Staple and Glue Method
I adapted this method of binding from National Geographic Magazine and is similar to the side staple method, shown in the staple section. If you take an old issue of National Geographic, one where the glue is old and dried up, and pull the cover away from the spine you'll notice that the pages are actually held together by staples, and only the cover is attached by glue.
With this process, you get the look of a regular paperback book, but without the need for a book press.
First you will need to crease the spine on the cover. To do this, take a ruler and a butter knife and score two lines down the inside of the cover where where the spine will be. The distance between the lines should be the thickness of the pages and should be figured out beforehand, during the design of the cover. Be careful not to cut through the cover stock when you score, you just want to make an indent. Lightly fold the creases it so that the cover is ready, keep it nearby.
You will need your pages trimmed to the size you want beforehand. I recommend getting them trimmed at the print shop, it usually costs around one or two dollars per cut, per 200 sheets of paper. Calculate that into the printing costs from the beginning and it won't feel bad. Next you will need to staple the inside pages together near where the spine of the book will be, preferably using a heavy duty stapler. Try to get the staples as close to the edge as possible, but also making sure that all the pages are on the staple. Now you will need to apply the glue. For this example I used a hot glue gun, but you may find it easier to use another kind of glue. Contact cement glue would probably work just as well, and you don't have to rush, as hot glue tends to cool fast. Spread a healthy amount of glue along the spine, and a little on the top and bottom of the pages where the staples are. Next slide the pages into the glue.
Now, press the pages into the spine, and close the book, pushing down on the cover to make sure for an even contact. If you're using a hot glue gun be careful when you press the cover down, the glue is really hot and it can burn even through the cover stock. It's okay if glue spills out the edges of the spine, that can be trimmed off with an xacto knife or a box cutter afterwards. You're done!
If you are careful while you are doing this, you may not even need to trim the books. If you do decide to have the books trimmed or trim them yourself, you have to plan ahead so that you don't put any staples near the edges. You only need to have either two three sides trimmed, depending on the look you want. Remember, you don't need the spine trimmed because the book will fall apart if you do! Don't forget You don't want a staple near the top and bottom edges!, because if a paper shear catches a staple it may wreck the blade (it will dent it at the very least). That could be a huge problem! Seriously, people will yell at you and make you pay for (a very expensive) new blade. So remember, if you're going to trim them, staple at least 1 inch from the top and bottom, and tell them to trim only an 1/8 of an inch, just to be safe.