Shelved

I had a very interesting discussion with my publisher last week, regarding book-binding methods. His company, Clifford Essex Music Co. Ltd., uses a “spiral” binding. It is an admittedly less-expensive method that can be done at home, and thus seems “cheap,” especially compared with the more-expensive bindings used by big-name companies. The binding also does not show the book name on the spine, making it harder to find on the shelf (the major complaint from buyers—oh, that and it doesn’t look good on the shelf).

The real advantage, however (besides the cost-savings for us and you) is that the book opens and lies flat on a music stand, making it much less frustrating and longer-lasting (since the book doesn’t have to be folded backward to stay on the stand). Maybe you see where I’m going with this blog; here is my “buying guide” to the different bookbindings:

Spiral Bound: Only buy this book if you intend to actually have it open on your music stand. Studies have shown that books give more value if they are actually used.

More Fancy Bound: Only buy this book if you intend to keep it on the shelf; it will look good there, and you can easily find it in case you ever want to actually open it (then, good luck keeping it in place).

I hope this helps! We appreciate the feedback.