PERMISSION TO BE PECULIAR - HANDMADE EDITION 🇬🇧

Permission to Be Peculiar – Handmade Edition

A living book. Made by hand. Made to matter.

This is not your average book.

This is a love letter to rebellion - a made-to-order, screw-post-bound, cloth-wrapped collection of 44 illustrated stories printed on thick photo paper and bound by hand. Every page is shaped, pressed, and assembled by me, because the alternative? Was compromise. And that just wasn’t an option.

🧵 Why handmade?

Because the commercial printers wanted CMYK. But the colours weren’t born in CMYK. They were stitched in Procreate, brushed in joy, layered in grief, and none of that made it through the conversion. So when the test prints came back looking like a Victorian death parlour in a swamp, the choice was clear:

If the industry couldn’t do it justice, I would learn how to do it myself.

And so began a crash course in bookbinding. Cloth cutting. Board gluing. Blood (literally), sweat (yep), and maybe a small, spirited amount of swearing. Until, finally, the first copy was born.

It made me cry.

📖 What you’re holding:

• A4 landscape, screw-post-bound
• 44 stories printed on 92 sides of 200gsm pro photo paper
• Hand-cut cloth cover with a made-for-you tag (includes your name or giftee’s name)
• 290gsm endpapers to give it weight and grace
• Printed on a Canon inkjet printer, one lovingly fed sheet at a time
• Bound with brass Chicago screws, cloth spine, hand-punched holes
• Every book is unique, with extra touches chosen based on your favourite colours
• Comes with a personalised message, and optional future updates twice a year (paid add-on)

💌 A book with your name on it.

Literally. When you order, I’ll ask for the name to go on the inside tag, and a little about your favourite colours so I can make your edition sing just for you. If it’s a gift, I’ll include a special dedication.

💶 Price & Shipping

• €100 for the first ten copies (supporters helping lay the track for this peculiar train). Currently on book number 7 of 10.
• From copy 11 onwards, the price will rise to €120
• Tracked shipping from Austria only: €21 to the UK and selected EU countries. You will receive a tracking link and I’ll be following its journey home to you too.
• Please allow 7–10 days for me to make your book once it’s your turn in the queue

🇬🇧 A note for UK buyers

So far, no handmade book has triggered customs fees but it’s not impossible.

By placing your order, you agree to cover any import charges if they arise.

Please don’t refuse delivery to avoid a fee. If the book is sent back, I’m the one who pays for its return trip and that’s no fun for either of us.

Thanks for understanding. Fingers crossed it sails through, as it has every time so far.

🌱 A living book

This isn’t a static story. This is a book that grows. Soon there’ll be a way to subscribe to receive extra stories twice a year — designed to slot perfectly into your existing pages. Because peculiar doesn’t stand still.

This is not mass production. This is care, made visible. A book with DNA. A book with a pulse.

Welcome to Permission to Be Peculiar.

You belong here.

💬 What readers are saying:

“I’m making a cuppa now I’ve read it from cover to cover. Not sure if I’ve too few words or too many words — I’m quite full of all the splendour I’ve just seen. It’s a wonderful book, Alex… seems too trite to say. It’s clearly awesome. I love it.

I keep stroking it. I think it’s hopeful of becoming ‘my precious’.”

— Barb, UK

Jan 2026