Earn Money by Selling Patterns / Become an Author on Crazypatterns

Dear users, dear authors, 
if you’re thinking about writing your own patterns, you’ll find some initial information here. 

As soon as you’ve uploaded your first pattern, you’ll be given access to the authors’ forum, where you’ll find more information and can connect with fellow authors.

@Autoren,
would you like to share how you became an author on Crazypatterns and how it’s going for you?

@künftige Autoren,
Is there anyone here who is thinking about becoming an author?
What has been holding you back so far? If you have any questions, just bring them up. 

We also have a Customers Recruit Authors program, in case you’d like to read about it.

I discovered Crazypatterns many years ago—I wrote my first pattern in 2016!

Sometime 1–2 years before that, after a loooong break (since elementary school), I started crocheting again and realized I wasn’t too bad at it. After I couldn’t find any patterns I liked for certain projects, I thought: “I’ll just do it myself!” and that’s how it all started! So I registered a business, switched my account here to “Author,” and off I went!
Unfortunately, I have less time for it in my day-to-day life now than I’d like, but that’s the great thing about this: if you don’t upload anything for a while, it’s not the end of the world.
If you do this “just on the side” like I do, you certainly won’t get rich, but for me it’s just a great hobby that lets me earn a little pocket money on the side! :-)

If you’re not afraid of the “bureaucratic stuff” and are really up for it: Go for it! What have you got to lose? :-)

Do you have to register a business right from your very first pattern? On eBay, you don’t need to for a few private sales—is there something like a “hobby rule” there?

@Veronika, to work as an author, you don’t need to register a business—you can operate as a freelancer—but you should still register with the tax office. You can’t compare this to eBay; as an author here, you’re automatically no longer considered a private individual.

Thanks—I’ve learned something new again.

I’m currently thinking about whether I should start writing patterns myself in the future.
I already have a business license, so that’s not an issue—I’ve been self-employed for 18 years.
My main concern is whether the effort is worth it. Over the past few weeks, I’ve taken the time to look through the authors here, and there are quite a few who, in my opinion, are making a decent income from their patterns. But there are even more authors who barely make any sales and therefore don’t get compensated for their effort.
Sometimes you can obviously tell why—for example, poor product photos—but in some cases I think they’re offering really great handmade items; I can’t judge the patterns themselves, though, since I haven’t bought them.

I’m still a bit undecided…
How many patterns should I start with? If I only list two or three patterns at first, the shop will look pretty empty.

So I’d be very interested to know how many patterns you had when you opened your shop.
How long did it take before you started seeing your first revenue? (I’d plan to advertise on Facebook.)
I’m also worried that, given current general price trends, people are tending to cut back on spending—is now even a good time to start writing patterns? How are your sales doing right now? Are you noticing a decline, or have sales stayed pretty much the same?

So many questions, and I’m just mulling it over and over… ;-)

Oh, and one more question just came to mind: What software do you use to create the crochet charts? I’ve already tested a few free programs, but haven’t found one that I’m satisfied with.

It depends on what you mean by “worth it.” For most people here, what they earn is more of a hobby that lets them make a little pocket money. To make a living writing patterns, you really have to work hard.
It also takes time and patience for a shop to become well-known enough and run smoothly. It also helps to be active here in the forum and to regularly participate in the promotional threads.

I personally started with just a single pattern, without doing much advertising. Then, little by little, more were added. In the first year, I had only single-digit sales per month. In the second year, double-digit sales. And it wasn’t until the third year that the shop really took off.
By then, I already had more patterns in the shop and enough sales to book advertising here in the newsletter.

Of course, you can also get lucky and hit the jackpot right from the start with a single pattern, but that’s probably more the exception.

You’re right—sales are actually declining a bit right now. That’s partly because of summer, and partly because people are trying to save money more now.  I’m trying to keep people interested with patterns using leftover yarn.

Ultimately, you have to decide for yourself what you want to do. You should definitely enjoy it, otherwise you’ll get really frustrated if things don’t go well at first. 

That’s exactly how I would have defined my goal: to reach a point where I’d earn some compensation for my time and effort after about two years. Then, in the third year, a small profit would start coming in. That’s what I’d consider “worth it.” I’m well aware that the big, wide world isn’t waiting for little Claudia’s patterns ;-)

@Claudia,
everyone started small, and there’s always room for good patterns with beautiful photos.

