Book publishing glossary of terms

Authorhouse helps writers become published authors with a presence in the market. To help you gain a better understanding of whats happening to your project, weve compiled a glossary of terms that we commonly use in our industry. Acknowledgments the section of a book in which the author gives recognition or honor to. Thats why weve created this cheat sheet of words and phrases to help you through the process. Next in this self publishing glossary of terms is another acronym. The editor who does the substantive editing of a book, with. Whether youre new to the book publishing industry or youve been around for years, theres probably at least a few publishing terms youre not completely familiar with.

This glossary is your guide to book production, design and publishing terms. Authors can choose to publish exclusively through amazon or go wide see below. Publishing glossary a curated list of the industry terms and phrases aspiring and professional writers need to know language is power, and to that end we at the editorial department have come up with a glossary of commonlyused terms and abbreviations in the book publishing industry. Including a glossary page in your selfpublished book. Glossary of publishing and editing terms paul dudenhefer. These terms will not only help you understand the process of book production. The books interior will only be printed in black ink, with one color black on both sides of the page. A group at a publishing house that approves the acquisition of a book, that is, purchasing an authors work for publication.

If youre stumped by publishing parlance, then by all means use shelf helps free selfpublishing glossary of publishing and marketing terms. If you feel that the topic or the complexity of your book calls for a glossary of terms, then by all means, include one. Book printing glossary below youll find a list of terms and their definitions to common book printing terms. Nonperiodic printed publication of at least 49 pages exclusive of the cover pages. Also may be a trading center for the sale of books and rights and the making of publishing and copublishing arrangements. These terms will not only help you navigate the process of book production, but will help you build success for your book. Hopefully, our glossary will help you unravel some of the jargon used by book collectors and book sellers.

If you are not familiar with some of the common publishing terms, check out this glossary of publishingrelated words and phrases. When done correctly, these alphabetized lists of defined terms can be very useful tools for readersbut theres more to creating a good glossary than you might imagine. A more complete guide to book sizes, book conditions and binding terms can be found through the aforementioned links. Glossary of printing terms book printing experts for.

Each article is usually written by a different scholar, and each usually treats a different aspect of the topic. None of this is ever to merely compare an authors manuscript to similar works. Publisher guidelines glossary of book publishing terms. Fair a book in very worn condition, but all of its important parts and dust jacket if one was issued must be present. Advance the money a publisher pays an author to publish their book. This abbreviated glossary covers only the most commonly encountered terms. A glossary of publishing terms that are important for independently published selfpublished authors to understand. Print on demand books are printed when the order is placed. A book must sell a certain number of copies to earn back the advance before the author collects royalties, but the money does not have to be returned if the books dont. We hope this quick glossary helps in your collecting.

It has been revised for the third 2008 edition of the c. Book publishing glossary nathan bransford writing, book editing. Below youll find a list of terms and their definitions to common book printing terms. The books interior will be printed in full color 4color cmyk, with ink on both sides of the page. Distributor a company that buys books from a publisher or other distributors and resells them to retail accounts. Youll find centuriesold publishing lingo, 21st century jargon, and dozens of other terms in the independent book publishers associations ibpas the language of publishing. The advance must earn out before the author or illustrator receives another payment. Glossary of library terms library terminology research. Usually sewn and glued, hardcover books are then bound with cardboard covers that are reinforced with. The first half of the glossary contains terms az and is followed by two book anatomy illustrations, descriptions of the various book sizes, a guide to condition ratings, and the most common abbreviations used in the world of. Search the glossary of book terms to unravel the puzzling language you may have found in the description of your book. Fine f a book that has no defects in book or jacket, but not as crisp as it was when new. Adding this section to the back matter of your book is a great way to assist.

This glossary covers approximately 150 general publishing terms and terms used only in childrens book publishing. This helpful guidebook is designed to help you effectively do business in the book world. First books sent to those who ordered, requested or were promised a book, generally before the book. Half title this page contains only the title of the book and is typically the first page you see when opening the cover. This book publishing glossary has been in the works for a while. We take great pride in making our clients feel confident about their jobs during the production process. Weve assembled an extensive book publishing glossary to help you navigate your way through this complex industry. Whether youre a rookie writer or a veteran author, youll need to know the language of the business. Editorial boards are typically comprised of an acquisitions editor, as well as representatives from the sales, marketing, and finance departments. Book publishers who charge authors for the cost to typeset and print their books, the jacket, etc. Assisted selfpublishing in assisted selfpublishing, authors pay to have their book published including editing, formatting, printing and marketing costs. This is a quick, handy guide in no particular order to many of the terms that writers will come across during all stages of editing and publishing. These terms will not only help you understand the process of book production, but will help you build success for your book.

Desktop publishing book design, layout, and production completed on a personal computer by specific software. Jul 02, 2008 if you are not familiar with some of the common publishing terms, check out this glossary of publishing related words and phrases. Self publishing glossary of terms penning and planning. E book electronic book a book published in electronic form that can be downloaded to computers or handheld devices.

