Cooperative Press » Call for submissions

Sock sizing survey

admin — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 14:10:01 +0000

CP author (and Knitty technical editor for socks) Kate Atherley needs your help! See here for the full details, including a diagram of how and where to measure, and then send email to footsurvey@wisehildaknits.com with the following info:

Your shoe size: US or European size & gender (e.g. US Women’s size)
Your foot length
Ankle circumference around the narrowest part of your ankle
Foot circumference around the ball of your foot
Circumference around your foot at your ankle
Diagonal measurement around your heel, from the base of your heel up over the top of your foot
Circumference of your calf six inches (15cm) up from the ground

This call for measurements was also published in the Sock Summit showbook, and we’re proud to be helping Kate with this important project. As noted, we’ll be sharing the information with all sock designers via this website and Knitty.

While you’ve got that measuring tape out, if you have a young child handy, would you also like to contribute to Katya Frankel’s upcoming book? Here’s the form to fill out for that one.

Thanks so much for helping us improve the information we publish!

Fresh Designs Crochet: tips for submitters

MK — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 05:14:45 +0000

If you thought the Fresh Designs Crochet call for submissions post was long, take a look at what I trimmed out! Tips on how to improve your submissions to Fresh Designs Crochet, more in-depth information on the inspiration boards, and more.

Using Flickr’s Guest Pass Feature (photo tutorial)

Tips for Submitters (Step One)

Tips for Submitters (Yarn)

Tips for Submitters (Deadlines)

Inspiration Board: Hats

Inspiration Board: Designs for Men

Inspiration Board: Kids

Inspiration Board: Toys

Submission Example

Fresh Designs Crochet call for submissions

MK — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 21:13:53 +0000

FRESH DESIGNS CROCHET CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
Cooperative Press is publishing a new series called Fresh Designs Crochet with series editor MK Carroll. We are seeking pattern submissions from designers of all experience levels for books on the following topics: mittens and gloves, home, designs for men, toys and bags (submissions for the hats, kids, scarves, shawls, and sweaters books are closed). Each book will consist of 10 patterns, except the 11th book in the series, Best Of, which will contain 30 patterns (or more) taken from the previous books. These books will be published in multiple formats, both print and digital.

In the spirit of our overall operating philosophy (single-book authors share directly in the proceeds of their books at a percentage level that can be 4-6x the typical publisher royalty rate), all book contributors will be awarded a share in the total earnings of the title after costs, payable every two months instead of the usual twice per year. Cooperative Press will also provide you with help in organizing various promotions, whether blog tours, crochet-alongs or anything else that you’d like to do.

Designers of all experience levels are invited to submit. We are seeking designers who are enthusiastic about taking a very DIY, hands-on approach, ready to learn and try new things. Creativity is encouraged and celebrated for the design concepts; however, formatting your pattern according to the provided style sheet must be done as instructed. Part of the Fresh Designs concept is the establishment of new standards for craft publishing, helping designers and the craft progress, and working together to promote creative and professional behavior.

Designers will be responsible for producing and delivering finished samples for photography. Cooperative Press will handle the final technical editing, schematics, and charts as needed. Cooperative Press will assist with yarn support and we will create needed graphics that you are unable to supply in our preferred format.

Designers will get to keep the finished items (though we may ask to borrow them for initial promotion and trunkshows), and they will retain their own copyright. Rights on single patterns will revert 1 year after the initial publication date. However, we will retain the right to continue selling the whole book/collection, and you may also opt to continue selling your pattern through our various sales outlets, including a new technology we are currently developing.

Designers outside the United States are welcome to submit; please keep in mind that finished pieces must be mailed to the United States for photography and the costs and time required will vary by location.

DESIGNS
Fresh Designs Crochet is about fresh, contemporary crochet. There is no room for filler in these books! We are looking for:
• eye-catching pieces
• interesting construction and techniques (including Tunisian and hairpin crochet)
• “gateway” crochet projects to grab the attention of non-crocheters (get them eager to pick up a hook and start learning!)
• doily-making skills for non-doily items, and fresh, modern takes on doilies (#10 crochet thread)
• use of fine gauge yarns (lace, fingering, sock, DK)
• use of hand-dyed yarns, especially variegated and self-striping
• wide range of garment sizes, including plus sizes for women and men
• …and more – please don’t limit yourself to this list

Inspiration boards for the book topics are available (mittens and gloves, home, designs for men, toys, bags) as well as a list of specific items we’d like to see submitted; please keep in mind that the images and links provided are intended to provoke thoughtful creativity. Any reproduction/imitation designs submitted will be rejected immediately.

