Thursday, April 22, 2021

Selling on TPT 101: Terms of Use and Credits

Selling on TPT 101: Credits and Terms of Use | Apples to Applique

Hi, friends! Welcome to TPT 101: Part 6! (Click on these links to find Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5!)

Today, we're going to talk about an important part of product creation that can seem a little tedious: crediting artists whose work you've used and creating your own terms of use.

Most clip artists require a link back to their store when you use their art. Typically, they will include their logo as an image file with any clip art you have purchased. The best way to credit them in your product is by including a page in your file that acknowledges them. I put something along the lines of "Clip art and fonts by these talented artists", followed by images of their logos. Then, I link each of their logos to their respective stores. This can be done easily in PowerPoint by right-clicking on the logo and then clicking on "link". Then you simply insert the link to that store. Of course, you will want to double-check the terms of use of each artist, but for most of them, this process meets the criteria.

Speaking of terms of use, you will want to create your own for your products. Personally, I include this at the bottom of my credits page with my copyright information, but some sellers put it as a separate page. It doesn't really matter how you choose to do it, as long as it is included and easy for your buyers to find and understand. 

To create your terms of use, think of what you want to allow with the purchase of your product. Most sellers include some wording about not using the product for commercial use and prohibiting the redistribution to other teachers, indicating that the sale is for a single classroom. Here is the wording I use, which you are welcome to use yourself or adjust to meet your needs: 

"©[Year] Amber Hock, M.Ed., Apples to Applique. All rights reserved. Purchase of this unit entitles the purchaser to reproduce the pages in limited quantity for one classroom use only. Resource may not be uploaded to the internet. Duplication for an entire school, district, or commercial use is prohibited without written permission from the publisher."

Creating your credits and terms of use is one of the less-fun aspects of creating, but is so important! The good news is that, once you have created it, you can easily copy and adapt it for future products.

I hope you're getting more comfortable with the idea of creating and listing your products! Stay tuned for Part 7, where we'll discuss how to flatten and secure your products to prevent elements from being lifted and stolen.

Until then, keep working on bringing your ideas to life, and keep teaching with heart and passion!



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