I have participated in the GAL for the past 3 years as a designer, and it's been such a positive experience.
Who is eligible?
There have been some changes to the eligibility requirements for designers this year. The following information has been taken from this post:
1. As a result of feedback received after the last year's GAL, the minimum number of patterns has been increased from 10 to 20. So in order to be eligible to be a participating designer in the GAL this year, you must have 20 self-published, paid (not free) patterns for sale in your Ravelry store.
2. The expectations regarding pattern quality have also been clarified. The mission of the GAL is to promote the very best in Indie Design, and to raise public perception of its quality. Specifically:
- Your patterns should be tech edited;
- Your patterns should have good quality photographs; and,
- Your patterns should have pricing that reflects the time, effort, and creativity invested in the design and support the indie movement as a whole.
Check out this post for more information.
What does being a "Participating Designer" entail, and what are the benefits?
Basically, you offer between 10 and 20 of your self-published patterns at a discount during the first week of the GAL, donate coupon codes for free pattern downloads to be used as prizes, and generally participate and join in the hype and fun.
Regarding the benefits, it's a great way to expose your work to more knitters, build your audience, and enjoy a little boost in pattern sales. Plus, it's a lot of fun. Having enjoyed participating in previous years, I would be disappointed to miss out!
Here are a few stats from last year to give you an idea of the scope of the GAL (taken from this thread on Ravelry):
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