PREFERRED YARNS
We also believe in supporting small, independent yarn companies. Please see the list at the bottom for a partial list of possibilities. We will help coordinate yarn requests: choose up to five yarn possibilities for your project and be prepared to give us the yarn company name, yarn name, color name and number of skeins/yardage needed in your submission. If you do not have a specific brand in mind, please describe an appropriate yarn (e.g. “fingering weight, smooth, wool or wool blend, 800 yds”).

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Submissions are online only, using the form provided by Cooperative Press. Links to sketch/swatch pics may be provided via online photo hosting services such as Flickr, with privacy settings like Flickrs Guest Pass. Submissions must be designs that have not been previously shown in public (this includes online, e.g. Ravelry, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr “view by all”). If you aren’t familiar with Guest Pass, MK has put together a short tutorial using screenshots so you can see where you need to click and what you should be seeing on your screen.

A written description and a sketch are all you need to submit a design proposal. The written description and drawing do not need to be great works of art; we just need a clear idea of what you have in mind and the overall size/shape of the piece. Photos of swatches are very helpful for lace patterns and textured patterns, but are not required. MK has blogged several tips for submitters, including an acceptable sample submission (list of posts here).

Submission date deadline: 30 September 2011, Friday, midnight, Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time: Honolulu.
An email confirming that your submission(s) are/have been received for consideration will be sent within 5 working days of your submission. If that form letter does not appear in your inbox within that time, please check your junk/spam mail folder before inquiring.
Acceptance notification deadline: 10 October 2011, Monday
Finished items deadline: 20 January 2012, Friday
- finished written pattern submission to be made via email or online submission
- finished project to be received by Cooperative Press in Lakewood, Ohio, USA

Submitting earlier is better than waiting until the last minute!

Designers may submit multiple design proposals; please submit each pattern for consideration separately.

ABOUT COOPERATIVE PRESS
Cooperative Press has been in operation since 2007. Owned and managed by Shannon Okey, the former editor of Yarn Forward magazine, we have published books by Jonelle Raffino of South West Trading Company Yarns, Hunter Hammersen, Heather Ordover of the CraftLit podcast, and of course the Knitgrrl Book of Professional Knitwear Design. We currently have many titles by other independent authors underway as well, and we are always looking for more good designers-partners.

Our philosophy is different from the standard publishing company — we are pro-digital as well as print-friendly, we believe in designers’ rights and in treating our authors and contributors as we ourselves would want to be treated, and in fairness and honesty above all else. Cooperative Press prides itself on being designer-owned and operated.

ABOUT SERIES EDITOR MK CARROLL

I’m really excited about working with Cooperative Press to put out a series of crochet books featuring emerging designers! This isn’t just about getting great crochet patterns out there for crocheters to use, this is also about working to establish new standards for crochet publishing and creating opportunities for crochet designers to learn and grow in ways that can benefit the entire industry.

I’ve worked with online magazines (Knitty, CrochetMe), big publishers (Interweave Press), tiny independent publishers (Take Back the Knit ‘zine), and self-published my own work. Along the way, I’ve gotten to meet and work with incredible people in the industry, appeared on TV (Knitty Gritty), been interviewed by the local paper (the late Honolulu Advertiser), and I’m still blogging, tweeting, and keeping my finger on the pulse of what’s going on in the yarncrafting world. If you know me and know my work, you already know I’m a proud polycraftual who has been championing crochet for years. Working with Cooperative Press to help bring you the crochet books we know you want to have on your bookshelves (or e-reader) has got me all fired up, and I can’t wait to see your submissions!

Ravelry: mkcarroll
Twitter: mk_carroll
Website: mkcarroll.com

QUESTIONS?
If you have any questions that have not been answered in the above or in the comments to this Cooperative Press blog post, please feel free to use the comments form. If you would prefer to ask privately, you may contact MK at mk@cooperativepress.com.

SUBMISSION FORM
You’ve read everything above, yes? Interested? Fill out this form and we’ll be in touch!

POSSIBLE YARN COMPANIES
These yarn companies responded to the initial call for yarn during the first Fresh Designs series. You are not restricted to using these specific yarns, but we encourage you to choose small, independent yarn companies for your designs where appropriate. We ask for more than one yarn choice when you submit to keep from overwhelming one or two companies, but if your design requires a certain yarn for a pattern-specific reason, please indicate this in the comments.

We are also seeking indie yarn companies to sponsor yarn for patterns in the books; please fill out this form if interested.

