It’s true that “Blank and lined journals can be found almost anywhere”, but Redbubble is my go-to for these, as they have thousands of user-created cover designs available. I own about two dozen different ones and I like the quality. The spiral-binding and covers are very durable, and the pages are a good weight. They include a pocket page in the rear for any loose notes that you want to keep within your journal, and I think they are 120 pages.
You can also make your own design and sell it to the public, or place it in a private store for personal purchase or gifting to friends. I’ve done the private route and it’s easy to do. I just bought a dozen of a personal design for Christmas presents. In your own private store you can set your $ markup (your commission) to zero and buy at cost for yourself, even cheaper if you find a Redbubble sale. (If you sell to the public, you would leave a $ markup for your commission.)
PS- I’ve been talking about the spiral-bound notebooks but they’ve recently added 128-page hardbound journals to their offerings, which I’m trying on my next purchase. I have nothing to do with Redbubble, but I’m a huge fan of their notebooks. I use them for different things, writing notes and journals, travel notes and planning, reading notes, notes-to-self, random thoughts, you name it.
How interesting, I will definitely check these out as I've never heard of Redbubble before. I like the idea of "thousands of cover designs available." Thanks for letting me know. Readers are just the best!
They have a Black Friday sale still going on until tomorrow. I’m about to order a couple of test copies of the hardbound journal with my cover art to see how they come out. So far everything has been great on the spiral-bound journals of my design and many others’ designs that I’ve ordered along the way.
I received the two copies of my hardbound journals that I had ordered. My review is as follows- The print quality was great, as expected. The build quality left me wanting, at least as far as *my* graphic design. You know the vertical dip (hinge area) between the spine and the cover? My laminate did not adhere completely within the dip, so it was bubbly, and it was very visible in my design, which had a single dark color in that area. There were no bubbles where the graphic laminate was glued to the covers, but the cover boards themselves had an orange-peel texture, which showed through the affixed laminate. This may not be an issue with a bold graphic design, or with a logo, but my design here had some fine texture in the image which kind of clashed optically with the orange peel waves. Again, your mileage may vary.
I'm going to keep my two hardbound copies because I'll of course use them, but I think I'll stick to the spiral-bound notebooks, which are of supreme quality, and which I unabashedly endorse and love. So many cool designs, so little time (and money, and space to keep them!)
Richard, thanks for reporting back about the journals you ordered. I'm sorry they didn't come out great for you, but it does sounds like you will use them anyway. :)
I know, I'm so jealous of people that have those talents. I can barely put pen to paper in a readable format and as I get older my handwriting just gets worse. I'm looking forward to when I retire as I am going to try my hand at some type of a creative reading journal. If for no other reason than to say I tried it.
I had a diary/journal when I was a kid. It is sobering to see what you wrote like when you were eight. I had a record of when some long-lost cousins visited around the moon landing. Didn’t have much to say.
As a 8-9 year old into my early teens I had a "diary" that I bared my soul to. Mundane stuff like who I played with that day what TV show I watched. I wrote sporadically and then quit when my writing was more focused on "my boyfriend". Such teen problems. lol
Whoa! These are gorgeous! I LOVE the idea of a reading journal for kids too. What a great way to spend time with what you've read! So creative and immersive.
I had never thought of a reading journal for kids either until I started researching for these newsletters. Imagine if a reader starts journaling young, what a treasure trove of journals they would have throughout their life. I wish I had a lifetime of reading journals to read back through.
It’s true that “Blank and lined journals can be found almost anywhere”, but Redbubble is my go-to for these, as they have thousands of user-created cover designs available. I own about two dozen different ones and I like the quality. The spiral-binding and covers are very durable, and the pages are a good weight. They include a pocket page in the rear for any loose notes that you want to keep within your journal, and I think they are 120 pages.
You can also make your own design and sell it to the public, or place it in a private store for personal purchase or gifting to friends. I’ve done the private route and it’s easy to do. I just bought a dozen of a personal design for Christmas presents. In your own private store you can set your $ markup (your commission) to zero and buy at cost for yourself, even cheaper if you find a Redbubble sale. (If you sell to the public, you would leave a $ markup for your commission.)
PS- I’ve been talking about the spiral-bound notebooks but they’ve recently added 128-page hardbound journals to their offerings, which I’m trying on my next purchase. I have nothing to do with Redbubble, but I’m a huge fan of their notebooks. I use them for different things, writing notes and journals, travel notes and planning, reading notes, notes-to-self, random thoughts, you name it.
How interesting, I will definitely check these out as I've never heard of Redbubble before. I like the idea of "thousands of cover designs available." Thanks for letting me know. Readers are just the best!
They have a Black Friday sale still going on until tomorrow. I’m about to order a couple of test copies of the hardbound journal with my cover art to see how they come out. So far everything has been great on the spiral-bound journals of my design and many others’ designs that I’ve ordered along the way.
I received the two copies of my hardbound journals that I had ordered. My review is as follows- The print quality was great, as expected. The build quality left me wanting, at least as far as *my* graphic design. You know the vertical dip (hinge area) between the spine and the cover? My laminate did not adhere completely within the dip, so it was bubbly, and it was very visible in my design, which had a single dark color in that area. There were no bubbles where the graphic laminate was glued to the covers, but the cover boards themselves had an orange-peel texture, which showed through the affixed laminate. This may not be an issue with a bold graphic design, or with a logo, but my design here had some fine texture in the image which kind of clashed optically with the orange peel waves. Again, your mileage may vary.
I'm going to keep my two hardbound copies because I'll of course use them, but I think I'll stick to the spiral-bound notebooks, which are of supreme quality, and which I unabashedly endorse and love. So many cool designs, so little time (and money, and space to keep them!)
Richard, thanks for reporting back about the journals you ordered. I'm sorry they didn't come out great for you, but it does sounds like you will use them anyway. :)
I cannot believe the creativity and range of these journals. They would become heirlooms and treasures.
I know, I'm so jealous of people that have those talents. I can barely put pen to paper in a readable format and as I get older my handwriting just gets worse. I'm looking forward to when I retire as I am going to try my hand at some type of a creative reading journal. If for no other reason than to say I tried it.
I had a diary/journal when I was a kid. It is sobering to see what you wrote like when you were eight. I had a record of when some long-lost cousins visited around the moon landing. Didn’t have much to say.
As a 8-9 year old into my early teens I had a "diary" that I bared my soul to. Mundane stuff like who I played with that day what TV show I watched. I wrote sporadically and then quit when my writing was more focused on "my boyfriend". Such teen problems. lol
Whoa! These are gorgeous! I LOVE the idea of a reading journal for kids too. What a great way to spend time with what you've read! So creative and immersive.
I had never thought of a reading journal for kids either until I started researching for these newsletters. Imagine if a reader starts journaling young, what a treasure trove of journals they would have throughout their life. I wish I had a lifetime of reading journals to read back through.
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