Whether you want to sell your patterns, or offer them free for others to use, there are plenty of options available, especially on the Internet.
Publishing Free Patterns
The easiest way to get for designers to get their patterns published is to offer them online for free. Many designers choose to do this, particularly when they are first setting out, because it can help get their names out there.
Blogs are the simplest way to self publish online. The setup of blogs lends itself well to posting patterns, because designers can include both text and pictures, the most recent postings appear first, and each post has its own unique web address.
Posting patterns on a free web host or blog can allow for distribution elsewhere as well. Websites like Knitting Pattern Central and Crochet Pattern Central gather free patterns from around the web and provide links to them. Websites like Ravelry also alllow designers to distribute their patterns for free, allowing others to view and use them.
Publishing For-Sale Patterns
Designers can also sell their patterns for money. As with offering free patterns, this is easiest done online, though there are some offline methods crafters can use to sell their designs.
Etsy.com is a very popular website for crafters to sell both finshed projects and original designs. Users set up a shop and list the pattern for a small fee. Others can purchase the pattern and have it emailed to them.
Ravelry is also a popular website to use for selling knitting and crochet patterns. Users can register to become a designer member and offer PDF patterns for sale through the website.
Some designers also sell their designs straight from their own blog or website. The methods used for selling through a personal site vary, as it is completely up to the individual designer. Emailing PDF files is the most widely used method, however.
If a designer does not want to sell a pattern directly to the consumer, she can sell it to a craft magazine or website. Many publications will have calls for submissions where they post certain specifics on what types of designs they are looking for, and designers can submit their patterns. Most publications will pay the designer some type of payment if the pattern is chosen to be published.
Publishing Tips
Having patterns available in PDF format makes distribution much easier, as some websites require PDF files in order to sell patterns, and PDFs are simple to email out to purchasers. No special programs are necessary to make PDFs, as long as the designer has a Google account. Using Google Docs, designers can set up the document of their pattern, then save it as a PDF.
Only publish original designs. If a designer publishes something based on or copied from another design without getting permission from the original designer, she can get into trouble.
Kaitlyn Yeager - Kaitlyn Yeager is a recent college graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in print journalism and a minor in economics. She was the web ...
