Beginners Luck

A few years ago, I came across a website dedicated to the people who create the puzzles that appear in newspapers and other publications. I read a few documents that described the process on how to submit puzzles to newspapers and decided to give it a try.

I had a few that I thought were pretty good, so one evening, I submitted one to Tribune Media Services.

The next morning, I received an email stating that my puzzle was accepted and would be published in newspapers all around the US (it appeared locally in the St. Pete Times).

I thought, wow, I can make some money doing this. I had quite a few that I could submit. So, I started to submit more puzzles only to learn that it is a real competitive market (most puzzles are not accepted). I have had other puzzles published and will soon begin submitting more.

I learned later, how unusual my accomplishment was. Almost noone ever gets published on their first try and the 'editor' who replied the next day has the worst reputation for getting back to people.

All in all, it was a case of beginners luck.