Selling Google Slides and Docs Resources

Many creators build their best lessons in Google Slides and Google Docs, and it is natural to wonder whether you can sell Google Slides resources the same way you might sell a printable. Digital files bring their own set of questions about sharing, copies, editing, and delivery. This guide walks through those questions and points you to Google's own help documentation and other places to research.

How will a buyer get their own copy?

With a printable, the buyer downloads a file. With a Google file, the buyer usually needs their own copy in their own Drive, so your original stays untouched.

Questions to explore:

• Will you share a link that prompts the buyer to make a copy, or will you deliver a file another way?
• What happens if a buyer edits your original by mistake? How will you prevent that?
• Will buyers need to be signed in to a Google account? What if their school account has restrictions?

Look in the Google Drive Help Center for articles on sharing settings and making copies. Search phrases to try: "Google Drive share link make a copy" and "Google Drive sharing permissions viewer commenter editor".

How will you deliver the link?

One approach to look into is putting the copy link inside a small file, such as a PDF with instructions, that the buyer downloads after purchase. Think through the experience from the buyer's side.

Questions to ask:

• Is the link easy to find and click in your delivery file?
• Have you included short instructions for teachers who are new to Google tools?
• Have you tested the link while signed in as a different account, including a school-style account if you can?
• What will you do if you need to update the file later? Will existing buyers get the update?

It can help to ask a teacher friend to buy or download a test version and tell you where they got confused.

Should students be able to edit the slides?

A Slides activity can be fully editable, partly locked, or somewhere in between. Each choice has trade-offs for both teachers and students.

Things to look into:

• Whether to put backgrounds, directions, and decorations in the slide master or as background images so students do not accidentally move them. Search Google's help documentation for "edit master slides" and "change slide background".
• Which elements students should be able to drag, type into, or delete.
• How the activity works when assigned through a learning platform your buyers might use. Find out what "make a copy for each student" means in that platform's help pages.
• Whether a teacher can easily reset a slide if a student breaks it.

Test the file the way a student would, ideally on a basic school laptop or tablet.

What happens to your fonts and images?

Google Slides and Docs handle fonts and images differently than a desktop program. What looks perfect on your screen may shift on someone else's.

Questions to consider:

• Are you using fonts available inside Google's own font menu, so buyers see what you see?
• Have you checked the license for every clip art image, font, or photo you used? Does it allow commercial use and use in an editable file?
• Some image and font licenses treat editable files differently than flattened ones. Read the terms for each asset, and contact the creator if anything is unclear.

The U.S. Copyright Office (copyright.gov) has general background on copyright. For questions about your specific situation, an attorney who works with creative businesses is the right person to ask.

How do you protect your work in an editable format?

Once a buyer has a copy, they can technically share it. You cannot control every buyer, but you can make your expectations clear.

Questions to work through:

• What does your terms-of-use page say about sharing copies with other teachers?
• Should you include a terms-of-use slide or page inside the file itself?
• Do you want to offer an option for teams or whole schools so they have a clear way to buy for more teachers?
• Will you add your store name or a small credit line to each slide?

Search for "terms of use for digital teaching resources" to see how other creators phrase their terms, then write your own in plain language.

How should you describe it when you sell Google Slides resources?

Buyers need to know exactly what they are getting and what tools they need.

Questions your description should answer:

• Is this Google Slides, Google Docs, or both?
• Does the buyer need a Google account? Does it work offline?
• Is any part of it printable?
• How many slides or pages are included, and which grade levels is it meant for?
• Is it editable, and which parts?

Include screenshots of the actual slides so buyers can see the format.

Where to learn more

• The Google Drive, Google Slides, and Google Docs Help Centers, reached from Google's main support site, for sharing, copying, and editing settings.
• The Google for Education training resources for ideas on how teachers use these tools with students.
• The Small Business Administration (sba.gov) and SCORE (score.org) for general guidance on selling products online.
• The U.S. Copyright Office (copyright.gov) for general copyright background.
• Search phrases to try: "Google Slides lock elements for students", "Google Docs force copy link", and "commercial license editable clip art".

Questions to bring to an expert

Consider bringing these to a CPA, attorney, or small business advisor:

• Do I need to collect sales tax on digital resources in my state, and how do I find out?
• Is my terms-of-use language clear about sharing editable copies?
• Do the licenses on my fonts and images allow use in an editable product?
• Does my teaching contract say anything about materials I create?

Working through these questions before you list a digital product can save you and your buyers some frustration later. When you are ready, Classroom Clearinghouse gives you your own store with 0% commission, so you can focus on building resources teachers can use.