Login:

Password:





Who's online? | Login | Leaderboard | Anagrams

How Much Can You Sell Crosswords For?

One of the most common questions that people have when they start writing crosswords, is what the going rate is.

However there is no clear answer, as it varies on so many different factors. These include:

- The grid size: generally the larger the puzzle, the more you can charge. If there are twice as many answers in a grid as another puzzle then you would typically look to charge twice as much, for instance. Therefore a good jumbo can fetch a lot more than a quick crossword, for instance.

- The publication you are writing for: some have set rates and will share these for you, whilst others will have a deal negotiated with each individual writer. Remember that the wider the audience and the better the reputation of the publication, typically the more you can charge.

- However, there is greater competition for prestigious newspapers and magazines, and it can be very hard to get on the roster; or they may use a range of writers who just create a few a year each.

- The harder the puzzle is to create, the more it can fetch. Thus a themed puzzle can expect to get more than an unthemed puzzle, and a tricky barred cryptic crossword can expect to get more than a standard cryptic puzzle.

- Generally cryptic puzzles are prized more than quick puzzles, with general knowledge puzzles somewhere in the middle between the two types.

- Different publications will put different demands on the material provided, and this can impact on price too. For instance, if you have to sell full rights and copyright to your puzzle and can't use it elsewhere, then you could typically expect to get better remuneration than if you simply syndicate a puzzle or don't give away any rights, meaning you can resell the puzzle or reuse it as you wish in the future.

You should certainly check all of this out with a client in advance: if you offer a puzzle exclusively then you should negotiate a better deal than if you are providing the puzzle to several different publications.

- The more demands the publisher places, again the more you could expect to be paid. For instance, if you have to use a specific grid pattern, or have an exacting house style to follow with several rounds of revisions you are expected to make at the behest of an editor, then you should again charge more.

- Rather than committing yourself to a large number of puzzles at a certain rate straight off, it might be prudent to do one or two and see how long it takes you, then adjust the rate as necessary. Many people underestimate how long it takes to create a good puzzle and end up creating it for less than the minimum wage: if a puzzle takes you half a day or a whole day to create then you will want to get remunerated accordingly. You could decide what your hourly rate is - for instance £20 an hour, and then if a puzzle takes you five hours to create you will know you need at least £100 for it to cover your time in the creation.

Are you a crossword writer, or an aspiring one? How do you set your rates? Do you have any questions about the commercial side of being a crossword writer? Feel free to share your thoughts and questions on this area that is not often discussed in the comments section below.
Date written: 24 May 2015



Comment on this post

You must be logged in to comment - please Register or Login

Other Blog Posts You Might Find Interesting...

Novelty Crosswords: Missing Vowel Puzzles
A missing vowel puzzle is a type of crossword variant that, as the name implies, is rather light on vowels! The puzzle is presented as a normal crossword, but with a novel twist: instead of orthodox clues, all the answers appear under the grid, BUT...
Added: 27 Mar 2015


Cryptic Crosswords: Know Your Setter
When you solve cryptic crosswords, one of the best things to do is to follow those in a particular newspaper or major publication. That's because this will enable you to see who sets each puzzle, and over time you will get used to the style of each...
Added: 18 Apr 2015


Novelty Crosswords: Anagram Puzzles
An anagram crossword is a novelty type of crossword puzzle, in that it is a crossword variant that is both rare and is fundamentally different to a normal crossword puzzle. As you may have guessed, in an anagram crossword the clues are replaced with...
Added: 28 Mar 2015


Introduction To Cryptogram Puzzles
Cryptogram puzzles can look quite intimidating to start with. They present you with what looks like total gobbledegook, but is in fact simply a piece of intelligence English that has been scrambled, in a particular way. Here is how the scrambling...
Added: 24 Mar 2015


Obscure Words In Cryptic Crosswords
As a general rule, quick crosswords tend to have words in them that are fairly common. It is rare to have a quick crossword that uses more than one word you won't have heard of, and in most cases you will know all words in this genre of crossword...
Added: 29 Mar 2015




Back to Puzzle Blog


Puzzle Types:
Arrow word Puzzles
Pangram Puzzles
General Knowledge Crosswords
Quick Crosswords
Wordwheels
Word Ladders
Word Fit
Skeleton Crosswords
A to Z Puzzles
Codewords
Cryprograms Online
Every Letter Counts