@Ruth
thanks for your detailed experience report.

***There are some really great craft projects on offer; I can’t judge the pattern itself, though, since I haven’t bought it.***

That would at least be an explanation already, if you asked yourself why you didn’t buy it.
When I discover a great craft project here that I’d like to try, I buy it. You never know in advance if the pattern is any good. Of course, it’s nice to be able to look at good photos beforehand—maybe even different versions (though that’s obviously a huge amount of work for larger projects)—but I’ve never paid attention to how many items are offered in a particular shop; I’d buy it even if it were the author’s only pattern.
For example, as a user I think it’s great when alternatives to the yarn used are shown right away—in case you can’t get the exact same yarn or don’t have it in stock—that’s very convenient.

“That would already be an explanation, if you could ask yourself why you didn’t buy it.”
These are the things I noticed while researching the topic of “writing patterns” over the past few weeks. And for me personally, there’s also a difference between “liking something a lot” and “wanting to make it myself.” 
Of course, over the past few weeks I’ve also been browsing through the shops from a completely different perspective, and yes, one or two patterns still hopped into my shopping cart, and my favorites list has grown quite a bit ;-)

Thank you for your feedback, dear Veronika, I think I’ll take the plunge and launch the shop with just a few patterns.

@Claudia:

I’d be happy to share my experiences with you, too.
What you absolutely need to contribute as an author to keep your shop running is a lot of time. And you should enjoy writing the patterns as well.

In my case, I first became a customer here and was thrilled by how detailed the patterns are. That’s exactly what I need—for everything to be shown with photos. And then I thought to myself, why not just give it a try? Because I’ve always taken notes whenever I’ve knitted or crocheted something.

So I started by creating a free pattern and uploading it here. On the one hand, that piques users’ curiosity and leads them to your shop. Plus, the reviews let you see how your patterns are being received. And that went really well for me at first.

Then, little by little, I added more patterns. They were always projects I’d made for myself, and I wrote the patterns for myself too—so I could easily follow them. Yes, I actually work from my own patterns every now and then. I’d never be able to recreate them from memory.

I just did it on a whim because I enjoy it, and I figured a little pocket money for my yarn fund would be nice.

Over time, I’ve learned a lot here by observing other authors and being active in the forum. One important realization was that the shop really took off once I found “my niche.” On the one hand, that means creating brand recognition—in other words, a unique selling point. On the other hand, it means offering a product that solves a problem for the customer. Once that pattern takes off, the other patterns will follow.

By “my niche,” I also mean specializing in certain categories. For me, for example, that’s doll clothes—and sometimes clothes for babies and toddlers as well. That’s what I enjoy most, and it builds a base of repeat customers who come back looking for exactly that—provided the patterns are good and appealing. By now, some customers have bought doll clothes or children’s clothing more than 20 times.

On the other hand, there are patterns that took me a lot of work but hardly ever get bought. You just have to accept that. I guess I wrote those ones just for myself.

I started in March 2017, and things got off to a very slow start—despite having a Facebook page. Things really took off in my third year. Now, after five years, I’ve (finally, in my opinion) reached just under 9,000 sales. I never would have dreamed of that at the beginning.

The time I spend here isn’t a “must” for me—it’s very valuable. I’ve made many personal connections through this, received a lot of help from my colleagues, and being here is one of the joyful moments of my day. It’s almost like a second virtual home. :)

If you can bring a lot of joy and time to it, then I recommend you just get started and see how it goes. In this case, the only way to find out is to try. I’m already wishing you lots of success.

Warm regards from Monika

Dear Monika,
thank you for your detailed report.
I found my niche a long time ago—handbags—and since I’ve been felting full-time for years, I’ve been considering offering some of my felting courses, which I usually teach in person, in written form. I’d have to figure out first if there’s a market for that. I’ve already built up a community for this on Facebook. But after you’ve all been so supportive here and, above all, encouraged me, I’ve spent the whole afternoon putting the finishing touches on my first crochet patterns. After that, of course, I’ll need to take some nice photos and edit them. We’ll see—maybe I can meet a deadline by early September.

How wonderful, Claudia, that we were able to inspire you so much and that you’re practically itching to get started. There’s a lot of potential there for you to build on.

These are already some special offerings that you don’t find on every corner here. And then there’s your distinctive design style on top of that.

With all these strengths, it’ll be a great start. I wish that for you.

