Selling on More Than One Platform as a Teacher-Author

Plenty of teacher-authors sell the same resources in more than one place: a marketplace or two, their own website, maybe a small shop on Etsy. Done well, it spreads your income across channels so one platform's decisions don't decide your whole year. Done badly, it means three versions of the same file, a typo fixed in one place only and a tax season spent hunting through inboxes.

The difference is a bit of structure at the start. This article walks through the system we would set up if we were selling in several places ourselves. If TeachLessons looks like a good second channel for you, you can submit your resources whenever you are ready. Our licence is non-exclusive, so nothing here stops you from selling anywhere else your agreements allow.

Start with one master folder per resource

The most common mess is several slightly different versions of the same resource in several places. Avoid it with a single master folder for each resource. Put the source file in it, the final PDF or slide file, the preview images and a short text file with the title, description, grade levels and price.

When you change something, change it in the master folder first, then upload the new file everywhere the resource is listed. Add a version date to the file name, for example fractions-unit-2026-10.pdf, so you can tell at a glance which version a buyer has. Our guide to preparing resource files for submission covers formats and previews in more detail.

Decide how you will price across platforms

Each channel pays you a different share, so the same price earns different amounts. Find out what each platform you use pays, from its own published terms, and work out your payout at your main price points. For TeachLessons the rule is simple: you keep 70% of the price after a flat 3% payment cost. A $5 resource pays you $3.40 and a $20 unit pays $13.58. On your own website you keep more of each sale but pay for hosting, payment processing and all your own marketing.

Many sellers keep one price everywhere because it is simple and fair to buyers who shop around. Others adjust a little. Whatever you choose, write the rule down in your master folder so you apply it the same way every time. Our payout calculator shows what a TeachLessons sale pays at prices from $1 to $50.

What a second channel adds, and what it doesn't

Here is an illustration, not a forecast. Say you list a $10 resource with TeachLessons alongside wherever it sells now, and it sells 20 times through us in a year. Each of those sales pays $6.79, so that is $135.80. Your sales elsewhere don't change because of the second listing, since it does not take anything away from the first.

We can't promise any particular number of sales, and you should not plan around a figure you can't support. What a second channel does reliably is reduce how much any single platform's rate change or policy change can affect you. Our article on why teacher-authors add a second sales channel looks at that risk side more closely.

Handle buyer questions and updates the same way everywhere

Buyers on different platforms ask similar questions. Keep a short document of answers you reuse: how to print double-sided, which grade levels the resource fits, how to get an updated version. That keeps your tone and your information consistent.

When you release an update, note in the master folder which platforms you uploaded it to and on what date. Miss one and a buyer there gets the old version, which is exactly how avoidable bad reviews happen.

• Keep one changelog per resource with dates and what changed.
• Use the same preview images everywhere unless a platform needs a different size.
• Check that the clip art and fonts in each resource are licensed for every platform you sell on.
• Make sure no exclusivity agreement covers a resource before you list it somewhere new.

Keep records per platform

Each platform sends its own statements, in its own format, on its own schedule. TeachLessons pays monthly for the previous calendar month's sales, with a statement that lists each sale. Save every statement in one place and label it with the platform and the month. Refunded orders are reversed with us, with no payout on that sale, so your records should show refunds too.

Good records make tax time much easier when income comes from several places. We are not tax advisers, so ask an accountant about your own situation. Our record-keeping article covers the general habits that help.

Getting started with TeachLessons

To add TeachLessons as a channel, submit your resources with your author details. Our team reviews each one and replies by email. Not every resource is accepted, since we look at quality, originality and rights. There is no membership fee, no annual fee and no per-resource transaction fee.

For accepted resources, we write or improve the title, description, FAQ and structured data at no cost, and we feature seller resources on landing pages, in relevant Teacher Hub articles and in a seller spotlight. You get an author profile, you keep your copyright and you can remove a resource at any time. The key terms page has the full details.

Questions sellers ask

More for teacher-sellers

General information about the TeachLessons Seller Program, not legal, tax or financial advice. The seller agreement you receive before listing sets out the binding terms.