone special. They can also be professionally printed and bound in editions of 25 copies and more. A publication could be a collection of stories, poetry or a photobook. It might document a workshop or group activity – helping retain the experiences and learning of the group in one place. It might be a personal travel guide or a manual, a notebook or sketchbook.

Whatever uses you can think of putting a book form to, bookleteer can help make simple and accessible. Our unique book binding format and hybrid publishing model is designed to facilitate publishing on demand – lowering the barriers to making and sharing for anyone, anywhere. I have used these books and bookleteer in countless projects with diverse communities across the world. From working with academics and researchers, technologists and scientists to grassroots communities in the UK, Canada, Europe, Brazil, Japan, Australia and with traditional villagers in the remote jungle of Papua New Guinea.

Requesting a Pop Up Publishing Workshop
This workshop is easily adaptable to different groups and contexts. It is relevant to all walks of life where there is a need or desire to create and share publications (corporate, academic, cultural or otherwise).  Please contact me for prices and bookings.

An introduction and practical session takes at least 3 hours for groups of 10 to 30 and can be run as a half or full day workshop as desired. It  is suitable for a range of abilities and levels of expertise – no previous experience of desktop publishing is necessary.