For me, becoming an author was more of an “emergency plan.”
I actively bought patterns and only crocheted from them until the end of 2017. Then, in early 2018, I had two surgeries on both hands. As a result, I have limitations and was no longer allowed to work in my trained profession, and I couldn’t crochet much anymore either. So, what do you do at 33 years old? They told me, “With these hands, you can’t work at all anymore.” But that was out of the question for me, because, first of all, I love crocheting way too much, and second, I had always worked. So, alongside a year of physical therapy, I started writing patterns. It was slow going, but it went really well. I thought: Well, I can’t crochet much anymore, but if I write patterns, I’ll only need to crochet each one twice at most. No sooner said than done. In March 2018, just for the fun of it, I opened my shop here and also looked for a job I could do despite my limitations. Because just sitting at home and crocheting—I’d go crazy 🤣 I need people around me and social interaction.
I now also have a Facebook group where my customers receive support from me or my testers. This has been very well received. I’ve also been translating my patterns myself into two other languages for a few months now. It wasn’t easy at first, but where there’s a will, there’s a way 😉

Bottom line: Becoming an author is easy; being an author is a task! I’m there for my customers whenever help is needed. If there are any problems, I try to find a solution. And I love what I do here.

For me, CP is my balance to work and helps me unwind after a stressful day. My shop is doing well “for me”—or rather, I’m satisfied with it.

It’s just like in regular working life: you can’t get something for nothing. It’s not just a matter of uploading a pattern and then everything runs by itself. Attracting customers, taking care of them, and trying to be “unique” is the be-all and end-all.
The internet is vast and fast-paced, and you have to keep at it or you’ll go under.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained. But you should be aware that, as mentioned above, it’s time-consuming, and I believe that if I have a shop, I should also take care of it and respond to customers. Just selling and ignoring the rest doesn’t work in the long run 😉

I’ve always knitted and crocheted without patterns, so I could only make each project once because I didn’t have any written notes and couldn’t remember how I’d done things. So I started taking notes, but after weeks or months, I couldn’t read them anymore.

So I wrote everything down very precisely, took photos, and created my first pattern on vacation in 2016. Over the years, more and more followed, because I enjoyed it. I do it for myself, and the sales are just a little extra income—enough to cover the new yarn I always need.

It takes a lot of time. I like to knit, and writing is okay too. But the fine-tuning, the finishing touches—I don’t really like that part, but it’s part of the process. My hourly wage is definitely low. If I worked at my main job all day, I’d end up making more money overall—but this way, I get paid to devote a lot of time to my hobby.

@Claudia —I create my crochet charts using Crochet Charts and the “stichinCrochet” font (both bought), and my knitting charts in Excel using the “Marlett” font.

@Wunderlichs Kreativchaos (great name)
—that doesn’t sound good at all; I hope your hands have recovered at least a little?

I have a similar background and am also looking for a new and, above all, challenging role. Thank you for your honest and touching words.

@Petra
How satisfied are you with Crochet Charts? I have the free version for testing; I generally really like the software’s structure, but it’s very cumbersome because you have to re-enter repeating patterns every time. Is that different in the paid version? Also, I haven’t found a way to set a different division for the circular grid yet. I haven’t been able to find the paid version either—may I ask where you bought it?

I started writing patterns because at some point I thought, “You’re modifying patterns anyway—so you might as well design your own.”

I’m making progress in small steps.

I take every opportunity that comes my way to increase my visibility.
That means: posting here when it works for me, writing Facebook posts, creating Instagram posts, and making Pinterest pins.
My advertising is mostly organic, while paid advertising is the exception.
For the past few weeks, I’ve also been focusing a bit more on SEO.

@claudia -Lehrer

As I said, I have certain limitations and always will, but doing “nothing” isn’t an option for me 😉 For me, crocheting every day is basically my physical therapy. It does me good, I have fun, I can unwind, and I can share my ideas with the many users here. I think it would be a good fit for you, and it’s very varied.

Best regards, Janine

It took me a very long time for my brain to make the connection between “you’re always modifying patterns for clothing items like sweaters anyway” and “why not just write your own pattern”

Every shop starts with one pattern.
As you create more patterns, you develop your own style, refine it, and maybe tweak it a bit.
Some have specialized in one or two things, while others offer a wide range.

