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Content provided by Marie Segares: Crochet and Knitting Blogger, Designer, Teacher, Solopreneur, Indie Artisan and Marie Segares. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Marie Segares: Crochet and Knitting Blogger, Designer, Teacher, Solopreneur, Indie Artisan and Marie Segares or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://player.fm/legal.
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Episode 40: Crochet & Knitting Design & Self-Publishing Mini Series 5: Pricing Your Pattern

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Manage episode 125473498 series 166769
Content provided by Marie Segares: Crochet and Knitting Blogger, Designer, Teacher, Solopreneur, Indie Artisan and Marie Segares. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Marie Segares: Crochet and Knitting Blogger, Designer, Teacher, Solopreneur, Indie Artisan and Marie Segares or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://player.fm/legal.
This Week’s Episode

I’m continuing my Crochet & Knitting Design & Self-Publishing Mini Series by talking about pricing your pattern. I’ll be exploring the advantages and challenges of offering all of your self-published patterns for free, all for sale, or some combination of free and paid.

The subtitle for today’s episode is “To free or not to free?”

Let’s start by examining 3 strategic approaches to pricing your self-published patterns. (By the way, your pricing strategy for your self-published patterns might be the same as the pricing strategy you use with third-party publishing, or it might be different.)

Offer all of your self-published patterns for free

You may choose to only self-publish patterns for free. Here are some reasons why you might take this approach.

  • You are a hobbyist designer: You haven’t yet set up legal and financial structures for your business, so the logistics of accepting payments for pattern are too challenging to navigate at this time.
  • You use a contribution model: Some designers self-publish patterns for free with hopes that their audience will feel a desire to reciprocate by contributing, either to the designer using a “pay what you wish” model, or to a charity the designer has designated.
  • You monetize through the use of ads, affiliate relationships, and/or sponsorships: In this case, your patterns are free because your time is compensate through other means, most of which are dependent on traffic.
  • Your patterns support another aspect of your business: If you are primarily generating income through another aspect of your business, such as selling yarn or supply kits, you may use free patterns as a bonus for your customers.

Some of the benefits of self-publishing your patterns for free are because free patterns…

  • Present a low barrier for customers. You can easily hook them in.
  • May be easier to promote online (e.g., through Pinterest group boards, participation in link sharing, etc.)
  • Don’t require any additional thought about pricing, thus saving you time and thought.
  • Are more consistent with the general expectation of consumers that web content will be free.
Offer all of your self-published patterns for sale

On the other hand, you may choose to only self-publish patterns for sale. Here are some reasons why you might take this approach.

  • Your social-political beliefs and values. Some designers feel very strongly that offering patterns for free devalues the work of women and the importance of crafts. Since many patterns with this view point are quite outspoken, you may also choose to self-publish all of your patterns for sale to align with this vocal group of fellow designers.
  • You don’t want to have your own website. If you don’t want to manage your own website or blog (for financial, time management, or technology reasons), you will not have many other options for monetizing your patterns, so you will need to sell them. You may also prefer to benefit from the traffic on a publisher site (like Ravelry) rather than to build your own traffic to an external website.
  • You want to wholesale patterns to yarn shops. If you’d like to create a symbotic relationship with yarn shops without spending a ton of time building relationships, you may want to use Ravelry’s In-store sales feature or work with a distributor to sell your patterns to shops. Free patterns are eligible for the in-store feature and many reputable stores are leery of sharing free patterns.
  • You believe that selling patterns will reduce the likelihood of piracy. It may also be easier to track the source of the theft of a for sale pattern.
Offer some of your self-published patterns for free and others for sale

Hopefully, by combining approaches you will get “the best of both worlds.”

In the self-publishing book industries, this approach is common for ebook series. The first title may be “permafree,” allowing customers to try it out and then pay for the rest of the series if the would like to continue.

You may prefer to offer your patterns for sale, but want yarn support from a company that only works with self-publishing designers for free pattern releases.

This option also allows you to test out both methods and make adjustments that increase your income. The primary disadvantage is that you will need to spend more time considering which patterns should be available for free and which should be for sale (as well as what price is appropriate for your paid patterns).

Let’s talk pricing

If you decide to offer some or all of your patterns for free, how will you price them?

  • Uniform pricing: You can save time and energy by establishing a set price for your patterns and spreading it across your entire line of paid patterns.
  • Scaled pricing: You can establish multiple price points for different types of patterns. For example, many designers price garment patterns (especially if they are in multiple sizes) higher than accessory patterns.

In the audio recording, I discuss some reasons why these different approaches might (or might not) work for your business.

If you enjoyed this episode

The Creative Yarn Entrepreneur Show is no longer broadcasting. Episodes are available as a service to the yarn community. This episode originally aired in June, 2015. Be aware that content may be outdated.

