PS Guelph states on their website that “every book is lovingly made by hand,” and claim to be “more like a bakery than a traditional bookstore,” because they “bake [their] books fresh daily.” They aren’t simply a hub to print books on demand – they also strive to form new communities within the city through the shared experience of reading.
The Guelph chapter of Publication Studios (where the acronym “PS” comes from) is the newest of several others, including locations that already exist in Boston, Los Angeles, Portland (Maine and Oregon), and Vancouver, among others.
The Guelph initiative began in 2012 when Matthew Stadler, founder of the Publication Studio in Portland, Oregon, visited the city and spoke about the PS model. This sparked a desire to start a Guelph chapter, and after acquiring bookmaking equipment and selecting a location on 46 Essex, Publication Studio Guelph finally opened on June 5.
The Ontarion spoke to Scott McGovern, a member of the editorial committee for PS Guelph, about this initiative. “Books must be sold to pay for their creation,” said McGovern, which often proves to be a challenge in Guelph, the smallest city in the PS network. PS Guelph is volunteer driven and works towards being a self-sustaining organization.
“So far, all of our books have had a local connection,” said McGovern – they make their books in Guelph, feature local writers, editors, artists and content. PS Guelph also teaches others to make books, creating a personal experience. “It’s a special feeling to flip through a book you just made by hand,” said McGovern.
McGovern spoke on how PS Guelph slightly varies from the usual PS model, as they make limited first edition books – from a practical sense, “this ensures that there will be enough books to sell at the launch, but it also provides an excuse to make books with unique design features such as tipped in posters, a CD, or handmade papers,” said McGovern. Libraries, museums, and archives around the world then acquire these first edition copies, “which helps promote Guelph as a place of interest and significance.”
This year, their goals are “focused on getting set up, learning to make books, finding our niche as a small city in the PS global network, and having fun launching our own publications,” said McGovern. “A goal was to create an excited audience that really cares about the books, and that has been achieved.”
McGovern hopes that PS Guelph continues to grow and attract new and bigger audiences, all while becoming a self-sustaining, retail publisher in the city.
“The PS network has become well-known internationally and now has about 150 books on a central server that can be downloaded, printed, bound, and sold. It is great that publications from, and often about, Guelph can be accessed this way, elsewhere, forever,” concluded McGovern.