Insider's Guide to a Careers in Book Publishing

terms from the glossary

Advance Reader’s Copy (ARC)

A prepublication of a book for promotion and reviews. The final proofread hasn’t happened yet, so there are still typos.

Back copy

Anything that is put on the back of the book. For hardcover, usually quotes, reviews. For paperback, author bio, description.

Backlist

books anywhere from 3 months old to out of print. These books are staples in a publishing house and reliably make money.

Blurb

A quote from another published author or other big name in the industry related to the book. Says that they enjoyed the book, used as a rec. Usually on the back.

Board Books

Format for children’s books where the pages are made out of thick cardboard.

Children’s/ adult

the difference between working with children’s books and adult books. Two very different industries, usually in marketing.

Face out/ spine out

how books are put on a shelf. Spine out, usual way. Face out, book’s cover facing people. This sells more, but spine out is much more space efficient.

Flap copy

Appears on the inside flap of a hardcover. Description, author bio, maybe quotes/blurbs.

First and second serial

The rights to print an excerpt of the book in a magazine or newspaper. First comes before the pub date. Second is any excerpt after the pub date.

Frontlist

Brand new books published in the last three months.

Format

The binding of the book. Hardcover, trade paperback, mass market paperback, audio, board book, e-book and reinforced binding for libraries.

Galley

A prepublication copy of a book, usually for publicity, like blurbs and long reviews. Made after the first pass, so still lots of typos. The cover is plain or paper.

Genre

The subject that the fiction book falls under. When people say “genre books” they mean adult novels that fall into any one of the genre categories, like literary fiction, Western, romance, fantasy, etc.

Imprint/ Division

Smaller publishers that combine under a major publisher. Usually have a specific type of book they publish.

ISBN

International Standard Book Number. 13 digits. It’s supposed to be unique to every book, but there are sometimes mistakes. ISBN’s are owned by a company called Bowker; publishers must buy ISBN from them for every book.

(978 or 979. Then 1 or 0, to denote English. The next two-four are publisher-specific. The final digits are calculated based on an algorithm of the other numbers)

Ladder

When the end of two or more lines is a hyphen or dash.

Mass market

Smallest size of paperbacks, usually sold in grocery stores or airports.

New Adult

An emerging genre with YA characters being brought into their twenties.

One-off

A product that is very different from what the imprint or department usually publishes. Like a children’s department publishing an adult novel.

Orphans

Three or less characters on a line by themselves. Product editors get rid of them as much as possible.

Out of Print

or, OP. The publisher has no more copies of a book and has no intention of making more. Technically means that the rights go back to the author or original publisher. Also used when rights are retained.

Out of Stock Indefinitely

or, OSI. Run out of books, no intent to make more, but want to keep the rights. No real difference between OS and OSI in practice.

Premium Paperback

Paperback that’s a little taller and more expensive than other paperbacks.

Print on Demand

Quick, online printing. Then you don’t have to store a bunch in a warehouse. Publishers may also have contracts with distribution services to keep books on POD. They usually cost more but when demand drops, publishers take this route

Running heads

text at the top of a page. Can be book title, chapter title, author’s name, or a combo.

Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope (SASE)

Authors can send a SASE with their mailed submission so the publisher has less work. Not very common now.

Shelf talker

hang from under a book on the shelf. Usually booksellers can put info or why they recommend the book to their patrons.

Slush

The pile of manuscripts sent by writers to editors and agents.

Stacks

When the last word of two or more lines is the same. Can make a reader accidentally read the same line twice. Developmental editors try to get rid of them.

Strippable

Mass market, premium mass market, and some trade paperbacks are stippable. Denoted by a triangle with an S somewhere on the cover. Instead of shipping unsold books back to publishers, the covers are ripped off for credit. Books for sale without a cover are stolen goods!

Subsidiary rights

Rights other than the initial publication. Translation, dramatic rights, large-print, etc.

Trade Paperback

The biggest size of paperbacks; all books that are not mass market

Trade Publishing

Publishing focused on the average reader. Not in subcategories such as religious, professional, reference, etc.

Widows

A line at the top of the page that is not complete. Editors try to get rid of them for reader experience.

Young Adult

Books for teenagers, with lots of overlap with Middle Grade.