Electric Quilt Rereleases Barbara Brackman’s Iconic Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns
Electric Quilt is rereleasing Barbara Brackman’s iconic book, Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Blocks, first published in 1993.
Quaranzines: Pandemic Inspires Analog Zine Projects
Zines — limited-edition, DIY, often photocopied publications — never went away, per se, but are experiencing a wide-sweeping revival during the pandemic.
How to Promote a Craft Book During the Pandemic
Promoting a book is always a big job for craft book authors, but promoting a book released during the pandemic presents new challenges. Use these tips to help spread the word and drives sales for your new title.
Are Craft Catalogs Still Relevant? 4 Companies Weigh In
Many craft companies have stopped sending out catalogs in an effort to cut costs and due to environmental concerns, but others are ramping up this print strategy and including DIY inspirational content that reaches people directly in their homes.
Knit Simple Magazine Folds and Vogue Knitting Goes to 2 Issues Per Year
Knit Simple Magazine will no longer be published and Vogue Knitting will have a reduced publication schedule amidst layoffs at SOHO Publishing.
Cooperative Press Strikes a Chord with Rerelease of Doomsday Knits
When the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival announced it would be an online event this year, Shannon Okey of Cooperative Press decided to rerelease a book from the backlist, Doomsday Knits, and to her surprise sales took off.
Search Press Celebrates 50 Years of Craft Publishing
UK-based craft publisher, Search Press, is celebrating its 50th year of creating beautiful craft books that teach and never go out of style.
Pattern Workshop: How an Online Course Helped to Grow a Sector of the Sewing Industry
Lauren Dahl’s online course, Pattern Workshop, has taught thousands of aspiring sewing pattern designers to digitally draw and grade pattern templates.
Yarn Market News Publishes Its Last Issue
This week Yarn Market News, the trade magazine for the yarn industry, announced that the January 2020 issue will be it’s last.
Long Thread Media Buys Spin Off, PieceWork, and Handwoven
Linda Ligon, John Bolton, and Anne Merrow have come together to buy Spin Off, PieceWork, and Handwoven magazines and related material from Peak Media Properties. The new company is called Long Thread Media LLC and is based in Fort Collins, Colorado.
F & W Media International Purchased and Renamed David & Charles
F+W Media International has undergone a management buyout and is reorganizing under the name David & Charles.
Sommer Street Associates Serve as Book Ambassadors for Independent Retailers
Sommer Street Associates is helping independent craft retailers find and order the best books for their shops, all in one place. Started by two former F+W employees, Sommer Street works as a go-between helping shops order from many different publishers, including self-published authors.
F+W Craft Communities Have Been Auctioned Off to Macanta Investments
In a bankruptcy auction that took place today Macanta Investments, a private investment partnership based in New York City, was the successful bidder for the largest portion of the Crafts Community with a bid of $2,850,000.
Maker Books Helps Self-Publishers Create High Quality Books and Patterns
Founded last month by Kerry Bogert, a veteran in the craft publishing industry, Maker Books strives to fill that void, guiding designers and artists through the self-publishing process from start to finish.
F+W Books Has Been Sold to Penguin Random House
According to a bankruptcy court filing made this morning, F+W Books has been sold to Penguin Random House. The amount of the sale was not disclosed.
What to Do When the Company You’re Working With Files for Bankruptcy
Navigating your way around a bankruptcy filing is tough, but it will be easier if you understand some basics about U.S. bankruptcy law.
How to Get a Craft Book Deal
The book publishing industry worldwide—though it seems to be shrinking a bit with publishing houses closing, being bought, or filing for bankruptcy—is still on the lookout for original ideas and unique twists on the tried and true when it comes to arts and crafts.
F+W Media Files for Bankruptcy
F+W Media, the major craft publisher, has filed for bankruptcy. In the filing, CEO Gregory Osberg cites the decade long decline in the market for print magazines as a contributing factor. Since 2015, for example, the company’s subscribers have decreased from approximately 33.4 million to 21.5 million and the company’s advertising revenue has decreased from $20.7 million to $13.7 million. But that’s not the whole story.
State of the European Handmade Market
The creative market in the European Union is nearly as big as the United States’, but with some very curious differences.
UK Sewing Magazines Show Lack of Diversity in Cover Models
In 2016 Rumana Lasker looked at 52 sewing magazines published in the UK that year and realized that every single one featured a white woman on the cover.
“One of the things that struck me the most…is the feeling of being undervalued- as a consumer, as a person,” says Lasker a British sewer who was a quarter-finalist on the Great British Sewing Bee. “Because it is no exaggeration to say that by failing to represent us, they are telling people of color that we don’t matter.”