The Sixth Edition of the Publishing Dictionary

  • By: BookEnds | Date: Apr 07 2022

Something I haven’t done in a really long time is update the BookEnds Publishing Dictionary. This is our quick guide to all those terms and words you’re hearing as you enter the world of publishing.

It’s amazing for me to look back and see how this has changed over the years. Words or names that actually no longer exist or have been added to the publishing lexicon as the world changes. Things like Big Five which use to be Big Six and is soon to be Big Four. AAR which has now become the AALA. And then there are things like BEA which has disappeared entirely and SASE which just isn’t needed in our high-tech world.

So for those new to the world of publishing or just confused by words and phrases you’re hearing from editors and agents here is as complete of a list as we could come up with of publishing words and phrases.

A

AALA: Formerly the Association of Authors’ Representatives and now called the Association of American Literary Agents. The organization of literary agents sets guidelines and standards that professional and reputable agents must abide by. It is really the only organization for literary agents of its kind.

Advance: The amount the publisher pays upfront to an author before the book is published. The advance is an advance against all future earnings.

ARCs: Advance Review Copies. Not the final book, these are advance and unfinalized copies of the book that are sent to reviewers. **Sometimes called galleys.

Auction: During the sale of a manuscript to publishers sometimes, oftentimes if you’re lucky, you’ll have an auction. Not unlike an eBay auction, this is when multiple publishers bid on your book, and ultimately, the last person standing wins (that’s the one who offers the most lucrative deal).

B

Big Five: The five biggest US publishers–Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins, Hachette, Macmillan. Note: As of the publication of this blog Penguin Random House has made an offer to purchase Simon & Schuster. This purchase is currently under review with the DOJ.

Blurb: A one-paragraph (or so) description of your book. People often compare a blurb to back cover copy, and while it’s similar, it’s frequently more streamlined and focuses on the heart and the chief conflict in the story. This is sometimes called a pitch and is what you use in your query letter as well as the pitch you would use in pitch appointments. 2. Blurb can also be used in a publicity sense. You might ask someone to “blurb” your book, in which case they’ll give you a positive quote that can be used to help sell the book.

Book Proposal: The author’s sales pitch for their book. A good book proposal is used to introduce agents and editors to your book and show them not only why it’s a book they need and want for their lists, but also how well you’ll be able to pull it off. A book proposal is typically not an entire manuscript, but chapters, a synopsis, marketing information, and an author bio. Book proposals are most commonly used for nonfiction.

C

Category or Category Romance: “Category” is the shortened term often used to refer to category romances. These are romances typically, and almost exclusively published by Harlequin/Silhouette in their lines. Examples of category books are published in Silhouette Desire, Harlequin Superromance, or Silhouette Special Edition. Note that not all Harlequin/Silhouette imprints are considered category.

Commercial Fiction: Fiction written to appeal to a large or mass-market audience. Commercial fiction typically includes genres like mystery, romance, science fiction, and fantasy. Popular commercial fiction writers include Nora Roberts, Harlan Coben, and James Patterson.

Commission: The percentage of your earnings paid to your agent, typically 15% on standard sales. Usually higher for subsidiary rights sales.

Copy Edits: Edits that focus on the mechanics of your writing. A copy editor typically looks for grammar, punctuation, spelling, typos, and style.

Cover Copy: The term used to describe all of the wording and description on the front and back cover of your book.

Cozy Mystery: A mystery first inspired by Agatha Christie featuring an amateur sleuth in a warm and cozy environment or world. Typically the stories contain little blood (although always a murder), and no gore.

Credentials: What makes you qualified to write a book and knowledgeable in your field of expertise. Credentials are usually defined by your level of education and experience on the job. Not to be confused with platform.

E

Editor: The person who buys on behalf of the publishing house. While jobs differ from house to house, typically the acquisitions editor is your primary contact throughout the publishing process. Their editorial guidance comes in the form of the book’s overall structure and writing. They’ll supply major revisions if needed.

F

Fiction: A story/book based on research and imagination.

Foreword: An introduction to your book that’s always written by another person, preferably someone well known and highly credentialed. Typically only in nonfiction.

Full: A full manuscript. “The agent requested my full.”

G

Galleys: Another word for ARCs. Galleys aren’t always bound, but are also sent to reviewers as well as other sources for publicity. Galleys are often a copy of your Page Proofs.

