Publishing

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Random House Word Menu by Stephen Glazier

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aa - designation for author’s alterations on galley proofs, for which compositor must be paid
ABA - American Booksellers Association; its annual spring trade convention for the publishing industry
abridge - (vb) shorten or condense a text
academic press - publishing house usu. specializing in scholarly works, often owned by university; university press
acknowledgments - author’s credit and thanks to family, colleagues, assistants, contributors, editors, and researchers, usu. in front matter
acquisitions editor - publishing house editor who reviews and secures new writers and projects
ad card - list of author’s books, usu. facing title page; card page
addendum - supplementary information published after book’s initial publication
advance - publisher’s payment to author that is earned back from a percentage of book’s income from sales and subsidiary rights
advance copy - copy of book available before publication date
appendix - supplementary information or material at back of book
author - writer, esp. of books
author’s tour - promotional trip by author to publicize book’s publication
backlist - list of publisher’s previous publications still in print
back matter - information following main body of book text, including appendix, index, bibliography, and/or glossary
bestseller - book that sells extremely well, usu. for a short period of time
bibliography - list of source materials and related readings
binding - spine, cover, and end papers of bound volume
blockbuster - enormous bestseller
blueline - contact print from offset negative that is final proof before press run; blues
blue-pencil - (vb) make editor’s corrections, usu. in blue pencil
blues - Informal. blueline
blurb - comment, usu. from well-known person or authority, praising book, used in promotion and advertising; puff
boards - rigid covers for book, attached at spine
bodice ripper - Informal. cheap, sensationalist, often hackneyed romantic or thriller novel
BOM proof - cut and bound proof of uncorrected galleys, orig. made for submission to Book-of-the-Month Club
bookbinding - process of fitting printed pages into protective covers to form book
book club - membership organization offering books for sale through mail
book jacket - often decorative, removable paper cover that protects book binding and usu. gives information about book and author
bookman - one who sells books for a publisher; sales rep
bookplate - label identifying book’s owner
bookseller - person in retail business of selling books
bookstall - stand where books are sold, esp. outdoors
bookstore - retail business establishment that stocks and sells books
bound galleys - uncorrected galleys cut and bound in booklike form for final corrections and revisions
buckram binding - coarse cotton or linen stiffened with glue or sizing for binding books
bulk - thickness of book, based on weight of paper and number of pages
caption - description under illustration or photograph
card page - ad card
caret - proofreader’s mark indicating place where material is to be inserted
case - book cover ready to be fitted with pages
cast off - (vb) estimate number of pages a manuscript will make in book form
censorship - practice of removing or restricting material published
chain - national network of bookstores owned by one company
chapter opening - first page of new chapter
chapter title - heading for book chapter
children’s books - juvenile books
clothbound - (adj) designating hardbound book with cloth-covered boards
colophon - publisher’s logo or identifying mark
contents - list of book parts, including chapters, bibliography, index, and illustrations
copy - material to be printed and published
copyediting - correction and revision of grammatical, stylistic, and factual elements of book
copyeditor - person who corrects and revises grammatical, stylistic, and factual elements of book
copyreader - person who checks proofs or copy for errors
copyright - exclusive legal right to publish and sell a written work, designated ©
crane - cut and bound uncorrected galley proof
crime novel - fiction genre that focuses on criminal acts and characters
dedication - inscription of book to person or cause
desktop publishing - publication of materials using personal computers and printers with graphic capabilities and various type fonts
detective novel - fiction genre emphasizing crime detection
dime novel - melodramatic or sensational novel of late 19th and early 20th century, sold in paperback for ten cents
dust cover - protective paper jacket around hardbound book; dust jacket; jacket
dust jacket - dust cover
edit - (vb) work on written material, esp. with writers, to prepare it for publication
edition - particular imprint or publishing run of book
editor - person who works with writers and prepares written material for publication
editorial director - supervisor of editorial staff and policies of publishing house; editor in chief
editor in chief - policymaking executive and principal editor, esp. of magazine or journal; editorial director
educational publishing - publication of textbooks
end papers - decorative binding papers inside book cover
epilogue - additional commentary at end of book
errata slip - list of errors in a publication with their corrections, inserted on a separate sheet of paper slipped into book
excerpt - passage of book reproduced, esp. for review
ex libris - Latin. lit. from the library; owner’s bookplate
faction - blend of actual events and people into fictional story
f and g’s - printed, folded, gathered sheets ready for binding into book form
fascicle - one section of book published in separate parts
