✨ Looking for real-world examples: How long did it take you to reach Top/Elite Author status?

Hi everyone, 💕

I’d love to know how long it took you to reach Top or even Elite Author status. 🧶

I always find it exciting to learn from others’ experiences—especially because, as an author, you never really know for sure if you’re on the “right” track at your own pace.

Do you have any tips on what to keep in mind?

And did you achieve that status more through consistent sales or through specific strategies (e.g., seasonal projects, publishing lots of new patterns in a short time, …)?

I’d love to hear about your experiences and exchange ideas. Thank you so much in advance for sharing! 🌸

I can only agree with Ina—there’s no silver bullet, and there’s also no “right” amount of time it takes to reach a certain status. I started 8 years ago, and back then there were far fewer authors here than there are today. Participating regularly in Josefa’s promotional threads really helped me.  Unfortunately, there aren’t that many of those right now, and back then there weren’t as many requirements you had to meet to promote something in the threads… As you can see, you can’t really compare then and now.
Having a decent number of patterns is certainly helpful, but quality comes before quantity! Posting too many patterns in a short period of time is generally a bad idea. Take your time—if you write good patterns, success will come in due course. It’s a good idea to offer seasonal items (Christmas, Easter, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, etc.). Make sure to include good product photos and detailed product descriptions. Maybe you’ve had particular success with a certain type of pattern? If so, try to keep going in that direction!
And as Ina says: don’t let yourself get rushed! Your pace is just right if you feel comfortable. And don’t compromise! Find your own style and do the things that come naturally to you and that
you enjoy. I wish you the best of luck!

Thank you for your kind replies 

As the moderator of this forum, I’ve observed many authors on their journey to becoming Top Authors or Elite Authors, and in my experience, here’s how it goes:

Until they reach the 1,000-sales milestone, authors are busy getting the hang of selling their patterns, creating patterns with beautiful images and text, and so on.
By the time they reach the 5,000-pattern milestone, the author in question might start to get a little impatient because the path to becoming an Elite Author may be longer than hoped. You have to use this time to find your place—or your niche—in the online marketplace.
After that, a lot depends on whether the author continues to develop, stays committed, and consistently delivers high-quality patterns with beautiful images and engaging text that suit the target audience.

Good luck to all of you. 

Thanks, that helps me a lot

@Mit-Liebe-verbunden,
if you make sure that no parts of the model you’re selling are cut off in the main product image as they are here, that could improve your sales figures. A little better lighting wouldn’t hurt either. You can find tips for better photos in the Authors’ Forum, which you can access via the category selection. Only authors/sellers can read along there. 

It would be good if you could upload patterns specifically for Advent, Christmas, or Valentine’s Day and Easter/spring. You don’t have any of those yet. These themes are always in demand. So if you were to develop attractive models with good photos to go with them, that would be a good idea.

Patterns for scraps/leftover yarn, beginner-friendly patterns, animal motifs, and TV-friendly patterns are always in demand = patterns with simple or repeating designs that you can work on while watching TV. 

Basically, your patterns have a lot of potential. With enough time, patience, and effort, you can certainly build something lasting for yourself. Good luck with it. 

Thanks for the wonderful feedback and tips—I’ll definitely put some of them into practice. 

Okay, good luck and have fun with it.