Professional patterns?

[soc_puppet]

I'd like to start selling some of my original patterns soon, and was hoping I could get some basic information on making a salesworthy pattern/file here. I've been providing some fannish patterns for free at hooked_on_anime for a while now and plan to continue to do so, and while I've learned a bit from that (especially "Include as much information as possible" and "be as specific as possible"), providing free patterns on a web page is a bit different from selling patterns in a .pdf file. Spellchecking everything and including pictures is fairly obvious, but there's details that elude me, and I don't have the funds to buy a large sample of patterns to check against.

Some specific questions I'm looking for answers to:
* How do I even make a .pdf file? Do I have to use Photoshop to do it, or is Adobe Reader up to the task?
* What sort of pictures should I include?
* Should I get someone to beta-test the pattern? If so, how should I compensate them? (A copy of the finalized pattern is a given.)
* How do I determine the level of complexity of a given pattern?
* How do I decide the price of a given pattern?

Any other tips and insights would be welcome, of course.


For the record, patterns I'm planning to offer include: Griffin, European-style dragon, Asian-style dragon, and Dachshund, just for a start.

Comments

[cesy]

The free version of Adobe Reader won't make PDFs, though the professional one will. You can also get CutePDF or similar apps for free, or the latest versions of Word or Photoshop will save to PDF.

[soc_puppet]

Cool, thanks; I'll probably be taking a look for one of those free programs, then.

[fire_my_spirit]

Your griffin is so cute!

I use a Mac program called Pages for my .pdf files, myself, but you can save anything as a .pdf if you go to Print and then choose the "save as PDF" button instead of actually printing it, at least on a Mac. I include pictures of every major step in my patterns, and anything that might be a little finicky to figure out just from reading the directions -- it helps visual people like myself get a better idea of what the ultimate goal is. Beta-testing is always a good idea, but so long as you pay attention, you can generally test it yourself.

As to complexity -- how many tricky parts are in the patterns? If none, beginner; if one or two, advanced; if there are several complex parts and it's a little hard to keep track, intermediate. And for pricing, I generally put it at a dollar per page, because obviously a pattern that needs six pages to hold all the instructions I've written and photographs I've taken and required a lot of proofreading is going to be worth more than a simple three page pattern that didn't take me much time at all. However, I like to cap my price at $6 or so.

Don't forget to put your contact (site) info in the pattern itself so that those who like your patterns can find your work again later, and any disclaimers as to whether people are allowed to sell what they make from your pattern! Good luck!

[soc_puppet]

Thank you ^_^ I just finished it Sunday morning.

Hm; I'm on a PC, so I'll have to check if any of my programs do that, but it's good to know there are free programs if I'm not set up for it yet.

Those are some nice, straightforward guidelines for pricing and difficulty level assignment; thank you :) Looks like I'm going to have to break out my camera again.

Oh yeah, I should probably look up some of those disclaimers/copyright things and decide what I want mine to say.

[copracat]

The Griffin is very cute!

You should definitely get someone to test the pattern as they will see things you take for granted. No idea about compensation, I always imagined it was a swap thing - you would test theirs if they tested yours?

I know at least one person asked for pattern testers on her DW and got sufficient assistance.

[soc_puppet]

Thank you :)

Trading makes sense. I'll keep my eyes open for other people who want to have patterns tested.

I'm pretty sure that Hooked On Anime gets enough traffic that I could get some testers that way; thanks for the suggestion :)

[ariestess]

Just wanted to say that I am in love with the griffin and the two dragons! I would gladly beta test your patterns if you need someone. I have family and friends who love amigurumi and any test patterns I did would be lovely gifts.

[soc_puppet]

Huzzah, my secret plan to recruit volunteers indirectly worked! I mean! That would be great, thank you :) It'll take me a little while to get everything typed up and pictures taken, so I guess I'll PM you for your e-mail address when I have one ready to go? Oh, and the griffin and European-style dragon are about 95% double crochet, in case that's a deal breaker.

[ariestess]

LOL! Sounds good! And I'm used to doing amigurumi with sc, but I'm game to give dc a shot.

[piplup]

Dat griffin. *grabby hands*