How I made my first sale [September 2011 Meeting Presentation]

by Nancy Vandivert

A requirement for the third level of the Master Hand Knitter program is to design either an Aran, stranded, or intarsia sweater.  One of the judgeʼs comments of my sweater encouraged me to submit my design to CAST ON.  So, I looked up what I had to do and sent in my stuff.  And my design was accepted.  That was October of last year, and my sweater was scheduled to be included in the May 2011 issue of CAST ON.  

So, what did I have to submit?  CAST ON has the relevant forms and information on submission requirements on its website, www.tkga.com.  I had to submit a large swatch of my pattern, samples of each of the yarns, the full written pattern, and a picture of the sweater on an actual person, in addition to CAST ONʼs submission forms.  I had to wait about two months before I heard that my design had been accepted.  In December, I was sent a contract and instructions as to when and where to send the actual sweater so it could be photographed for the magazine.  I was told explicitly to expect questions from their copy editor and that the sweater would not be returned until one week after the magazine shipped.

That was the process.  Basically, I already had sweater and pattern finished, both had been examined by the Master Hand Knitting committee, so the CAST ON editor knew both had been vetted.  I followed their directions to the letter.  I answered the copy
editorʼs questions.  It was pretty simple.  And it is quite different from submitting a new design to CAST ON or to another publication.  

Recently, I sent CAST ON another idea for a pattern.  Hereʼs whatʼs different:

• my Master Hand Knitting Level 3 pattern was written for one size only.  Any new patterns must be multi-sized.  Each publication has different expectations for the range of sizes.  More on multi-sizing later.
• I not only had to submit the swatch and sample of yarn, I had to suggest yarn substitutions in case CAST ON does not care for the yarn I used, or if the yarn I used was discontinued by the time the pattern gets published.
• the fee for my Master Hand Knitting sweater was pretty much set; the fee for my new design will depend on the complexity of the design, appropriateness of the yarn, whether the pattern is error-free, among other things.  
  A new or relatively new designer is not guaranteed the same fees as experienced designers. There is no negotiation, at least not until you have a number of pattern publications under your belt.

So, you have an idea for a pattern.  Whatʼs next?
Thanks to the internet, there are lots of ideas.  

• from your own website or through another portal like Ravelry or Etsy, you can self publish your pattern either for free or for nominal cost.  
  • Advantages: you can write your pattern any way you choose and you can charge what you want for each pattern
  • Disadvantages: there are many free and low cost patterns out there, and to be honest, the quality varies.
    
• knitting magazines, either hardcopy like Interweave Knits (www.interweave.com) and Vogue Knitting (www.vogueknitting.com) or an e mag like Knitty (www.knitty.com), accept submissions from new designers.  Each magazineʼs website has submission forms and lists their requirements for a submission package.  The catch: these
  requirements are different for each publication.  
• knitting shops will sometimes accept patterns from local designers, but are unlikely to deal with someone unfamiliar. They need to know you are reliable, know you as a teacher, as someone who knows their stock and is willing to write patterns that will sell their products.
  

To follow any of theses dreams, you will need to deal with the high probability of rejection.  I'm not trying to give a downer of a talk, but there are some reasons for rejection over which you do have control.

• First, be familiar with the different publications. A magazine targeted to 20-something beginners probably will not accept a complicated Aran sweater.  
• Price points come into play here as well.  Some publications openly promote and use specific brands of yarn.  If you submit a brand of yarn they do not use, especially one that is more expensive than their norm, they will probably say no.  
• Next, publications are attuned to developing trends in color and fashion.  This means you need to read something other than knitting magazines.  A very important industry trendsetter is Pantone (www.pantone.com).  Each season, Pantone issues color forecasts for fashion and home decorating.  They influence everything: clothing,
  wallpaper and paint, linens and towels, and yes, yarns.  
• Fashion magazines know all about this, and because they have to plan at least twelve months in advance, most list the themes of upcoming issues.  Donʼt submit a pattern if it will not fit an upcoming theme or is an item they specifically say they do not want.  
• Pay attention to deadlines.  Donʼt submit a pattern late and expect that they will cut you any slack.
• Look through any magazine and the elements of a published pattern are the same, usually in the same order. Garment patterns are almost universally multi-sized. Different publications expect different ranges of multi-sizing. Almost all require pattern writers to follow CYC (www.craftyarncouncil.com) sizing guidelines. In short: this means math.  A reference like Ann Buddʼs The Knitterʼs Handy Book of Sweater Patterns is an invaluable help.
• Learning to write knitting patterns is kind of like learning a new language. It would be nice if every pattern could be written in plain language, but that would take up a lot of space.  It would also be nice if there was a true universal set of abbreviations, not to mention universal charting symbols.  Each publication lists their standard
  abbreviations.  Pay attention and give them what they want.
• Next is grammar: the first “word” of every sentence is capitalized, incomplete clauses are separated by commas, complete clauses by semi colons.  A period is used only at the end of a sentence.  Patterns walk a fine line between providing too much and too little information.  And all but the most basic patterns assume some knowledge on the part of the knitter.  

What happens when you do your best, follow the rules, and they still say no?  Itʼs really hard when someone says your baby is ugly.You canʼt know what the editor was thinking, you canʼt know what else has been submitted.  You canʼt know if their theme for a particular issue has been tweaked and your design no longer fits.  
Ultimately, rejection should make you stronger.  Go to your idea notebook and pull out another design and try again.  I have no idea if I will sell another pattern, but for now, I am game to keep trying, and you should be too.

The Knitting Guild of America
Pantone
Craft Yarn Council of America
Knitty
KnitPicks, Independent Designer Partnership Program
Knitterʼs
Vogue Knitting
Interweave Knits