Proposal - Quote Puzzles web site

Introduction

This is a proposal to create a commercial web site featuring interactive and printable word puzzles.  A common theme among the puzzles will be that solving the puzzle will yield a famous quotation.  Revenue will be created by selling puzzle books and related merchandise, by selling advertising for quotation books and books by famous quotation writers, and by subscription fees for selling "premium" services to members.  The possibility of syndicating the puzzles to print publishes also exists.

Background

Word puzzles are very popular, as evidenced by the near ubiquity of crossword puzzles and anagram puzzles in daily newspapers.  Puzzles with a "famous quotation" theme can be found in variety puzzle books at almost every newstand.  There are nearly a dozen variations with names such as "Quotefalls,"  "Quotefinds," "Quote Quest," "Jigsaw Squares," and so on.  Traditionally these puzzles are solved with pencil and paper and involve placing letters into a grid in the proper order to spell out an english sentence. 

See an example of "Quotefalls."

Despite the popularity of the time-honored crossword puzzle, most crosswords are too difficult for any but the serious crossword enthusiast.  Most players will fill in a few of the easier words and then abandon the puzzle in frustration. The recent growth in "Sudoku" puzzles shows there is an interest in puzzles that don't involve "clues" but just simple logic to arrive at a solution.  Thus it seems that there is a market for a puzzle that involves words, like crossword puzzles, but doesn't need any clues.  Quotation puzzles fit this need perfectly. 

While certain kinds of quotation puzzles rely on clues (e.g., "Acrostic"), most of them require only simple rearranging, unscrambling, repositioning, or translating of the letters to arrive at a solution.  The only knowledge the player needs is familiarity with the english language.  (The puzzles could also be created for other languages).  Strategies for success usually involve understanding of the most frequent words, letters, and letter sequences in common english usage.  For example, the letter Q is almost always followed by the letter U.

One clear feature that makes quote puzzles superior to crossword puzzles is that the solution is a meaningful english phrase or sentence.  Often the quotation is humorous, insightful, or educational.  Upon completion of a crossword puzzle all one has is a grid of unrelated words; the only satisfaction comes from simply filling in all the blanks.  Solving an anagram puzzle such as the popular "Jumble" reveals only a word. Quote puzzles offer the advantage that the solution is meaningful in itself and provides a thought-provoking phrase the player can take with them and contemplate, or a joke they can share with others.

They require less time than a crossword, usually less than ten minutes.  This is an advantage for the casual puzzle player who doesn't want to focus on a puzzle for long periods of time.  It also works well for people who may have only a few minutes to spend with a puzzle, for example, during a coffee break, at a bus stop, or a student waiting for class.

Target Audience

The site is aimed at puzzle fans who seek a less challenging diversion than crossword puzzles.  Quotation puzzles require less knowledge than crossword puzzles and are solved more quickly, therefore they have a potentially larger audience than crossword puzzles.

Educators may be interested in the web site.  A classroom teacher may use the "Create your own puzzle" feature of the web site to build a quotation puzzle around a significant quotation or even just a sentence that summarizes an important concept.  The puzzle can be an engaging way to introduce a key concept or to prompt a class discussion.

Publishers of print periodicals may want to syndicate our puzzles as they can be less expensive than crosswords and can have solutions tailored to the theme of the publication.

Interactive Puzzles

A key feature of the site will be interactive puzzles where the player solves the puzzle on the computer.   The interactive solver has several unique aspects that are advantageous over traditional paper solving techniques:
The site will also allow for printing of puzzles for those who prefer using pencil and paper to solve puzzles in the traditional manner.

Competition

There is no site I could find devoted exclusively to quotation puzzles.
There are hundreds of quotation sites, testifying to the enduring popularity of this literary form.
There are hundreds of puzzle sites, including word puzzle sites, which shows how popular puzzles are and that puzzle sites can survive financially.
I found three with interactive quote puzzles, but they are very limited in functionality or have awkward user interfaces.

Key Features

Play for free
Quote of the Day (for the popular puzzles such as Quotefalls).
Interactive Solver
Puzzle Builder
Community Puzzles
Audio Puzzles