After all these years, I’ve realized that small items aren’t really my thing.
They shouldn’t be too big either.

Writing the patterns and making the prototypes is one thing;
drawing attention to them is another.

Hi everyone,

even though the last posts in this thread are already a few months old, I’m going to give it a shot here anyway 😊

I’d also like to sell my own crochet patterns here on CP in the future and plan to register a business for that soon. I’ve already done a bit of research on tax-related topics as well. However, I have a few questions on other topics and hope you can help me out:

• In your opinion, how often—or by how many people—should a new pattern be tested at a minimum before you can publish it with a clear conscience?
  
  
• Where and how is the best way to obtain legally binding terms and conditions, and what costs should I expect? Unfortunately, I’m still completely unfamiliar with this topic 😕
  
• A while back, I read in a forum that the Chamber of Crafts (or the Chamber of Industry and Commerce?) gets in touch after you register your business, and that you have to become a member there. Is that true—even if you “only” sell patterns and not finished products? I also read back then that, under certain circumstances, you can be exempted from the membership fees for these chambers. Can you tell me more about this? I’d be so grateful!
  

Thank you so much in advance for your help, and have a wonderful weekend!

Mona

Hi Mona,
welcome to the group.
I’m bumping this up again so the thread stays visible. 

Hi Mona,

I’ll try to answer your questions:

• In your opinion, how often—or by how many people—should a new pattern be tested at a minimum before it can be published with a clear conscience?
  

That really depends on the project: the more challenging it is, the more people should test it. You’ll get a feel for that over time. For your first project, I’d keep the group manageable. Organizing a test-crochet or test-sew isn’t exactly a walk in the park!

• Where/how is the best way to get legally valid terms and conditions, and what costs should you expect? Unfortunately, I don’t know anything about this topic yet 😕

You can use “Trusted Shops” to generate all kinds of legal documents for free. They’re fine for getting started.

• I read in a forum a while back that the Chamber of Crafts (or the Chamber of Industry and Commerce?) gets in touch after you register your business, and you have to become a member there. Is that true—even if you “only” sell patterns and not finished products? I also read back then that, under certain circumstances, you can be exempted from the membership fees for these chambers. Can you tell me more about this? I’d be so grateful!

Well, it’s a bit of a matter of interpretation. If you sell physical products, you’ll be assigned to the Chamber of Crafts (HWK), and that comes with an immediate fee (and not a small one, I mean). When registering your business, make sure it mentions “digital” and “online.” Then hopefully they’ll assign you to the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) right away.
With the IHK, you’re exempt from dues for the first 2 (?) years and if your annual income is up to 5,000€ (?). At some point later, you’ll pay based on your income. But the IHK isn’t the end of the world—it’s significantly cheaper than the HWK.

Every IHK has its own local quirks. It’s best to give yours a call ;).

You might also have to deal with the GEZ, health insurance, etc. It depends on your individual situation.

I know—at the beginning, self-employment feels like a total jungle. But once you’ve got all that sorted, it runs on its own and you don’t really have to worry about it anymore.

Best regards,
Sonja

Thank you so much for bumping this thread, Josefa, and thank you as well for your detailed response, Sonja! That helps me a great deal 😊 I’ll definitely check out the terms and conditions on “Trusted Shops” and get in touch with the regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
There’s one question about test crocheting that I completely forgot to ask: Where’s the best place to find test crocheters? Here on CP? Or via Facebook/Instagram? It would probably be best if both beginners and advanced crocheters could test the pattern—I assume that would provide the most meaningful feedback, but of course, I have to find those test crocheters first 🙃
Thanks again so much for your help, and best regards,
Mona

Hi Mona,

Back then, I started looking for test sewers on Facebook. It also helps if you’ve already participated as a test sewer somewhere else before. There are tons of sewing groups on Facebook, including special ones on the topic of “test sewing.” I’m sure there are “test crochet groups” too.

Just take a look around there :). The bigger your Facebook page or Instagram page is, the easier it will eventually become.

I now have a regular sewing team, and otherwise I put out calls for test sewing through my newsletter and Facebook page.

But you can also search here via the forum.

Best regards,
Sonja

I still don’t understand why everyone is so eager to register with some chamber. As an author, you’re a freelancer, and freelancers are generally not members of the HK. Just register as a freelancer with the tax office—that’s all there is to it.

You also don’t need terms and conditions to sell on CP, because you’re not acting as a seller here.

