Over the course of many months, I worked with Jessie Copes on planning and designing her travel journal, My Way Up Travel Journal.
When she came to me, her travel journal was just a dream. I helped her with everything from sourcing printers, researching what materials and formats we could use to could realistically bring her project to life, and then designing a journal that would be beautiful and fun but also work with the printer’s specifications and endure hardcore adventure travel!
Jessie spent seven years backpacking internationally and filled journals with stories, tickets, photos, and keepsakes—turning blank pages into rich memories. Fellow travelers often asked how she kept such detailed journals and wished they could do the same. That inspired Jessie to create My Way Up: read on to learn about her process!
Jessie Copes’s Book Done Timeline
💡 Idea born: Spring 2024
✍️ Writing started: August 2024
📨 Files ready for design and layout: October 2024
✔️ Book done (released): March 7, 2026
(Notice that the time between the beginning of design and release of the journal was over one year! This is common with first-time journal creators, especially because of the additional time that it takes to print proofs and final products and ship them from overseas!)
Jessie Copes’s Book Done Process
Tell me more about your book!
My Way Up Travel Journal is designed for travelers who want to capture their journey without the pressure of a blank page. Each week features a guided layout with a planner, budget tracker, lined journaling space, and a highlight reflection to capture meaningful moments. A dedicated pocket for every week allows travelers to store plane/bus tickets, notes, business cards, and small keepsakes. The front section includes essential travel tools like a world map, trip planner, packing list, etc. In the back of the journal there are contact pages, extra pockets and stickers. It is all wrapped in a durable PU (faux leather) cover built to withstand life on the move.
When did you start writing your book?
I began creating my journal in August 2024. The journey started with a simple idea, a rough layout, and a clear vision of what I wanted it to become. A simple Google search about journal design led me to Julie, which was the first real sign that this journal could turn into something tangible.
Tell me about how you came up with your book’s title.
I kept the journal itself simply titled Travel Journal to make it timeless and accessible to anyone. The branding behind it, My Way Up, comes from a song by Molly Kate Kestner that I listened to during some low moments in my high school years. The song really resonated with me. I played My Way Up on my first solo flight, and it’s been a tradition ever since. I still listen to it on every takeoff. My travel brand called My Way Up, which is reflected on the back of the journal, is something that’s come full circle in a pretty meaningful way.
Tell me a bit more about the cover design you chose.
I wanted the cover to be simple, timeless, and inclusive—something that anyone, regardless of age, gender, or background, would feel comfortable carrying. It is intentionally minimal so it feels clean on its own, but also leaves space for people to personalize it. At the same time, I wanted it to clearly reflect its purpose. We incorporated the plane from my logo wrapping around the front and put the complete logo on the back cover.
If you self-published, did you use a print-on-demand printer, and if so, which one and why?
I self-published my journal but partnered with a professional printing company for production, recommended by Julie.
Was this your first book?
Yes.
What service providers or partners did you have in creating and producing your book?
Julie created the cover of my travel journal and handled the full book design. She did a phenomenal job. She really took the time to understand my vision and translated it into a clean, professional final product.
Julie also connected me with a trusted printing partner in China, who produced the journals seamlessly based on her final design files. (If you would like to connect with the same printer, send Julie a message!)
Create with Danielle designed the My Way Up Travel website. She also did such an incredible job!
I was so lucky to work with such talented and skilled individuals to produce this book!
It was fun to watch and be part of Jessie's process from the start. I gave feedback on her branding / logo design as her logo designer worked on it. After I developed the stickers and look for her journal, it was fun to see her web designer incorporate those elements in the design of her website! —Julie
Jessie Copes’s Book Done Takeaways
What was the biggest surprise during your book project?
I was most surprised by how much I needed to learn in order for it to happen. I truthfully had no idea about the workload required to produce a book. It began with my passion for travel journaling. I brought this passion to life by writing/designing the manuscript/rough outline. However, that was only the beginning. I was shocked to learn the requirements in order to print a journal.
Jessie sent me this mood board at the beginning of her project, to give me her brand colors and give me an idea of the style she was going for!
Firstly, a book is produced by printing multiple pages, commonly 16 or 32, onto a single large sheet of paper, which is then folded down into a section called a signature. Julie taught me that building my journal content around this 16-page structure meant I could save money by making the middle sections of the book repeat over and over (this saves on printing plates and time at press time). However this meant reworking my journal content a bit, to make sure the repeated section of the book (weekly journal pages) were starting and ending where a new signature started or ended.
