Every industry has its esoteric lingo. Trendsetter’s LEXICON is a place to look up vocab you don’t know and a place to share your book-biz wisdom. Click “comment” and write your definition, cheeky or earnest, below. We want as many definitions as possible and want to know how the words have changed with the times. Come one, come all–let’s clear up some jargon.
The editor, or department, whose job is to purchase manuscripts for publication.
"The dream job." — by
An amount of money paid to the author by the publisher for their written work, paid before publication.
A sales model in which the manufacturer is paid only when the item is purchased.
A representative for a writer and their written works, who advances their work to publishers to, hopefully, negotiate and sell said work.
Advanced Reading Copy, aka bound galley or uncorrected proof. Pre-publication copy of a book sent to reviewers, booksellers, etc. to generate word-of-mouth and promote sales.
"Also: the boat in which Noah saved reviewers endangered by the deluge of free books." — by
After book is published, author must self-publicize locally and via social media to help drive book sales.
A form through which a publisher asks the author for opinions in making the marketing and publicity plans for a work. Usually includes specific questions about the book’s audience and how to reach that audience, a brief description of the book, and some information about the author.
Business to Business, refers to one business communicating with, collaborating with, or selling to another.
An unexpected success or phenomenon. I.e., the success of the Harry Potter franchise was considered to be a black swan because of its YA status and JK Rowling being an unknown author. Publishers ‘look’ for black swans; however, it is impossible to tell whether a title will be a black swan unless it actually becomes unexpectedly successful!
A series of guest appearances on some number of compatible blogs over a set period of time.
A brief advertisement, notice, endorsement, or excerpted review, usually on a book jacket or cover, expressing praise and/or recommendation.
Meets with sales reps, reviews publisher’s catalogues, decides whether to stock the book.
Description of a proposed book that an author sends to a publisher, often including sample chapters and an outline.
"See: http://www.geekologie.com/2011/04/marital-magic-harry-potter-wed.php" — by
A physically present outlet for bookselling, i.e., a bookstore.
When two publishing houses agree to publish the same edition of a book (or equivalent versions of an edition, for example, translated versions), simultaneously or near-simultaneously.
Assessment of the difference between a firm’s performance and that of its competitors, and detection and examination of the factors that cause the difference.
Digital Asset Distribution, or the distribution of digital material.
Decides on the best stylistic approach for the book’s cover and interior.
"music magazine" — by
A term to describe one who never knew of a world without internet.
"[...] a Facebook when I was 16), it’s like a first language to us (the technical term for this is “digital native”). So make sure to play up the fact that, for you, working with social media ain’t no thang (I [...]" — by
Fulfills orders for the book, monitors sales and supply chain, along with platforms that distribute the ebook.
An entry-level title for those working at book publishing houses and magazines. The amount an editorial assistant gets to write, or edit, varies widely.
Approached by agents to negotiate the manuscript’s sale. Managing editorial plans the project’s workflow and schedule. Editor works with author to achieve the desired tone and structure for the book.
Responsible for the mission of the publication. Guides the themes of publication, plans the long-term editorial calendar, oversees production, hires writers and lower-level editors, and completes some line editing of their own. Depending on the size of the publication, the editorial director may oversee some area of finances, graphic design, or final publication.
A section of rights that allows a publisher to digitally publish a work.
An ebook that boasts special multimedia features, such as an audio or video author interview, which is sold for a slightly higher price than the standard ebook.
Short for ‘electronic publication’. Free and open ebook standard. Files have the extension .epub.
Author information, synopses of the story, blurbs, review quotes, etc., designed to help sell a book, located in the book’s ‘flaps’–the inner foldings of the jacket.
A pre-publication copy of a work designed for advanced reading. Galleys are usually not fully corrected and may be missing sections, such as the dedication page or the table of contents.
The white space formed by the inner margins of two facing pages in a bound book, magazine, or newspaper.
A subsection of a larger publisher. Ex., Atria is one of the imprints of Simon & Schuster.