Heres a list of 100 common publishing terms and their definitions, including the meanings of arc, high concept, simultaneous submissions, and so much more. Search jobs search internships publisher profiles publishing programs publishing organizations majordepartment guide commonly used terms publishing events is sponsored by the association of american publishers, the leading trade association for the u. This stands for kindle direct publishing, which is amazons book publishing platform. Glossary of publishing terms book publishing company. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The worst is better than none, and the best cannot be expected to go quite right. Ku stands for kindle unlimited, which is amazons book and audiobook subscription service. An edited volume is a single book containing articles on a particular topic. In this blog post, ill teach you two great ways to create a glossary for your book using microsoft word.

An atoz glossary of book publishing terms kindle edition by ibpa, independent book publishers association. Glossary a list of terms and definitions particular to the subject of the book. Below youll find a list of terms and their definitions to common book marketing terms and lingo. Toms glossary of book publishing terms right reading. Remember, most books dont have all of these, so use this glossary to get the parts you do have in the right place. An item that exists to be renegotiated and revised. Alkaline paper, free from chemicals that destroy paper. Some of the terminology used in book collecting can be arcane, indeed. Dec 08, 2017 including a glossary page in your selfpublished book. Also acts as a liaison between the author and designers. If a book or other library item is located at another location, you can page, or summon the book to be sent to your location. To bleed means to extend outside the normal trim area of a books page. It is called an edited volume because the volume has an editor who decides which articles get published in the book.

A list of terms and definitions particular to the subject of the book. Founded in 1997 by an aspiring author who recognized the need for a simple and effective self publishing process, authorhouse has grown into the worlds largest selfpublisher, providing premier book publishing and marketing services to authors. Ioba book terminology independent online booksellers. A digital printing technology that allows a complete book to be printed and bound individually, as opposed to traditional publishing that produces several hundred or thousand books in a lot. An illustration appearing before the first pages of a book. A literary agent will often request two to three of these from an author to work into the literary agents pitch to publishers. There are a lot of industry terms to learn when printing a book and we know it can feel overwhelming. Chances are youve heard industry professionals use their insider vernacular, and much of its been over your head. Weve assembled an extensive book publishing glossary to help you. Founded in 1997 by an aspiring author who recognized the need for a simple and effective selfpublishing process, authorhouse has grown into the worlds largest selfpublisher, providing premier book publishing and marketing services to authors. The process of printing and publishing a book has many steps, and when it comes to collecting rare books, the prepublication material can be as valuable if not more so than the actual book. A liferich publishing representative who acts as an authors point of contact during the production process from the time that all materials are received to the time the author approves publication of the book.

Just in the area of book design you run into terms like gutter margin and folio and face trim. A bound book that when opened by an editor will instantly expose an embarrassing mistake. A bleed is a bar, illustration, rule or other element that extends outside the trim area. Glossary of book marketing and publishing terms and industry services you are here. Defined as a book containing a selection of words from a language, usually arranged alphabetically, with information about their meanings, pronunciations, etymologies, inflected forms, parts of speech, style and usage guidelines, and so forth, expressed in either the same or another language. All rights other than book publishing rights included in a book publishing contract, such as paperback rights, book club. The cover may include notification that there may be typographical errors in the arc. First books sent to those who ordered, requested or were promised a book, generally before the book goes into distribution. It lasts longer, but costs more and is generally used for library books. Glossary of www technical terms if you cant find it here, check the acronyms or glossary of technical terms dictionaries are like watches. In book publishing, comps generally stands for competitive or comparative titlesauthors. Publishing terminology booklogix atlanta based book.

For example, to obtain a book from grand avenue library, an offsite usc library, will require you to page the item and pick it up from leavey. Abebooks glossary of book terms our glossary was designed to help visitors to our website understand unfamiliar book related terms. As part of a book proposal, it is a comprehensive summary condensed in a singlespaced page. This book publishing glossary compiled by a former literary agent and published author has all the terms you need to know from advance to wholesaler. A payment received when a book contract is signed, in advance of publication. Abebooks glossary of book terms our glossary was designed to help visitors to our website understand unfamiliar bookrelated terms. A representation of your unique identity and image. Desktop publishingbook design, layout, and production completed on a personal computer by specific software. To help you with the publishing company lingo, ive put together a glossary of terms that will help with the publishing process, no matter if youre writing fiction or nonfiction or a print book or digital book. Please let me know if i missed anything in the comments section and ill add it. Book publishing glossary nathan bransford writing, book. A glossary of book printing terms selfpublishing services. Entries designated with w appear only in this web version, not in the book.

This book publishing glossary been in the works for a while. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the language of publishing. Holds twiceyearly conferences that offer opportunities for publishers to reach. In fact, you can find a brief glossary of some of this book design terminology here. A strong brand is built on the ability to build and maintain relationships with readers by communicating with a unique and recognizable voice. Looking for help understanding commonly used book collecting terminology, or abbreviations and references used in book sellers descriptions. Language is power, and to that end we at the editorial department have come up with a glossary of commonlyused terms and abbreviations in the book publishing industry. Adding this section to the back matter of your book is a great way to assist your readers, educate them, and provide transparency. For quick reference, heres a cheat sheet of common components used in book design. Frontispiece an illustration appearing before the first pages of a book.

Any material, such as appendixes, notes, references, glossary or index, coming after the chapters of a book. Non periodic printed publication of at least 49 pages exclusive of the cover pages. Glossary and definitions of publishing terms wheatmark. Glossary of publishing terms filles vertes publishing, llc. What are the terms to distinguish these unique items.