Indie June - reflections on publications

Last night I got talking about books and what I've learnt about publication, specifically indie publication, over the last (almost) 12 years. 12 years is a very long time in the digital age. And I thought I'd write some of that down while it was still fresh in my head.

10 years ago I was working on my first book, Going Straight. I'd been experimenting with sideways knit Hats and well, we all know now how much I enjoy this construction method. When it clicked with me 10 years ago, that passion was even stronger and the only natural path was to put it all down in a book. 

Whereas now, one of the biggest challenges an indie designer faces is being seen amongst the crowd, being heard over the noise, back then the challenges we faced were building trust and being taken seriously.

The industry was very different back then for indie knit designers. There were relatively few of us, in the digital arena at least, and it was hard work trying to prove that what we did had the same value as a designer that worked with a yarn company or worked on print. Or even that a digital publication had value when compared to a print publication. It was novel for a designer to publish their own PDF knitting patterns in the pre-Ravelry days and we didn't have the tools or resources that designers have access to now. We carved a path forward and worked bloody hard to get our field established.

The one thing that I never doubted, never even thought about for a second, was that my first book should have a lot of patterns. Books had to be substantial to compete, to be valued. 

Going Straight is my worst selling book. It's also my most pirated, although I don't think those two things are connected. I've come to learn that unless they're all kids Hats, knitters don't really need a book of 20+ Hats. Not from an indie designer at the prices we need to charge, anyway. If it's another book of quick Hats from large publisher who can put it out at comparitively next to nothing then sure. But that's not we do.

I stopped working on large books after Bambeanies, it was a very conscious decision. The amount of work and time and money spent made it all really really exhausting and that stole the enjoyment. Not to mention that I really wasn't earning that much. 

A move to 10 patterns in the the Woolly Toppers series worked well, because 10 isn't 20+ and as a designer I can get behind a theme or concept without the need to pad things out, and as a consumer it's far less overwhelming. The designs will be more refined, more thoughtful, because putting that same energy into fewer designs is of course going to make each design richer.

And in turn, I was able to earn a better wage for my time. My budget would go further and the quality of production naturally goes up. My budgets are never big - I just don't have that much to invest, and it's usually around the £1000/£1250 mark (production costs, no print costs - that covers models, technical and copy editing, illustrators, photoshoot costs, travel, test knitters, yarn costs, and so on) -  and not having to stretch that as far really made a difference.

Lately though, that's changed. 10 designs still feels like a push - I'd get to about 7 or 8 and struggle to finish the collection. And that's not where I want to be.

Circled was the first collection I put out with less than 10 designs and it's been brilliant. I can really explore a theme, get properly engrossed, and make each design count more. And the response from knitters has been positive, too - I've seen far more folk knit all the Circled Hats than I ever saw knit all the Classic Woolly Toppers Hats or Going Straight Hats, and that's not just because there's less of them. From here, it looks like you too appreciate a smaller book, a more cohesive, indepth and at the same time, less overwhelming book. Each design has a stronger connection to the next.

When I published Circled my production costs were covered within less than 24 hours of sales, and that speaks for itself. Although you'd think 4 designs requires a lesser budget than 10 or 20, my frozen shoulder meant that I wasn't able to do the layout work or photography myself, and Circled had the highest budget of all my books. Outsourcing the graphics layout is a huge job, both in cost and trust, but I'm really glad I went that route. Zab is bloody brilliant and I know I'm very lucky to know someone so talented and also on the same page to make this change in process that much smoother.

And this is where my journey has bought me. Less is more. It's pretty simple when you think about it, really.

It's a lot more common now for indie designers to produce publications with fewer, stronger designs but I think for me it's been a harder lesson to learn, because it was ingrained that I had to prove myself to the mainstream publication field way back then. We have our own playground now where indie designers, especially those in the digital arena, can work more freely because we're now much more established within the wider industry than we were; we don't need to compete or prove a point any more.

Indie June

We're a week into Indie June (piloted by LoveKnitting) and I wanted to say so much before now but I've been a little engrossed in the final stages of some secret knitting!

As always there's lots I want to say but haven't been able to wrangle it all into something presentable - feel free to go through my Indie Biz tag for older posts. 

So yes, I've been engrossed in secret knitting. But my downtime from social media has produced more than that, and there's been plenty of new designs to photograph.  

These are all new designs that will be coming out later in the year - a tease, I know! I'm wanting to share these photos as Tom took them all, not me, and it's been a slow but positive change to how things happen round here. 

Tom's now the main photographer. My frozen right shoulder is a lot less painful than it was but I'm a long way from getting full movement back. Throw in what feels like the start of a freeze with my left shoulder and it's pretty clear that Tom's going to be primary photographer for the foreseeable future.

