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Q&A: "How can I sell my own crossword puzzles?"
Hi Chris this is Jessica and I love crossword puzzles! After many years of completing them every day, I'm ready to design my own. There are lots of resources that explain how to do this, and I think I've got that part figured out—or at least I'm on track.
What I don't know, though, is how to sell them. The New York Times and USA Today crosswords are completed by millions of people every day, and my sense is that they have a near monopoly on the market. I can't compete with them—is there another path to getting my crosswords out to a dedicated fan base?
Good news is, it's a big market! Not everyone likes the seriousness of the NYT puzzle, even though it's the gold standard.
Where do crossword fans congregate? Where is the Ravelry.com of crossword puzzles?
Then, now that you're ready to design your own, you may have already thought about what will make them interesting. I think it's just as important to be able to brand them in a memorable way.
Maybe you need a trick or gimmick, like a jumbo crossword puzzle I recently purchased as a gift. In doing some searching, I also saw there were some thematic puzzles including an adults-only series.
Also, consider sharing your puzzles for free—at least some of them. Speaking of the NYT, that's what they do every day with the mini-puzzle. To get the full puzzle in addition to all the archives, of course, you have to pay to subscribe. And clearly that works for them!
