role of the crossword editor

The editor has managerial and sometimes policy-making responsibility for the editorial part of a newspaper, magazine, book, or other publication. In the world of crosswords, editors occupy the editorial desk of the crossword puzzle department and control the crossword puzzle feature. In small publications, their duties may be divided between the puzzle section and another department; the puzzle may be secondary.

Relation to the constructor

Circumstances vary: In most cases, the bulk of an editor's time is spent in liaising with professional constructors, serious amateurs, or readers and in editing and publishing their work. Frequently an editor will solicit a puzzle from a regular contributor; often puzzles arrive at the editor's office unsolicited, especially those submitted by the public. On occasion, some editors will construct and publish a puzzle themselves.

Depending on who is editing, crossword puzzle editors:

1. Accept or reject puzzles for publication submitted by constructors.
2. Buy puzzles from constructors or accept them without payment.
3. Influence or dictate the broad characteristics of a puzzle created by a constructor. such as the theme, difficulty, size, or layout.
4. Influence or dictate the specific questions and answers of puzzles.
5. Edit and correct typographical errors made by constructors.
6. Edit for clarity, content accuracy, spelling, punctuation, and language style.
7. Edit for agreement with the publisher's or editor's publication standards.
8. Edit for agreement with standards for puzzle construction and with other crossword puzzle conventions.
9. Assess puzzle difficulty, themes, styles, and other characteristics and edit to meet publication or marketing targets.
10. Change or replace a constructor's clues and/or answers to achieve a desired effect or make a point,

Editors typically reserve the right to make changes to submitted puzzles. Depending on circumstances, the editor may make changes with or without a constructor's permission or knowledge. For example, crossword puzzle editor of the New York Times has stated that he changes as many as 50% of a constructor's clues and answers.

Role Of the Constructor

Relation to the publisher

Typically, an editor works for a medium-sized or small publication. He manages a small staff if the publication he works for is large enough to afford one and if there is more work to do than he can handle himself. Depending on the nature of the publication, he might report to a newspaper or magazine editor who is positioned above him in the organization, or to a book editor or publisher. Like other middle managers, he answers for his mistakes and receives rewards for his victories from his manager.

His main duty is to see to it that a puzzle appears in his publication whenever it is needed. He establishes puzzle themes, styles, and other standards that are in the best interest of his readership and his publication.

Relation to the public

The editor represents his publisher to the public where crosswords are concerned. In addition to preparing puzzles for print, he receives and answers mail from readers. If his publication prints a regular crossword puzzle editorial column, he writes and edits it. Preparing a column involves writing opinion pieces on various subjects related to crosswords, answering and commenting on mail from readers, and arranging for relevant Op-Ed or so-called ombudsman pieces to appear.

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Role Of the Editor

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