I had an idea for a booklet with about 10 patterns in it. I pitched it to a publisher, who 5 weeks later sent the dreaded "thanks but no thanks" letter. I then sent it to my CGOA mentor, who encouraged me to self publish it.
What a wonderful idea! I thought. I was clueless about the amount of work I was putting on myself for this. I didn't know the first thing about self publishing. This began a great deal of research, which I am still doing.
It turns out that you can sell crochet patterns on Ravelry, Amazon, and Kindle. Apparently there is a market out there for various ebooks. You can also sell on Etsy and your own website. This has opened up an entirely new world for me to explore!
As I have written and sold patterns before, I think I have that part of the process down. It takes time - a LOT of time. I have to jot down pattern notes while I crochet what's in my head. Then, once the item is complete, I have to translate those notes into a readable pattern. Then comes the dreaded photo session. If a good picture is worth a thousand words, then my photos are worth about 3. Usually someone in my family will take pity on me and get a few good shots of the item for me.
Formatting is taking me a little bit of time to learn. As is setting up my own website and Etsy store. The process is slow, but once done, I won't have to do it again. This is keeping me motivated, even when frustrated!
Each of the 10 patterns needs to be completed, not just a sketch. Each pattern needs to be written, each item photographed, introduction text needs to be written, table of contents and cover pages need to be decided upon, online shops need to be set up, formatting needs to be done, and then, once the booklet is finished, it needs to be marketed. Sheesh!
My goal is to have it all done by March 2012. I still have to make time to work on Christmas presents!
Showing posts with label money. Show all posts
Showing posts with label money. Show all posts
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Crochet For Fun And Profit
Crocheting For Fun and Profit is a book that was written by Darla Sims. I picked it up at Barnes and Noble when it first came out in 2000. Even though it is now over 10 years old, the information inside is still applicable to today.
Reading this book made me believe that it was possible to crochet for money. It gave me the courage to submit my first design to the Herrschner's Afghan contest in 2001, which won honorable mention and yes, did pay. What's better than getting paid and published at the same time?
The uniqueness of this book also struck me. In a world of books on how-to crochet and thousands of patterns, it stood out. I don't know of any other how to make money doing something you love to do in your free time anyway book out there. This book discusses niches and the business end of things as well as technique. It offers options.
During a time when the economy is down, this book is well worth the investment. Darla does not go into using the Internet, but those who already know the web should be able to apply her ideas to it. The legal stuff hasn't changed that much, if at all. As I discovered from my CGOA mentor recently, the part about finding your niche is still very important.
If you are looking for a good summer book to read, do a search for Crocheting for Fun and Profit. You'll be glad you did.
Reading this book made me believe that it was possible to crochet for money. It gave me the courage to submit my first design to the Herrschner's Afghan contest in 2001, which won honorable mention and yes, did pay. What's better than getting paid and published at the same time?
The uniqueness of this book also struck me. In a world of books on how-to crochet and thousands of patterns, it stood out. I don't know of any other how to make money doing something you love to do in your free time anyway book out there. This book discusses niches and the business end of things as well as technique. It offers options.
During a time when the economy is down, this book is well worth the investment. Darla does not go into using the Internet, but those who already know the web should be able to apply her ideas to it. The legal stuff hasn't changed that much, if at all. As I discovered from my CGOA mentor recently, the part about finding your niche is still very important.
If you are looking for a good summer book to read, do a search for Crocheting for Fun and Profit. You'll be glad you did.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Successful Crochet Designers
A long time ago a close friend once told me that it appeared that the secret to success in the crochet design world was having a blog. The formula, as she saw it, was that others in the industry saw the blog and referred more people to it. Somewhere along the line it would be seen by someone in the television industry, and once an interview was secured, so was your future as a crochet designer. Interesting theory.
It turns out that there may be quite a bit of truth in it. Most "make money online by blogging" sites delve into the necessity of back links, or links from other well known sites that rank high in Google's list. These back links should be from sites with similar subject matter. The more of these links, or referrals, the higher your blog will rank on Google's search list.
Once your blog shows up in the first couple of pages from a Google or Yahoo search, more people check it out. The odds of someone clicking on an ad on your blog increase exponentially. Every ad click is counted and credited by AdSense and the owner of the blog then gets paid. Every referring ad to Amazon to a product you discuss on your blog also generates income.
Yet there is more to becoming a successful crochet designer than being web savvy. The great ones not only make every gift they give to anyone for any occasion, they also publish their designs frequently. From what I have learned about these designers, they churn out at least 15-20 designs per year for various publications. This means that for every magazine, book, and web site they checked the editorial calendar, had an idea, sketched it out, made a gauge swatch and submitted it and waited for an acceptance letter and contract.
Things turn around a bit once a designer is known to editors and yarn companies. The designer may start receiving requests from them. Although I have found no information on the web about this, I suspect that higher prices are paid per design at this point. As the amount of publications increase, the more well known the designer becomes. They may be asked to appear on a craft show on television.
Another friend once said "if you like what you do, stick with it and the money will come." Great advice for any field, but especially crochet design as there is a lot of non-compensated work involved before any financial achievement is gained.
It turns out that there may be quite a bit of truth in it. Most "make money online by blogging" sites delve into the necessity of back links, or links from other well known sites that rank high in Google's list. These back links should be from sites with similar subject matter. The more of these links, or referrals, the higher your blog will rank on Google's search list.
Once your blog shows up in the first couple of pages from a Google or Yahoo search, more people check it out. The odds of someone clicking on an ad on your blog increase exponentially. Every ad click is counted and credited by AdSense and the owner of the blog then gets paid. Every referring ad to Amazon to a product you discuss on your blog also generates income.
Yet there is more to becoming a successful crochet designer than being web savvy. The great ones not only make every gift they give to anyone for any occasion, they also publish their designs frequently. From what I have learned about these designers, they churn out at least 15-20 designs per year for various publications. This means that for every magazine, book, and web site they checked the editorial calendar, had an idea, sketched it out, made a gauge swatch and submitted it and waited for an acceptance letter and contract.
Things turn around a bit once a designer is known to editors and yarn companies. The designer may start receiving requests from them. Although I have found no information on the web about this, I suspect that higher prices are paid per design at this point. As the amount of publications increase, the more well known the designer becomes. They may be asked to appear on a craft show on television.
Another friend once said "if you like what you do, stick with it and the money will come." Great advice for any field, but especially crochet design as there is a lot of non-compensated work involved before any financial achievement is gained.
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