There used to be a thread here where you could find test crocheters. I just can’t find it right now. 

You can find testers here
Looking for testers: possible here (advertising thread)

@Inna: I think it’s great that you keep mentioning the option of working as a freelancer!

I think both have their pros and cons, and it definitely doesn’t hurt to learn about both. 

Back then, I registered a business because, to be honest, I hadn’t looked into either option. It wouldn’t even have occurred to me to look into it.
Apart from the fact that I get the IHK newsletter regularly and sometimes receive mail from them, after a few years I don’t really notice any of that administrative stuff anymore. 
You really do have to pay close attention to what you declare, where, and how. 

Hi Tina,

I don’t quite understand your argument that the IHK doesn’t bother you too much: That’s still no reason to register there, is it?
What benefits do you get from being registered with the IHK?

So, regarding registration with the IHK/HWK: For me, that happened automatically back then as a result of registering my business. As soon as you run a shop, you’re generally considered to be operating a business. There’s really not much wiggle room there.

The trade office forwards the business registration. As for whether you can register as a freelancer from the start—I can’t say anything about that.

What I often hear from others is that it’s partly a matter of interpretation by the staff at the trade office as to how and where you’re registered. This eventually becomes relevant again for health insurance and eligibility for the KSK.  

It often depends on who you ask at the office—and sometimes on how you ask.

I’ve always been told: Having your own shop or selling products = a business.

Best regards, I hope I haven’t made things any more complicated.

Sonja

Exactly, the IHK part happens automatically 😊
I registered the business, and then the data is forwarded to the appropriate agencies.
But as I said—I don’t have much to do with the IHK (except for the newsletter). And I’m sure you could unsubscribe from that 😊

At first, I’d get letters every now and then from various associations and such, and stuff about insurance and so on… (I’m afraid I don’t remember exactly who they were from), but that was usually taken care of right away with a phone call and an explanation of what I was selling. 

As I understand it, there are no benefits at all to being registered with the IHK; it’s just a question of whether you’re required to or not. And since freelancers aren’t required to, you can simply leave it at that.

Hi Inna,

well, I always get this magazine, and I’ve already taken part in a few IHK workshops. They offer both free and paid courses. I think that’s pretty good. The workshops covered online marketing, legal compliance, and social media.

So far, I don’t think it’s a bad idea to be a member. You also have initial points of contact, for example, for legal questions. They do provide quite a bit of information.

But now I’m curious whether I really need to be a member ;). The KSK has at least classified me as an artist/cultural professional and accepted me, since I run a sewing blog in addition to writing patterns and am an online editor/blogger. Accordingly, my main activity is actually freelance work, despite running a shop.

So far, though, I haven’t experienced any disadvantages from my IHK membership. The HWK annoyed me more because it was significantly more expensive and required payment even before I’d earned my first euro. The IHK gives you a little grace period ;).

Kind regards,
Sonja

Hi Sonja,

Thank you so much for your detailed response.
It’s good to know about these options.
But it’s also good to know that you have a choice.

Best regards, Inna

Wow, so many replies with interesting thoughts and information! Thank you so much for that! Until now, I had also always assumed that you have to register a business in order to legally sell patterns, but I’ll definitely look into freelancing more closely now.
Having the IHK as a first point of contact for (potential) legal questions and receiving current information and offers through the newsletter is also a good aspect, though! I’m curious to see what I’ll ultimately decide 😊
Best regards
Mona

I’m bumping this up again. 

Hi Sonja,
this thread is already a bit older, but here’s a thought from me:
Perhaps it depends on whether you set up the shop within a platform like Crazypatterns or built your own e-commerce activity with your own infrastructure.
Within a platform like CP, the legal, administrative, and organizational aspects are defined and handled by the platform owner. In that case, pattern authors are simply freelancers who use the platform to upload and offer their patterns there.
For an independently created and managed shop with its own “logistics,” on the other hand, a business registration (and therefore registration with the Chamber of Industry and Commerce) is probably required. 

Hi Wie-auch-immer,

here on CP, too, you need to register a business. No matter where or how we sell our patterns, we’re self-employed. We have to register a business, contact the professional association and health insurance provider, and pay taxes (did I forget anything?).

  CP is a great platform for me to offer my patterns, since—as you mentioned above—a lot is taken care of for me here.

Best regards
Petra