Sell writing and grammar resources
Writing teachers pay for structure: prompts that get students started, organizers that hold their thinking and rubrics that make grading fair. This guide covers how to sell writing and grammar resources well.
Short answer: To sell writing and grammar resources on TeachLessons, apply with the short form and then email your final files, previews and thumbnails to support@stifo.de. Write your own mentor texts, include rubrics or keys, and say which spelling your files use. You keep 70% of net revenue.
Which writing and grammar resources do teachers buy?
Prompts with scaffolds
A prompt alone is free on a hundred websites. A prompt with a planning page, sentence starters and a checklist is a lesson.
Graphic organizers
Planning sheets for narrative, opinion, argument and informational writing. Teachers want them clean, with room to write, and matched to the genre.
Rubrics and checklists
Student-friendly checklists plus a teacher rubric for the same task. Teachers grade a lot of writing and value anything that makes it faster and fairer.
Mentor texts you wrote
Model essays and stories at grade level, ideally with a weaker and a stronger version to compare. These are hard to find and take skill to write.
Grammar practice
Short, focused practice on one rule: commas in a series, subject-verb agreement, apostrophes. Sentences in context beat lists of isolated drills.
Editing and revision tasks
Paragraphs with planted errors, revision stations and peer-feedback forms. They bridge grammar and real writing.
The strongest writing resources follow one task from start to finish: a prompt, a mentor text, an organizer, a draft page, a checklist and a rubric, all for the same genre and grade. A teacher can run a two-week writing unit from it.
Can I use published writing as mentor texts?
Not in a resource you sell. Copying a paragraph from a children's book, a famous speech that is still protected or a newspaper column into your worksheet reproduces someone else's work. Write your own model texts instead. It is more work, but it is also what makes your resource worth paying for.
A practical method: write the model at the target grade level first, then write a second version with typical student mistakes (weak opening, no transitions, run-on sentences). Students compare them. You now have two mentor texts and an editing task from one piece of writing.
Short quotations for commentary are treated differently in different countries, so do not rely on them as a shortcut. Copyright basics for teacher-authors explains the general picture. Using sample student writing? Only with permission, and with no names or other personal data of real students.
Should I make US and UK spelling versions?
For grammar and spelling resources, yes if you can. A UK teacher will not use an answer key that marks "colour" wrong, and a US teacher will not hand out a worksheet that teaches "organise". The differences go beyond spelling:
| Topic | US | UK |
|---|---|---|
| Spelling | color, organize, center | colour, organise, centre |
| Punctuation names | period, quotation marks | full stop, inverted commas or speech marks |
| Quotation style | Usually double quotes | Often single quotes |
| Grade labels | Grade 4 | Year 5 |
| Grammar terms | Varies by program | Fronted adverbials, determiners and other National Curriculum terms |
Name the files clearly, such as Apostrophes-Practice-US.pdf and Apostrophes-Practice-UK.pdf, and put both in one ZIP or list them as separate rows. Say which version is which in the Resource Submission List. Australian, New Zealand and Singapore teachers usually want British spelling too.
What makes a writing rubric worth paying for?
- Specific descriptors. "Uses at least three transition words to link paragraphs" is usable. "Good organization" is not.
- Matched to one task. A rubric for opinion writing in Grade 5 is more useful than a generic one for all writing.
- A student version. A checklist in kid-friendly language that mirrors the rubric rows.
- Editable where it helps. Teachers often want to change point values. An editable DOCX or Google Doc copy alongside the PDF is a good add-on.
- Honest standards wording. Name the writing standard or National Curriculum objective it targets, without claiming it covers more than it does.
How should I prepare files and previews for writing resources?
Writing pages need lines. Use real lined space with enough room for the grade level: younger writers need wider lines. A PDF keeps the layout fixed. If you add an editable version, test it on another computer to check the fonts travel.
Previews and thumbnails must be PNG or JPEG. For writing resources, show the organizer filled in by you as an example (if the resource includes one), the mentor text, and the rubric. A thumbnail that reads "Opinion Writing Unit, Grade 4" in large type does more than a busy collage. Details and tools are in how to make previews and thumbnails.
Decorative fonts and clip art on prompt cards need commercial-use licenses. Keep a license log; this guide on clip art and fonts explains what to look for.
How should I price writing and grammar resources?
Think about the grading and planning time you save. A full genre unit with mentor texts and rubrics replaces several evenings of a teacher's planning. A single grammar sheet replaces ten minutes. You set your own price in US dollars; our optional suggestion is at least $4.99 for a single resource.
| Writing resource | Example price | Your payout |
|---|---|---|
| Grammar practice set on one rule | $3.00 | $2.04 |
| Rubric and checklist pack for one genre | $4.99 | $3.39 |
| Prompt cards with organizers | $5.00 | $3.40 |
| Full genre writing unit with mentor texts | $10.00 | $6.79 |
Payout is the price times 0.97 times 0.70, paid monthly by the 15th via PayPal in US dollars. Try other prices in the payout calculator.
How do I send my writing resources?
- Apply with the short application form.
- Fill in the documents we email you, including one row per resource in the Resource Submission List.
- Email everything at once to support@stifo.de: documents, files, previews and thumbnails, or one shared folder link.
- Go live as soon as we have set up your product pages. There is no extra approval round, so proofread twice. A typo in a grammar resource is noticed fast.
Frequently asked questions
Can I include famous quotes in writing prompts?
Quotes from older public-domain sources are usually fine. Quotes from recent books, songs or films may be protected, so leave them out or write your own prompt.
Can I use real student writing as examples?
Only with permission and with no names or personal data of real students. Many sellers write their own sample student work instead.
Do I need both US and UK versions?
No, it is optional. But for grammar and spelling resources a second version can make the resource usable for many more teachers.
Can I sell editable rubrics?
Yes. Send the editable file (DOCX, PPTX or a Google link) alongside the PDF and say in your list that it is editable.
Do I keep the copyright to my mentor texts?
Yes. You keep your copyright and all other rights. TeachLessons gets a non-exclusive license to sell the resource while the agreement runs.
How much do I earn on a $10 writing unit?
You earn $6.79 per sale. The payment cost is $0.30, net revenue is $9.70 and TeachLessons keeps $2.91.
Ready to sell your teaching resources?
Apply with the short form. We email you the seller documents, you send your final files with previews and thumbnails, and we set up your product pages, your author page and landing pages. You keep 70% of net revenue, with no fees and no exclusivity.
Keep reading
General information about the TeachLessons Seller Program, not legal, tax or financial advice. The signed Seller Agreement sets out the binding terms. Questions: support@stifo.de.