Secondly, the legal rights behind using fonts, colours, logos, copyright, etc. I learned I needed to be careful not to have any element of my brand or project be subject to someone else’s copyright.
Thirdly, the book production specifics: Julie and I had to give a lot of thought to size, materials, binding, and so much more.
Lastly, my biggest suprise was the financial investment required in order for me to produce this journal. Not only did it require a lot of my own unpaid time, it also required financial investment for designs, logo, printing costs, shipping costs, and a lot of little things that add up. It was worth it, but just be aware.
It happens a lot that creative minds find me when they reach the end of their rope with Canva designs and realize that they need professional help! Canva can only go so far with producing a multi-page book. In the end, Jessie used Canva to show me some ideas of what she wanted, which helped me to understand her vision, and then I leveled the design and layouts up from there for professional and mass production. —Julie
Which part of your book project took longer than you expected, and why?
I initially thought I could create and print my journal entirely through Canva—and while that may have been possible, it became clear that I needed professional guidance. At first, I was hesitant about the investment. However, now that my journal has been produced, I can confidently say it was one of the best decisions I made. Julie is incredibly skilled and brings a high level of care, time, and attention to every detail, ensuring your vision truly comes to life. She guided me through the entire process and even found me the perfect printer for me. Her experience really stood out; any time we encountered a hurdle, she knew exactly what adjustments were needed to keep things moving forward successfully. If you’re considering a similar project, I’d strongly encourage investing in Julie, because she genuinely invests in you.
These are just some of the images the printer sent to Julie of different cover materials and different envelope styles that might work for Jessie’s journal.
Which part of your book project was the most fun or rewarding? Which was the most challenging?
Jessie receives her journal order from China at her home in Canada!
The most rewarding part was finally holding the finished product in my hands; there’s honestly nothing like that feeling. That said, the entire process was incredibly rewarding. With every revision that came to life, I felt a surge of excitement, knowing I was one step closer to turning this passion project into a reality. The most challenging part was staying committed. When you’re investing so much time, energy, and money, it’s natural to question whether it’s all worth it. Looking back, I see that those challenges pushed me in ways I didn’t expect, and that I grew a lot personally through this project.
When you write another book, what will you do the same way? What will you do differently?
When I create another book or journal, I will absolutely work with Julie again. Having full confidence in Julie to finalize the file for print allowed me to focus my energy on making sure every detail of my vision and brand came to life. Moving forward, I would also plan to refine my process by getting even clearer on certain elements earlier on, which would make the overall workflow even more efficient. I would invest in quality. Quality always circles back.
What is your best advice for marketing a book?
Be confident. Approach every marketing tactic with full confidence. You have a product that will positively influence your customers.
Book Done Technical Details
Your printer needs these kinds of details to give you a quote for printing a similar book. For a book as unique as Jessie’s, a full service offset printer must be chosen and size, materials, etc. must be carefully considered.
Initial quantity of books ordered: 500
Page count: 224
Dimensions (Page size): 6.5” x 9”
Interior Details
Ink colors: Full colour
Paper Weight: 120gsm
Cover Details
Binding: Soft PU leather with PVC layer beneath
Ink colors: Beige / green
Laminate: Debossed logo and text
The final files we sent to the printer were five different files: cover (deboss dieline), interior pages (color printing), envelope art and dieline, final pocket art, and sticker art for printing and dieline. Below you see the weekly collectibles pocket that was pasted into each weekly section by the printer. The pink line shows where the pocket was cut or folded.
Below you can see Jessie flipping through her journal and also giving a kind testimonial!
This journal is a great accomplishment that speaks to Jessie's natural abilities as both a visionary and project manager! I am contacted by many creators who have a vision for a journal, but many do not see the idea to the finish line once they learn all that is involved! Congratulations, Jessie, on a fun and functional final product! Thank you for sharing your experience bringing the My Way Up Travel Journal to life. As someone who has done a lot of traveling myself, I loved helping you make your dream into a product!
You can connect with Jessie and learn more about her work here:
[email protected]
https://linktr.ee/mywayuptravel
https://mywayuptravel.com
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