I am pleased to announce the launch of Crossword Butler v. 2.0 (let’s call it beta 1). Those of you who remember the original Crossword Butler will notice some differences from the old version, namely:

1. It is now an online interface, accessible at http://crosswordbutler.com
2. It doesn’t blindly get all available crosswords; only the ones from providers who have given their permission
3. Most interestingly (I think), it gives independent crossword constructors a site to host their puzzles and distribute them easily for free or for profit.

Right now the site is essentially a souped-up puzzle pointers page, that in addition to most of the standard links, also links to puzzles like Matt Gaffney’s weekly contest and Andrew Ries’s weekly Rows Garden puzzle. But the fun part will begin when independent constructors start using the site to host their puzzles. Right now there isn’t a one-stop shopping destination for independent puzzlemakers, so constructors have to set up Paypal accounts, websites, e-mail lists, etc. to be able to distribute their work. Crossword Butler will take care of all of that; all a constructor has to do is upload the puzzles to the site (through a simple interface). If the puzzle is paid, I would take a (small) cut; if the puzzle is free I’ll happily host it free of charge.

Feel free to become a member of the site and poke around. If you have suggestions, comments, questions, leave a comment below!

Thanks for reading. This is my grand experiment this year — hope it works.