This is such an important change to how I run things. Handing over creative control with the photography is something I never thought I'd do, once I'd started doing it myself. It's a *huge* deal.

Tom's always had the skills with photography but it's having the eye for knitwear photography, and being able to continue my style with his flavour, that have taken time to refine. It wasn't easy when we first started working together - two creatives in a relationship is one thing but working together is obviously going to throw up some challenges! But we're through that now, and we work pretty well together I reckon. I'm still styling and directing, and I'm really appreciating an additional perspective on lighting and framing from someone who understands how I see things.

I think as indies we have to be fluid, we have to be able to bend with the changes and take a more organic approach (or at least, that's what I aim for). There are more changes ahead for me as my shoulders continue to be difficult, but they're good changes, simplifying how I work and approach things. I've no choice right now really, so I'll be teaching and travelling less in the future, and taking on fewer commissions and collaborations. Knitting is the lesser evil with my frozen shoulder; anything on the computer is the real culprit and being able to knit then pattern write at my own pace is crucial. 

And in all honesty, I've really enjoyed my social media downtime. I've produced some designs that I'm really chuffed with (wait till you see the secret ones!) and it feels like the drive that I had when I first started is back - it all feels fresh and uncomplicated. Digital sales (of single Hat patterns and eBooks) are still the biggest chunk of my turnover - >90% - and there's no sign of that slowing down.

I'll keep you all up to date as to when these new designs will be released! You can also follow along on Instagram and sign up to my newsletter, if you haven't already. And I'll aim to scribble down some more thoughts in the near future!

Circled - wholesale options

I'm a little late sending out the newest wholesale catalogue and newsletter, and I thought I'd ask for some feedback on printing options?

As you'll know, my wholesale is managed through the (wholesale) newsletter and printed by Magcloud. Magcloud have printers on the continent so shipping and turnaround time is pretty reasonable, but being a US based company everything is priced in $$ and given the exchange rate as it is, I know that's a barrier to my UK (and EU?) shops.

And so I'm researching digital printing options in the UK and checking on prices. I don't know what's involved time and cost wise to have the book reformatted from US letter to A4 but I'm willing to look into it if there's enough interest?

To qualify for a wholesale account you don't have to be a shop - you can be an indie dyer or maker of other fibre related goodies. I have no minimum orders either through Magcloud, though if I have a small print run done I may need a 2 or 3 minimum. If you'd like to be added to the wholesale mailing list or would like to know more, drop me an email.

There are a couple of reputable digital printers in the UK and printing costs leave a reasonable margin for wholesale, but I'm not keen to hold printed stock hence I used Magcloud, as they drop ship and have a store front, which the others don't.

Please do let me know if you're interested - leave a comment or send me an email if that's easier. And hopefully I won't be too tardy with the next wholesale newsletter! 

(I'm blogging from my phone and I can't add hyperlinks - find the email contact form from the drop down menu above :) 

ps/ this is in the queue for translation into German! I'm looking forward to launching wholesale for the translated patterns towards the end of the summer. 

Thoughts on Turnover, Business Perspective & Why We Shouldn't be Comparing Apples and Oranges.

One thing though that I've been thinking of off late is turnover. Turnovers are very different things to different people, to different businesses. This should go without saying, really, just the same as what's successful and what someone needs to live on also differ wildly. And yet somehow it's till used as a measuring tool. At best it's naive to compare each other's businesses based on turnover alone, and at worst it's a huge trap that can lead you towards a messy head.

The image shows the crown of my Lenina pattern. It features the post title “Thoughts on Turnover and Business”

From my perspective, I've never wanted to grow grow my business. I don't want a business for the sake of having a business and I've always tried to keep things simple, streamlined, and not let the business side of things take over. I haven't always managed that, but it is my goal.

And given how we life, one very firm decision I've made is that there will be no tangibles. With good reason. We live in vehicles that have a big risk of condensation and damp. We'll be applying for residency in a country that doesn't have the most reputable postal system. I don't do shows and I'm not in a position to be lugging stock around. But for the most part, we don't have the money to invest in; food on the table comes first.

My business has always been this way - it started online from blogging, and although I have most of my books available through POD and have worked with print distributors for my printed patterns, 95% of my turnover comes from digital sales. That's more than enough to tell me what I need to know. (the other 5% comes from teaching fwiw)

In my almost 12 years of doing this, there have only been 2 years where I didn't see growth. The first was the year when we were fighting eviction and Aran was critically ill; the second was the year after that, when my lack of creativity the previous year became apparent. Otherwise, my business is steady and reliable despite not having what many would consider a high turnover. My growth has been slow and steady rather than rapid, and that makes me feel more confident that I'll be around for a while yet. My biggest costs are people, and that adds to that feeling of sustainability - I'd sooner put money in pockets than in boxes of stuff.

