Who do you submit your puzzles to? Certain places have different requirements, and it could be that your puzzles are of good quality but are just not properly clued for the audience of the editors you submit to. By and large, crossword editors look for fresh fill, witty clues and pop-culture references, or combinations thereof. Let me give you a clue or two to chomp on:
Another name for a webmaster?
DUKE OF URL
Star vehicle
LIMO
Type of ranch dressing
CHAPS
Law follower
ORDER
Time was, sociable_hermit's words would have been fine for a NY Times crossword, but in the past 12 years, a new editor has radically changed the face of the NYT puzzle - and I'd say, for the better.
If you're serious about construction, check out books like Coral Amende's "The Crossword Obsession", Matt Gaffney's "Grid Lock", or the companion book to the Wordplay movie for an inside look at the crossword biz. Marc Romano's "Crossworld" is a good read on the solver's perpective. And for pleasure, pick up a volume or two of NYT puzzles edited by Will Shortz (who's featured in Wordplay).
Oh yeah - don't expect to make a lot, even if you do sell a few puzzles. Just fair warning.
18 Sep 2006, 3:33 pm