Genre: The classification of books. Examples of genre in fiction include mystery, romance, science fiction, fantasy, nonfiction, and in nonfiction you might see sub-genres like business, health, parenting, pets, art, architecture, memoir, or current events.

H

Hardcover: A book printed with a hardcover.

HEA: Happily Ever After. Something expected in romance novels. The couple ends up happily ever after (or at least for now).

Hook: What makes your book stand out from every other title on your bookshelf. If you’re writing mystery it’s that one element that makes your book different from other mysteries, outside of the mystery. If you’re writing a business book it’s how you make your business book different from the others in your field. The hook is something you can convey in one sentence.

I

Imprint: The name within the publishing house that the book is published under. Usually done as a way to market certain types of books. For example, Minotaur is an imprint of St. Martin’s Press. It is still a Kensington book, but by publishing under Minotaur you are branding the book as mystery. Ace is an imprint of Berkley which is part of Penguin Random House that brands the book as science fiction or fantasy.

Indie Author: Authors who publish independently of publishers or traditional publishing. Also considered self-published authors.

Independent Press: A very different term from Indie Author, an Independent Press is a smaller, often privately owned, publishing company that operates in the same way a larger traditional publisher operates.

L

Literary Agent: A literary agent works on behalf of the author to sell her book and negotiate with publishers. A literary agent also helps with career planning and development and sometimes editing and marketing.

Literary Fiction: Fiction that appeals to a more intellectually minded, smaller audience. Literary fiction tends to have a stronger focus on writing, atmosphere, and style than commercial fiction might. Popular literary fiction authors include Toni Morrison, Cormac McCarthy, and Elizabeth Strout.

M

Marketing: Marketing is advertising that is paid for, including ads in magazines, display units in stores, and things like postcards or posters.

Mass Market: Also called “rack size,” these are paperback books originally designed to fit in rotating book racks in non-bookstore outlets (like grocery stores and drugstores). Mass market paperbacks are roughly 4″ x 7″ in size.

Middle Grade: A genre targeting kids between the ages of 8-12, with characters around that age. Like other genres, there is a distinct middle grade voice agents and editors will look for.

MWA: Mystery Writers of America is the national organization of mystery writers and a great source of information for all writers.

N

Narrative Nonfiction: Nonfiction written in story form like memoir, biography, autobiography, or journalistic writings on subjects. Books like Caste or Quitter.

Nonfiction: Writing based on fact.

North American Rights: These are the type of rights licensed to the publisher, allowing the publisher only to handle and represent book rights in North America. This means that the author and the author’s agent are responsible for selling/licensing rights anywhere outside of North America (and usually a designated set of territories).

Novel: Book-length fiction. Therefore, note that it is redundant to say “fiction novel.”

O

Option: Also called the right of first refusal. This is a clause found in almost every publishing contract that gives the publisher the right to have a first look at your next book before you can show it to any other publishers.

P

Partial: A partial is not as common as it used to be. A partial is what an agent used to ask for before requesting a full manuscript. Usually for fiction. It includes a cover letter, a designated number of chapters from the book, and a synopsis.

Pitch: Frequently verbal, the pitch is your Blurb. It’s a one-paragraph (or so) description of your book. It’s what you use to describe the story and entice readers to read the book.

Placement: When your book gets special treatment in the bookstore. Outside of just putting your book on the shelf where it belongs, publishers can pay to have it placed on tables, endcaps, or displays.

Platform: A term typically used for nonfiction authors, it’s what makes a writer stand out from all of those with similar credentials. A platform is more than just your work experience or educational background, it is the media coverage, social media following, or speaking engagements that give you national recognition to potential readers.

Preempt: When a publisher makes an advance and royalty offer high enough to take the book off the auction table. In other words, a publisher offers enough money that the author and agent agree that they will sell the book without asking for bids from other publishers.

POD: An abbreviated term for Print on Demand. Print books that are only made to order. They don’t often appear in bookstores, but are frequently available online.

Print-on-Demand: ***see POD

Proofs/Page proofs: This is the last stage of editing that a book goes through. They are a copy of the designed pages, and the author is given one last chance to review the typesetter’s “proofs” to check for typos or other small errors. Proofs are also what are used to make review copies for reviewers and sometimes rights sales.