If you'd like to chat with other yarn-related business owners, join the Creative Yarn Entrepreneurs Facebook group. Support Marie's work by buying one of her books, Make Money Teaching Crochet: Launch Your Business, Increase Your Side Income, Reach More Students (Amazon | Gumroad) or Design It, Promote It, Sell It: Online Marketing for Your Crochet and Knit Patterns (Amazon | Gumroad).

  continue reading

74 episodes

Artwork
iconShare
 
Manage episode 125473498 series 166769
Content provided by Marie Segares: Crochet and Knitting Blogger, Designer, Teacher, Solopreneur, Indie Artisan and Marie Segares. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Marie Segares: Crochet and Knitting Blogger, Designer, Teacher, Solopreneur, Indie Artisan and Marie Segares or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://player.fm/legal.
This Week’s Episode

I’m continuing my Crochet & Knitting Design & Self-Publishing Mini Series by talking about pricing your pattern. I’ll be exploring the advantages and challenges of offering all of your self-published patterns for free, all for sale, or some combination of free and paid.

The subtitle for today’s episode is “To free or not to free?”

Let’s start by examining 3 strategic approaches to pricing your self-published patterns. (By the way, your pricing strategy for your self-published patterns might be the same as the pricing strategy you use with third-party publishing, or it might be different.)

Offer all of your self-published patterns for free

You may choose to only self-publish patterns for free. Here are some reasons why you might take this approach.

  • You are a hobbyist designer: You haven’t yet set up legal and financial structures for your business, so the logistics of accepting payments for pattern are too challenging to navigate at this time.
  • You use a contribution model: Some designers self-publish patterns for free with hopes that their audience will feel a desire to reciprocate by contributing, either to the designer using a “pay what you wish” model, or to a charity the designer has designated.
  • You monetize through the use of ads, affiliate relationships, and/or sponsorships: In this case, your patterns are free because your time is compensate through other means, most of which are dependent on traffic.
  • Your patterns support another aspect of your business: If you are primarily generating income through another aspect of your business, such as selling yarn or supply kits, you may use free patterns as a bonus for your customers.

Some of the benefits of self-publishing your patterns for free are because free patterns…

  • Present a low barrier for customers. You can easily hook them in.
  • May be easier to promote online (e.g., through Pinterest group boards, participation in link sharing, etc.)
  • Don’t require any additional thought about pricing, thus saving you time and thought.
  • Are more consistent with the general expectation of consumers that web content will be free.
Offer all of your self-published patterns for sale

On the other hand, you may choose to only self-publish patterns for sale. Here are some reasons why you might take this approach.

  • Your social-political beliefs and values. Some designers feel very strongly that offering patterns for free devalues the work of women and the importance of crafts. Since many patterns with this view point are quite outspoken, you may also choose to self-publish all of your patterns for sale to align with this vocal group of fellow designers.
  • You don’t want to have your own website. If you don’t want to manage your own website or blog (for financial, time management, or technology reasons), you will not have many other options for monetizing your patterns, so you will need to sell them. You may also prefer to benefit from the traffic on a publisher site (like Ravelry) rather than to build your own traffic to an external website.
  • You want to wholesale patterns to yarn shops. If you’d like to create a symbotic relationship with yarn shops without spending a ton of time building relationships, you may want to use Ravelry’s In-store sales feature or work with a distributor to sell your patterns to shops. Free patterns are eligible for the in-store feature and many reputable stores are leery of sharing free patterns.
  • You believe that selling patterns will reduce the likelihood of piracy. It may also be easier to track the source of the theft of a for sale pattern.
Offer some of your self-published patterns for free and others for sale

Hopefully, by combining approaches you will get “the best of both worlds.”

In the self-publishing book industries, this approach is common for ebook series. The first title may be “permafree,” allowing customers to try it out and then pay for the rest of the series if the would like to continue.

You may prefer to offer your patterns for sale, but want yarn support from a company that only works with self-publishing designers for free pattern releases.

This option also allows you to test out both methods and make adjustments that increase your income. The primary disadvantage is that you will need to spend more time considering which patterns should be available for free and which should be for sale (as well as what price is appropriate for your paid patterns).

Let’s talk pricing

If you decide to offer some or all of your patterns for free, how will you price them?

  • Uniform pricing: You can save time and energy by establishing a set price for your patterns and spreading it across your entire line of paid patterns.
  • Scaled pricing: You can establish multiple price points for different types of patterns. For example, many designers price garment patterns (especially if they are in multiple sizes) higher than accessory patterns.

In the audio recording, I discuss some reasons why these different approaches might (or might not) work for your business.

If you enjoyed this episode

The Creative Yarn Entrepreneur Show is no longer broadcasting. Episodes are available as a service to the yarn community. This episode originally aired in June, 2015. Be aware that content may be outdated.

If you'd like to chat with other yarn-related business owners, join the Creative Yarn Entrepreneurs Facebook group. Support Marie's work by buying one of her books, Make Money Teaching Crochet: Launch Your Business, Increase Your Side Income, Reach More Students (Amazon | Gumroad) or Design It, Promote It, Sell It: Online Marketing for Your Crochet and Knit Patterns (Amazon | Gumroad).

  continue reading

74 episodes

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