That's the thing with tangibles - they cost money. And naturally any business dealing with tangibles, on whatever level, will see their turnover rise because of them. Even if the average print run for a book costs in the region of £5K, there are extra associated costs with tangibles, and they all have to be recovered through sales. And that in turn will push up the turnover.

And from that basis alone, you can't compare a solely digital business with one that deals with tangibles, even if only in part.

Then there are other aspects to consider. Many designers have grown their businesses in very different ways, outsourcing much of the work quite early on, taking a more formal approach, and that means that they've got to sell that much more to be able to cover those extra costs and still leave themselves room to breathe. And that in turn requires different marketing approaches or different production methods, or both. And as is the nature of growth, it'll keep on going that way.

And while those turnovers are higher because they need to be, it doesn't necessarily mean that those designers are more successful; it simply means they've sold more patterns or books or products. Because they have to. Success is another of those subjective things.

The thing is, what bothers me about all this and what has led to me trying to make sense of it all, is that in the eyes of a few it becomes a popularity contest. I know I'm not alone in feeling inadequate at times when you start comparing numbers. But how on earth we can fairly and squarely compare? And really, why would you want to? 

We are each unique in our styles, our methods, our approaches and our presentation - none of these are comparable. And that is the beauty of what we do.

(how I wish I had confidence! But I wasn't programmed that way, and it takes days like these and words like these to help me come full circle again. I lose a lot of time to depression and anxiety, and that in turn is something else to be factored. And given life as it is, I'm going to give myself a pat on the back and pour a glass of wine.)

eta/ this post was updated on 11th March 2022 with a new post graphic. The image shows the crown of my Lenina pattern.

2016 in Hats

Another year, another dozen Hats or so?

2016 was a strange year, in that health (yet again) knocked me sideways and stopped me from doing a whole bunch of work. Thankfully I'd almost reached an even keel and the set back wasn't too catasrophic. (thank you, frozen shoulder)

collage of Hats designed and published in 2016

On the single pattern front things were *busy*. From top left we have:

Cannetella, Aerial, Armley Beanie, Armley Slouch, Fabales, Pinua, Muratura, Armley Beret, Caterpiller Slouch, Scrapalong, Aileron, Dutrieu, and Adiantum.

And of course, we have Painted Woolly Toppers for Kids!

Painted Woolly Toppers cover

Painted Woolly Toppers for Kids collage

From top left:

Swinton, Wychavon, Modbury, Mobberley, Chesser, Kelvinside, Hadleigh, Kilbride, Gorton and Allerton.

So, 2016 saw 23 Hats in all - a busy year indeed compared to the previous few! Most of these had been designed the previous year ready to go, or at least written and knitted before my frozen shoulder kicked in.

2015 saw 20 new designs, 2014 saw 14 new designs, 2013 saw 17 new designs,  2012 saw 27 new designs;. 2011 saw 35, 2010 saw 34, 2009 saw 14, 2008 saw 24 and 2007 also saw 35, with 2006 at 30. (2005 saw 4 which was the first year... almost 12 years ago now)

Despite not being able to knit or work at the computer much, I was able to get out and teach, and there was an increase in workshops taught compared to previous years. It's still only a very small percentage of my turnover (less than 10%; closer to 5% methinks.. I'll know for sure when I've finished my 2016/17 accounts ;) and honestly, I don't want to increase the amount I teach by too much. I enjoy it as it is, and if teaching becomes a major part of my income then I know I'm on the path to burnout again (or rather, I'll be accelerating along that path) and that'd be a bad move.

I also wrote several articles about Hats - construction and design - although they haven't all been published yet. The first of those was the Crown Shaping Masterclass.

I didn't attend any trade shows this last year, and since exhibiting at TNNA in 2015 solo, I've taken a long hard look at wholesale. I'm still keeping that door open, and print wholesale is still available, but that side of business isn't what it was. I don't think it is for anyone, and I'm not convinced that it's worth throwing £2,000 upwards to attend & exhibit at TNNA any more... I'd sooner pay that money to Tom to develop more tutorial videos, or invest it in translations.

2016 also saw me delve further in getting patterns translated, although once the frozen shoulder kicked in, it also became the year I pressed the pause button on this side of things. Once I'm back to usual computer work flow, I'll be straight back on it.

2017 sees me entering my 12th year of designing Hats, and that feels somehow like quite a milestone, although I couldn't say why! We sat and worked out last week that I'd passed my 10,000 hours of Hat design a few years ago and now I feel all grown up but also a little older. Meh.

This year will be the year when I hope I finally get to put into place the last of the changes I started to make way back when. Back-end things are smoother, and I've out-sourced a lot of the things I can't do, and that has eased the pressure a lot. I'm starting to feel more in control now and freer headwise, which is most welcome.

Onwards and upwards, right?