Fresh Designs Crochet call for submissions

admin — Sat, 14 May 2011 22:23:19 +0000

This post is a long one! Please click below to access all the information you could ever possibly want about the Fresh Designs Crochet call for submissions, including a link to the submission form itself.

FRESH DESIGNS CROCHET CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

Cooperative Press is publishing a new series called Fresh Designs Crochet with series editor MK Carroll. We are seeking pattern submissions from designers of all experience levels for books on the following topics: shawls, scarves, hats, mittens and gloves, kids, sweaters, home, designs for men, toys and bags. Each book will consist of 10 patterns, except the 11th book in the series, Best Of, which will contain 30 patterns (or more) taken from the previous books. These books will be published in multiple formats, both print and digital.

Designers of all experience levels are invited to submit. We are seeking designers who are enthusiastic about taking a very DIY, hands-on approach, ready to learn and try new things. Designers must be willing and able to read and follow specific instructions. For example: learning to use a freeware illustration program to draft a symbol chart, following the series-specific format. Creativity is encouraged and celebrated for the design concepts; however, formatting your pattern according to the provided style sheet should be done exactly as instructed. Part of the Fresh Designs concept is the establishment of new standards for craft publishing, helping designers and the craft progress, and working together to promote creative and professional behavior.

DESIGNS

Fresh Designs Crochet is about fresh, contemporary crochet. There is no room for filler in these books! We are looking for:

• eye-catching pieces
• interesting construction and techniques (including Tunisian and hairpin crochet)
• “gateway” crochet projects to grab the attention of non-crocheters (get them eager to pick up a hook and start learning!)
• doily-making skills for non-doily items
• use of fine gauge yarns (lace, fingering, sock, DK)
• use of hand-dyed yarns, especially variegated and self-striping
• wide range of garment sizes, including plus sizes for women
• …and more – please don’t limit yourself to this list!

Inspiration boards for the book topics are available (shawls and scarves, hats, mittens and gloves, kids, sweaters, home, designs for men, toys, bags); please keep in mind that the images and links provided are intended to provoke thoughtful creativity. Any reproduction/imitation designs submitted will be rejected immediately.

PREFERRED YARNS

We also believe in supporting small, independent yarn companies. Please see the list at the bottom for a partial list of possibilities. We will help coordinate yarn requests: choose up to five yarn possibilities for your project and be prepared to give us the yarn company name, yarn name, color name and number of skeins/yardage needed in your submission.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Submissions are online only, using the form provided by Cooperative Press. Links to sketch/swatch pics may be provided via online photo hosting services such as Flickr, with privacy settings such as Flickr’s Guest Pass. Submissions must be designs that have not been previously shown in public.

• Submission date deadline: Saturday 11 June 2011, noon, Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time: Honolulu.
• An email confirming that your submission(s) are/have been received for consideration will be sent within 5 working days of your submission. If that form letter does not appear in your inbox within that time, please check your junk/spam mail folder before inquiring.
• Acceptance notification deadline: Monday 20 June 2011
• Finished items deadline: Friday 7 October 2011
• finished written pattern submission to be made via email or online submission
• finished project to be received by Cooperative Press in Lakewood, Ohio, USA

Submitting earlier is better than waiting until the last minute; in addition to allowing for “submission received” notification, submissions must follow a specific format to be considered for acceptance and allowing at least a few days to make any necessary corrections could be crucial.

Designers may submit multiple design proposals; please submit each pattern for consideration separately.

ABOUT COOPERATIVE PRESS

Cooperative Press has been in operation since 2007. Owned and managed by Shannon Okey, the former editor of Yarn Forward magazine, we have published books by Jonelle Raffino of South West Trading Company Yarns, Hunter Hammersen, Heather Ordover of the CraftLit podcast, and of course the Knitgrrl Book of Professional Knitwear Design. We currently have many titles by other independent authors underway as well, and we are always looking for more good designer-partners.

ABOUT SERIES EDITOR MK CARROLL

I’m really excited about working with Cooperative Press to put out a series of crochet books featuring emerging designers! This isn’t just about getting great crochet patterns out there for crocheters to use, this is also about working to establish new standards for crochet publishing and creating opportunities for crochet designers to learn and grow in ways that can benefit the entire industry.

I’ve worked with online magazines (Knitty, CrochetMe), big publishers (Interweave Press), tiny independent publishers (Take Back the Knit ‘zine), and self-published my own work. Along the way, I’ve gotten to meet and work with incredible people in the industry, appeared on TV (Knitty Gritty), been interviewed by the local paper (the late Honolulu Advertiser), and I’m still blogging, tweeting, and keeping my finger on the pulse of what’s going on in the yarncrafting world. If you know me and know my work, you already know I’m a proud polycraftual who has been championing crochet for years. Working with Cooperative Press to help bring you the crochet books we know you want to have on your bookshelves (or e-reader) has got me all fired up, and I can’t wait to see your submissions!

