The Insider's Guide to Starting an Online Sewing Pattern Business

Today I'm sharing a review of the Insider's Guide to Starting a Sewing Pattern Business Online by Abby Glassenberg. Abby provided me with a complimentary copy for this review, and all opinions about this e-book are my own. If you haven't heard of Abby yet, be sure to check out her blog While She Naps and her pattern shop Abby Glassenberg Design. 

Click to view book on author's site

One of my favorite things about my job at Pattern Revolution is that I get to work with designers of all skill levels, but I especially enjoy advising aspiring designers who dream of starting their own pattern business, but don't quite know how to get started. I happened to run across Abby's book last month on Amazon when I was looking up another title to recommend to a beginner I was working with at the time. I have been following Abby's blog for quite some time and I am always impressed with the business articles she posts.

The Insiders Guide to Starting an Online Sewing Pattern Business is an e-book that can be read on your computer, smartphone, or tablet. You can also choose to print it out if you prefer a paper version. The book is 49 pages long (all text with the exception of the cover photo) and is priced at $18.00. The book also contains numerous embedded links to additional videos, tutorials, and expert articles that expand the breadth of knowledge covered. 

If you want to open a PDF pattern business, and you already know how to draft and grade a design, but are unsure how to approach the business end of the production, this book will be an excellent resource for you. Abby speaks from her personal experiences building her own pattern business, telling us why she chose to make the move to patterns, what decisions she has made for her business, and alternatives to explore. She covers the whys and the hows and answers all the questions new designers have, and many they don't think to ask. I am seriously amazed at how much information she was able to pack into this little book.

Abby takes you through the process of opening a pattern business step by step and explains things like:

• the PDF economy- why sell digital
• preparing for a worldwide audience- making your pattern friendly to international buyers
• best options for software, including free and low cost options
• photography tips and tools needed
• pattern testing
• copyright
• where to sell your patterns and how to price them
• making a name for yourself as a designer
• and MUCH more

This book includes links to all of the various types of software you will need to create a pattern, but does not include lessons on how to use the software. For example, Abby lists all of the most used options for digitizing patterns and links to them, but does not give lessons on how to use them (that would be way too much information for one book!) She does offer links to tutorials and videos by others on how to get started using these programs, and I have to say that is my favorite part about this book. Having all that information in one place is an incredible resource for a beginning designer. 

I think that the Insiders Guide to Starting an Online Sewing Pattern Business is an insightful and well thought out book that would be a really good starting point for someone wanting to open their own indie pattern company. I am definitely going to add it to my list of resources that I recommend for aspiring designers. At $18, it is a good value, and would be a smart first investment for anyone planning to jump into the world of PDF pattern sales.