I have very quietly been plugging away at something over the last few months, and it's time for it to see the light of day. Introducing....
So You Want to be a Knitting Designer...
Tips, tricks and resources for navigating the hand knitting industry.
The knitting industry can be a confusing place. The career of knitting pattern design has changed drastically over the past decade or so, and there aren't a lot of resources to guide us. This is the book I wish that I had had as a novice designer. From self-publishing vs working with a publisher to marketing and dealing with problem customers, this ebook will give you an up-close-and-personal look at the nitty gritty bits of this wild and wooly career. Everything I know about this industry from working both as a designer and an editor/yarn-support-gatekeeper is packed into this 60+ page tome.
Topics covered include but are not limited to:
Writing your pattern (and naming it well!)
Selling your patterns online
Pattern photography, and how to make it look decidedly un-n00bish
Style sheets
Working with tech editors, test knitters, and sample knitters
The great free pattern debate
Payment structures and rights transfers
Putting together a great submission
Yarn support (and when and how to ask for it!)
Marketing methods
Navigating social media with aplomb
Branding yo' fine self
Wholesaling and working with distributors
Customer service
Industry etiquette
TNNA!
Copyright, licensing, and knock-offs
Crisis management
SO MANY RESOURCES
And, bonus:
Sample style sheet to use and abuse
Form letters for awkward situations!
So You Want to be a Knitting Designer is formatted as a PDF file, which is readable on most devices (but may require you to download a reader program such as Adobe Reader, which is 100% free.) It will be delivered instantly upon purchase, so you can start kicking some knitting design ass RIGHT THE HELL NOW. WOOOO!!!! Rock on, designerlings. Rock. On.
$19.50
Note: This ebook is written in the same voice as my blog, which is to say, there are goofy made-up words and occasional profanities. You have been warned! Oh, and crocheters- I'm pretty sure at least 95% of this book is relevant to you too, but since I've never been a crochet designer, I didn't want to purport to speak for them ;-)
Bought this within 5 minutes of reading this post. This book is exactly what I need right now!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I hope it's helpful!
DeletePlowed through the ebook already, and it's great! Accessible to a total noob like me, but seems like it would also be a lot use to someone with a few self published patterns under their belt. A really interesting read as well, was sad to get to the end of it!
DeleteYay I'm so glad you liked it! It's always nervewracking putting out a new sort of product, haha.
Deleteproud of you, Chelsealing. BOOYAAAA
ReplyDeleteChristine
Chelsea high five?
DeleteThe oronjo link is not working for me - I think the problem is on the Oronjo link, but just in case, I'm working on off a Mozilla Firefox browser on a cinnamon Mint Linux computer.
ReplyDeleteI'll try later!
I'm so sorry about that, it should be fixed now!
DeleteIt is not working for me either. I'll also be back later, it looks like an amazing resource!
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry about that, it should be fixed now! Oronjo worked last night but then bailed on me, apparently :-(
DeleteNo problem! It worked fine this time, and it is, in fact, amazing. :)
Deletelink not working for me either. i'm using google chrome.
ReplyDeleteSorry about that! It has an ejunkie link now instead, which should work.
DeleteNot working for me either....I'll check back later.
ReplyDeleteNope, not working for me either, and I am interested!
DeleteHi guys, I think it should be fixed now! Oronjo worked for awhile and then poo'ed out so I've replaced it with e-junkie.
Deletecongratulations! you are something else. I have been looking in on you over the past couple of years and it's so fun to watch how you have grown. Wish I could get in on fun but i'm in nursing school and hardly have time to knit a washcloth. keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteI'm not getting the oronjo link either, but am using Firefox on a Mac. I can try later on my pc.
ReplyDeleteSorry about that! Oronjo crapped out after a few sales- I've replaced it with an e-junkie link which should work :-)
DeleteTried again this morning on the pc instead of the mac and it worked fine. Thanks! I'm excited to read it!
DeleteHi guys, I'm so sorry about that- the Oronjo link was working fine when I went to sleep last night, and then it crapped out on me! I've replaced it with an ejunkie link on another seller's recommendation so it should be working now. Sorry about that!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you for this! Buying it right. now.
ReplyDelete<3 <3
DeleteWoot! The ejunkie link worked for me. Thanks a billion. It looks great and I can't wait to read through it. You're a star!
ReplyDeleteWoohoo!!
DeleteAlexandra, you rock my world! Look at your knowledgable self being all impressive.
ReplyDeleteThank you mysterious stranger! Who might be Vivian based on the diction...
DeleteOh snap I clicked through and it's totally Vivian I'm a genius.
DeleteLove it. This will be a great resource.
ReplyDelete<3!
DeleteI am a few days late reading this post, but I bought and downloaded as soon as I did, then devoured the e-book as soon as I got it. I have a few self-published patterns out there but am trying to take things to another level. Your book is super-helpful. Thank you so much!
ReplyDeleteThank you, I'm so glad you liked it!
DeleteJust saw Stacy (FreshStitches) review of this book ... congrats! It sounds like a great addition to my library ...
ReplyDeleteYay, thank you!
DeleteJust finished reading Stacy of Fresh Stitches review and am really looking forward to reading your book.
ReplyDeleteThank you, I hope you enjoy it!
DeleteYour book is fantastic - kept reading once I started - thank you for stating everything so clearly and making it easy to follow - so many great tips will be one of my go to books for sure.
DeleteI'm so glad you like it!
DeleteInteresting reading! Love it!
ReplyDeleteThank you!!
DeleteThorough, interesting, and well-written. I needed this!
ReplyDeleteYaaay I'm glad it was useful!!
DeleteI feel like I'm repeating myself a lot in these comments, haha... thank you everyone!!
I'm glad to have found out about this resource in the Ravelry Budding Designers forum. I'm looking forward to learning new things.
ReplyDeleteI bought this eBook this morning. I've only had a chance to browse through it in my lunch break but I love it already! I love your writing style, your honesty and the really useful information. Thanks for making this available!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I'm glad you're finding it useful :-)
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