Ravelry: mkcarroll
Twitter: mk_carroll
Website: mkcarroll.com

QUESTIONS?

If you have any questions that have not been answered in the above or in the comments to this Cooperative Press blog post, please feel free to use the comments form. If you would prefer to ask privately, you may contact MK at mk@cooperativepress.com.

POSSIBLE YARN COMPANIES

These yarn companies responded to the initial call for yarn during the first Fresh Designs series. You are not restricted to using these specific yarns, but we encourage you to choose small, independent yarn companies for your designs where appropriate. We ask for more than one yarn choice when you submit to keep from overwhelming one or two companies, but if your design requires a certain yarn for a pattern-specific reason, please indicate this in the comments.

A Verb for Keeping Warm, Anzula, Babylonglegs, Biscotte & Cie Inc, Black Bunny Fibers, Blonde Chicken Boutique, Brooklyn Handspun, Curious Creek Fibers, Custer’s Alpacas, Flamboyance Yarns, Fluffenstuff, Green Eyed Monsters, Green Ray Productions, Grinning Gargoyle, hands and notions, Happy Hands Yarn & Fiber, Holiday Yarns, Homestead Wool & Gift Farm, Indigodragonfly, Kangaroo Dyer, Kitchen Sink Dyeworks, Knitterly Things, Liberty’s Yarn, Lisa Souza Dyeworks, Little Red Bicycle, Lofty Fibres, LylianMae Fiber Artistry, Needle Food, Hand Dyed Yarn, Odd-ish Creations, ontheround, Pigeonroof Studios, Serenknitty, spinup yarns, Spirit Trail Fiberworks, Spunky Eclectic, Squoosh Fiberarts, Stitchjones Hand Dyed Yarn & Fiber, Tactile: A Fiber Arts Studio, Teresa Ruch Designs, The Counting Sheep Farm/ My8kidsmom Hand Dyed, The Little Knitting Company, The Natural Dye Studio, The Sanguine Gryphon, The Spun Monkey, The Sweet Sheep, thechickswithsticks & colourplay fibres, Three Irish Girls, V Yarn, Waterloo Wools, Whorled Peace, Wool Candy, Yarn Hollow, Yarn Love, YarnArtSerious, yarnscape, Zen Yarn Garden

SUBMISSION FORM

You’ve read everything above, yes? Interested? Fill out this form and we’ll be in touch!

Call for submissions: Fresh Designs

admin — Tue, 04 May 2010 21:07:37 +0000

Cooperative Press is publishing a new series called Fresh Designs. We are seeking pattern submissions from designers of all experience levels for books on the following topics: shawls, scarves, hats, mittens and gloves, kids, sweaters, home, designs for men, toys and bags. Each book will consist of 10 patterns, except the 11th book in the series, Best Of, which will contain 30 patterns (or more) taken from the previous books. These books will be published in multiple formats, both print and digital.

How is this different from the usual publishing deal? In the spirit of our overall operating philosophy (single-book authors share directly in the proceeds of their books at a percentage level that can be 4-6x the typical publisher royalty rate), all book contributors will be awarded a share in the total earnings of the title after costs, payable monthly instead of the usual twice per year.

(Please note: all numbers are hypothetical and for the purposes of illustration only.)

Let’s say that a printed book sells for $20, and it costs $5 to produce. Cooperative Press takes 5 total “shares” in the book to pay for its operating costs, such as tech editing, advertising, tradeshow promotion, a small profit, etc. There are 10 designer contributors. The $15 that is left after production costs is divided 15 ways (10 designer shares + 5 CP shares) and you, the designer, receive $1 for each book sold. 500 copies sell? You just made $500 on your design. 1000 copies? $1000. And so on…

What are the benefits of operating this way, apart from the potential for a much greater upside than the usual low $75 or $100 book design fee? There are 9 other contributors on each book, and you all have a great incentive for promoting it! (Cooperative Press will also provide you with help in organizing various promotions, whether blog tours, knitalongs or anything else that you’d like to do).

We think it’s a smart way of doing business. You get the backing of a publisher who has your best interests in mind, you get to concentrate on designing instead of the million little details involved in a large publishing project, and we get to make an amazing book together.

Interested? Fill out this form and we’ll be in touch!