Joint venture. An agreement between two or more companies to collaborate on a specific task or initiative.
The release or unveiling of a new work, service, publication or book by a house, publisher, or other media outlet.
"A great extended definition from the folks at Sourcebooks! http://www.sourcebooks.com/next-publishing/1717-the-publishing-processlaunching-a-book-into-awesome.html" — by
Another way to refer to “traditional” publishing houses–those that follow the editorial, ~17% author royalties, subsidiary rights-totin’ model.
One-sentence summary of a written work.
A way of describing a marketplace where many products are offered, but only a few of each of those many products being purchased. Backlist in publishing is considered ‘long tail’ since there are many titles available and each is purchased moderately (usually).
Gets word out about the book through advertising and promotional projects.
The elements and strategy of advertising a book.
Marketing can be described as promotion a publisher pays for, while publicity consists of more of a voluntary coverage.
Information packet gathered on a person, publication, or event, usually including a news release, story summary, background details, and any additional information needed.
Mobi, most often seen as .mobi, is a Mobipocket ebook file. It is one of a few formats (including epub, ibook, etc.) that ebook files can be delivered in. It was purchased in 2005, and is currently still owned, by Amazon, after being created by French company Mobipocket.
A single document that summarizes a work or publication for publicity and sales.
Online information exchange, refers to use of xml formats within the book trade. ONIX feeds are essentially used to carry metadata and all other relevant information that allows exchange of books and book information online. Eg.: an ONIX feed helps a publisher communicate essential information such as author name, pricing, and page count to Amazon, which in turn lists the information on a book’s buy page online.
Profit and Loss Statement. Used to predict the sales of a book an editor wants to acquire, using the author’s previous titles’ sales (if any) and comparable titles’s sales.
Similar to a query, a pitch is a short, verbal, face-to-face introduction of a story or work to a prospective publisher. The ‘elevator speech’ of manuscript submission.
Critical publicity time before publication where a house or publisher creates buzz about its upcoming work(s) or book(s).
A written or recorded communication directed at members of the news media for the purpose of announcing something newsworthy, i.e., the release date of a long-awaited book.
Gets ‘finished’ manuscripts from editorial, sends to copyeditors, keeps track of design progress, deals with printers, distributors, and/or ebook conversion.
A person, group, or company responsible for the promotion and advertisement of a book.
Connects author with media outlets and interested audiences.
Individual or corporation responsible for the printing and distribution of digital or printed publications.
An inquiry from a writer to an agent concerning the agent’s interest in representing an author and his or her work.
Th act of greatly discounting unsold print copies of a book (usually hardcover or trade paperbacks), by marking them with a felt-tipped pen across the book’s pages, near the spine. Once these are sold, no more printings are run and the book is out of print. The books themselves are known as “remainders.”
An agreed portion of the proceeds for the use of an artistic work, which is paid to its author or copyright owner, usually based upon a percentage of the retail price of each copy sold.
Approaches retailers who might be interested in the book, presents evidence of publicity and marketing that will help the book sell.
A collection of unsolicited manuscripts received by a publisher or publishing house.
The selling of a book to a non-book specializing outlet, such as a toy store.
The right to publish an original work in varying ways, such as different outlets, formats, and/or media.
An area of rights which distinguishes the ability to print in an Area (i.e., Spain) vs. the language of that area (i.e., Spanish).
A written or spoken statement, from a well-known figure (celebrity endorsement) or a consumer, praising the quality of a publication or work.
The final size of a printed page after excess edges have been cut off.
A print of a book released prior to the general release, and prior to final editing, generally plainly bound and distributed for promotional purposes.
Marketing communications documents designed to promote the work(s) or book(s) of a specific company.
Has an idea for a book, writes it, edits it into a manuscript, sends it to an agent.
XML is a digital markup language designed to transport and store data, with focus on what data means. It differs from HTML, which was designed to display data, with focus on how data looks. A more complete look at the nature of XML can be found here.
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