NYT timeline

[dirtywater]

Wanted to ask about the timeline that follows after getting an NYT puzzle accepted.

I got my first acceptance recently-ish (like last month). A few days later, they gave me a contract and I signed it; a few days after that, they sent me my login info for their payroll website.

What happens now? Will there be further communication from the NYT about when they intend to print the puzzle? Discussions about edits? An update on payment?

I've figured out from reading old threads here that seeing the puzzle in the newspaper might take a while... 9-12 months even. Willing to be patient. Just curious what I should expect in the coming months.

Thanks for any input!

[Word-Weaver]

Excellent queries!

I also would be quite interested in knowing what kind of timelines are laid out by NYT... ? ...One would think that they would provide with the contract or follow-up e-mails, an idea of timelines, what to expect, a more precise layout of how things are to work in terms of wait gaps... ? ...Perhaps, new-comers go to the bottom of the pile?

On top of that... Do all crosswords that get accepted get published at some point in time? Or, are there many-a-crossword still filed away in their bank? And, if so, do they inform a person further on the status of it... ? ...Obviously no-one wants to wait around for months, a year to ponder whether or not they intend to publish something they accepted... ?

+ Do they pay for a puzzle upon acceptance? When rights to it are signed over? Or, do they pay just before or after its publication?

++ What about the LA Times... Do they differ in their approach and their timelines?

Anticipating any & all responses... ? ...Thanks for opening up this post, Mr. Dirtwater!

[Bruisers Master]

Here's my experience.

When I had a puzzle accepted by the NYT, I was unaware the wait to see it published would be so long (about two years for me). But it stands to reason since Will receives so many. There was no correspondence between us during that time (no edit requests for example), and I was starting to worry if maybe it had gotten lost in the shuffle, or so far down the list that it would be a very long time. But at last I got the email a few months ago that he was going to run it. He will let you know the week before that it's going to be published. You can expect a check a few weeks later, depending on your location.

As for the LAT, I have a lot more experience. There's apparently no forms to fill out, though i would assume rights are tacitly signed over upon acceptance. Sometimes Rich will ask for a revision, and on average I would say it takes about a month for him to get back to you after you send it back (he has a long list of manuscripts himself!). The LAT's wait time for publication, for me, is more in terms of months than years, sometimes 1 or 2, other times 4 or 5, possibly to avoid close repetition of theme entries, or because he just has a lot of other crosswords in ahead of yours. Either way he'll let you know a day or two before the particular month of publication begins. As with the NYT, the check will arrive a few weeks after the puzzle appears.

So far, I've never had a crossword accepted that was never published.

I hope I've answered all your questions. If I think of any other pertinent information, i'll let you know

Regards,
Steve Blais

[Word-Weaver]

WOW! Those are some wide gaps!

Thanks for all the info you provided in your response, Steve - And, yes, you about covered most the questions I had. I guess the one positive is that you eventually had all your acceptances published & hopefully that is the case across the board for all puzzles that get accepted... ?

On my behalf, thanks again... Dave.