fiction - imaginative work involving invented prose narrative
first edition - book printed in first print run of publication
flyleaf - blank leaf in front or back of book
folio - book page size; one-half sheet of foolscap
footnote - note at page bottom with additional information or commentary on text
foreword - introductory statement
format - physical dimensions of publication
frontispiece - illustrated page preceding title page of book
front matter - material preceding book’s main text, esp. acknowledgments, dedication, foreword, and introduction
galley proof - first printed correction proof, orig. pulled from type in galley tray
gathering - section in book, usu. a sheet cut into various leaves
genre - distinct literary category such as poetry, thriller, detective novel, or gothic novel
ghost writer - person who writes for another person, under that person’s name, without receiving credit as author
glossary - list of defined vocabulary terms used in text
gothic novel - fiction genre using melodramatic, dark, romantic, and often frightening elements
government press - state-operated publishing house
hack - writer aiming at commercial success who produces banal and mediocre work; writer able to produce assigned work competently and quickly
half title - title set on first page of book and before beginning of text
hard copy - printout of text stored on computer
hardcover - book bound in stiff boards rather than paper
holiday reading - diverting books intended for readers on vacation
house - publishing house
house style - editorial style of particular publishing company
imprint - publisher’s name printed on book’s title page; division within publishing house
index - list of names, terms, ideas, and facts in book arranged alphabetically with page numbers for location in text
in-print - (adj) designating book currently available for sale
International Standard Book Number - ISBN; unique number code imprinted on book
introduction - formal statement of intention or scope of book
ISBN - International Standard Book Number
jacket - dust cover
juvenile books - books of fiction or nonfiction for children, often illustrated
Kirkus Reviews - Trademark. book review service
launch - promotional sales campaign at time of publication
leader - book expected to sell best during particular season and receiving greatest attention and promotion from publisher, esp. paperback
leaf - single sheet or page
lexicon - listing of words in one language
line editing - working line by line through manuscript to improve and clarify tone, text, sequence, phrasing, and style
list - publisher’s catalog of new titles to be published in particular season, esp. spring or fall
literary agent - author’s representative, esp. in sale and contract negotiations with publisher
literary publishing - publication of literature, as opposed to purely commercial fiction and nonfiction
literary work - written work of literary merit, esp. of imaginative or critical nature
long discount - forty or fifty percent discount given by publisher when selling books in multiple quantities, usu. to wholesalers and retailers
mail-order publishing - book publication or distribution by mail, esp. through book clubs
manuscript - book in author’s original form, usu. typewritten or word-processed
mass market - (adj) designating small, rack-size paperback book, esp. for distribution on newsstands
ms - manuscript
mystery - fiction genre emphasizing suspense
nonfiction - writing based on fact, not invention
np - no pagination; designation for published work without page numbers
option - right to develop published literary work for other media; publisher’s right of first refusal on author’s next work
oral history - oral recollections of people representative of certain historic period, usu. tape-recorded
out-of-print - (adj) designating book no longer available from publisher
overrun - copies of book printed beyond actual orders received
overstock - excess copies of specific book that publisher cannot sell
over-the-transom - manuscripts submitted to magazine, publisher, or agent without prior arrangement
packager - independent contractor who conceives idea for book, finds authors, illustrators, and designers, and makes business arrangement with publisher for publication and, sometimes, production
page proofs - printed sheets in page form
paperback - book bound in flexible, paper cover
paperbound - (adj) designating paperback book
part title - page showing title of major portion or part of book
permissions - right to exploit published matter in some form
piracy - illegal publishing of copyrighted material
plagiarism - appropriation and publication of another’s writing without consent
pocket book - rack-size paperback book
potboiler - fast-paced, heavily plotted popular fiction produced for financial gain only
preface - introductory matter at front of book
prepack - marketing package for store display containing several copies of book
presales - planning session of sales force and management on development of sales campaign for books
presentation copy - book copy to be formally presented by author as gift, often with special binding
printer’s error - error introduced into typeset copy by compositor, who cannot charge to correct it
printing - mass production of printed material into book or periodical form
proof - trial impression of type, for correction and revision
proofreader - person who checks printed copy for errors
proofreading marks - standardized symbols used to indicate corrections and revisions in text sent to printer
proof sheet - trial printing of single page for correction and revision
pub date - Informal. publication date
publication - printing and distribution of book or periodical; something that is published