Proposal: A proposal is what an agent will ask to see from nonfiction authors. This is also what they’ll sell the book from. A proposal includes an overview of the book, a detailed bio, a table of contents, an expanded table of contents, detailed marketing, competitive information, and of course sample writing material (usually a chapter or two).

Pseudonym: A fictitious name often used by writers who want to hide their real identities. The use of a pseudonym can happen for a variety of reasons. Some writers prefer to keep their real identity hidden because they are writing something potentially controversial (erotic romance, for example), while others like to create alternate identities for different styles of writing, and even others use a pseudonym as a way to re-launch a stalled career.

Publicity: Advertising that is free. Publicity includes magazine and newspaper articles, radio and television interviews, and of course Facebook and other networking Web sites.

Q

Query: A one-page letter sent to agents or editors in an attempt to obtain representation. A query letter should include all of the author’s contact information—name, address, phone, email, and Web site—as well as the title of the book, genre, author bio if applicable, and a short, enticing blurb of the book. A query letter is your introduction and sometimes only contact with an agent and should not be taken lightly.

R

Revisions: This is when the bulk of your edits are done. Revisions are typically done with the editor acquiring your book and sometimes with your agent before even submitting a project. Revisions can include anything from fixing punctuation to rewriting the entire book. It’s a collaborative process between the agent or editor and the author.

Right of First Refusal: Also called the option clause. This is a clause found in almost every publishing contract that gives the publisher the right to have a first look at your next book before you can show it to any other publishers.

Royalties: The percentage of the sales (monetary) an author receives for each copy of the book sold.

RWA: Romance Writers of America is the national organization of romance and women’s fiction writers and a great source of information for all writers.

S

SCBWI: The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators is the national organization for children’s book authors.

Sell-Through: This is the most important number in publishing. It’s the percentage of books shipped that have actually sold. For example, if your publisher shipped 100,000 books but only sold 40,000, your sell-through is 40%. Not so great. However, if your publisher shipped 50,000 books, and sold 40,000, your sell-through would be 80%. A fantastic number. Used for print copies only.

Serial Rights: These are rights for serialization often sold to magazines. Cosmopolitan magazine, for example, was once serializing erotic romances, which means they paid to publish a portion of the book around the same time the book is first published.

SFWA: Science-Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America is the national organization of science fiction and fantasy writers and a great source of information for all writers.

Single Title: A term typically used in romance (the romance genre) to differentiate category books from those published by other publishers. Single title books tend not to follow strict guidelines like category romances do and can be published by publishers like St. Martin’s Press, Berkley Publishing, Random House, etc. Mira and HQN are Harlequin imprints that also publish single title. Single titles tend to be longer, 80,000 to 100,000 words. Note, single title books can be part of a series.

Slush/Slush Pile: Any material sent to an agent or an editor that has not been requested.

Stand-Alone: Stand-alone books are those that are not part of a series. This would mean the book is not at all connected to another, aka Razorblade Tears. Any book that is even loosely connected to another (set in the same world and/or recurring characters) would be considered a series.

Subsidiary Rights, aka Sub Rights: These are rights to use the books in other formats. Sub rights could include foreign translation rights, book club rights, movie rights, audio rights, etc.

Synopsis: A detailed, multipage description of the book that includes all major plot points as well as the conclusion.

T

Tag Line: The one line often used on the front cover of the book to grab a reader’s attention. Tag lines, while fun for writers to write, really aren’t necessary until you have a publishing contract.

TOC: An abbreviation often used in publishing to describe the table of contents, otherwise thought of as the general outline and organization of your book.

Trade: To make it easy, trade is the shortened name for trade paperback books and is basically any paperback size that is not mass market.

V

Vanity Press: A publisher that publishes the author’s work at the author’s expense (not a recommended way to seek publication by most agents or editors). Remember, money should always flow to the author, not away.

Voice: The author’s style or characteristics of the author’s writing that are unique to that person.

W

WNDB: We Need Diverse Books is an organization dedicated to more supporting the publication of more books featuring diverse characters.

World Rights: When World Rights are sold/licensed to the publisher the publisher has the ability to represent the book on the author’s behalf and sell foreign translation rights anywhere in the world. Keep in mind that the author does get a piece of the pie no matter where the book is published.

Y

YA or Young Adult: Books targeting a teen audience, typically featuring characters between the ages of 14-17.