publication date - date on which published book is first available for sale; pub date
public domain - material that is not copyrighted and can be published without permission or payment
publicist - person responsible for informing media and public of book’s publication
publicity - exposure and promotion of new book in media
publisher - person or company engaged in publication of books and periodicals; chief executive of publishing house
Publishers Weekly - Trademark. PW; news magazine of publishing industry
publishing - business and practice of reproducing and issuing for sale books or periodicals
publishing house - company engaged in soliciting, editing, publishing, and selling of books; house
puff - blurb
puff piece - uncritical article written to publicize book
pulp - cheap, hackneyed fiction
PW - Publishers Weekly
rack-size - (adj) describing typical format of paperback for mass market
reader - person who reviews manuscripts for publisher
recto - right-hand page of book
redact - (vb) edit or revise, adapt for publication
reissue - newly printed edition of previously published book; reprint
rejection slip - notice of publisher’s rejection of manuscript
release - date or act of publication; sheet sent out to media to publicize book, author, or event
remainder - (vb) sell book at lowered price, usu. from overstock; (n) book that has been remaindered
replacement - newly released book that replaces old book on store shelves
reprint - reissue
reserves - royalty payments withheld from author until it is certain that bookstores will not return distributed copies of book
returns - unsold books returned by bookseller for credit from publisher
review - published critical assessment of new book
review copy - advance complimentary copy of book for reviewer
revision - change in manuscript or edition
rights and permissions - right to reprint, excerpt, condense, or otherwise exploit published matter in some form, negotiated by department of publishing company; permissions
romance - fiction genre that presents melodramatic love story
royalty - author’s percentage of profits from book sale
running foot - material printed at bottom of each page, usu. title, author’s name, chapter title, or subject of page or section
running head - material printed at top of each page, usu. title, author’s name, chapter title, or subject of page or section
sales conference - marketing meeting where new books are presented to publisher’s salespeople, who then solicit orders
sales force - publishing house employees involved with selling books to bookstores, wholesalers, and others
scholarly publishing - publication of books and periodicals on academic, research, or scholarly topics
science fiction - fiction genre focusing on speculation about future, other worlds, or highly advanced alien technologies
self-publishing - books financed and published by author
serial rights - commercial rights to publication of parts of work in magazine or newspaper, either before or after book publication
shelf life - duration for which books are stocked by bookstores before being returned to publisher
short discount - discount given by publishers to libraries, colleges, and other institutions who will not resell the books
signature - folded, printed sheets to be bound into book pages
sinkage - distance from page top to first line of type or illustration
slush pile - Informal. unsolicited manuscripts submitted to publishing company, rarely published
small press - publishing house with limited output, sometimes in specialized field
special sales - sales of book other than through normal wholesale and retail channels, as in special outlets or to particular market
spine - binding that connects book’s covers along one edge
spiral binding - binding with coiled wire through holed paper
submission - manuscript offered to publisher, usu. by agent
subsidiary rights - allied rights related to a book, including paperback, serialization, television and motion picture, electronic, and foreign publication rights
synopsis - abstract of written work, as by reader in publishing house
technical publishing - publication of research, educational, review, or report material in scientific and technological fields
text - written body of book
textbook publishing - publication and distribution to schools and universities of teaching manuals and textbooks
thriller - fiction genre incorporating fantastic, suspenseful, or exciting situations
title - name of publication; published book
title page - book page with title, author’s name, and publisher’s imprint
trade book - book for general market, distributed largely through bookstores and libraries
trade paperback - large-size paperbound book for general market, distributed largely through bookstores
trade publishing - publication of hardcover and paperback books of interest to general public distributed largely through bookstores and libraries
translation - text rendered in language other than original language in which it was written and published
trim size - page size after final cutting; dimensions of cover
typescript - typewritten manuscript copy
unabridged - (adj) designating complete text of book, story, or article; uncut
uncut - (adj) unabridged
unedited - (adj) not modified by editorial changes
university press - academic press
unpaginated - (adj) denoting book, usu. brief or for children, with no page numbers; np
unsolicited manuscript - book or article submitted to publisher without prior arrangement
vanity press - company that charges authors a fee to publish their work
verso - left-hand page of book
vetting - legal and expert checking of book’s contents, esp. facts
western - fiction genre featuring cowboy, Indian, and outlaw stories from U.S. West of 19th century
young adult books - category of books for teenagers