GLOSSARY of COMMON TERMS
Anthology: A book that’s a collection of articles or stories written by several people.
ARC: Pre-publication advance review copy or advance reader copy. Send this when looking for media/trade/literary reviews, reader reviews you wanted posted as soon as you officially publish the book, and blurbs from endorsers (see below).
Back matter: Material at the end of the book, including the author bio, a list of other books from the author, and enticements to join the author’s mailing list.
Beta Reader: These are your (unpaid) pre-release readers. Pick a handful, hand out your MS & give them a deadline for when you’d like their critiques back.
Binding: How a printed book is assembled between the covers. A book’s spine results from the binding process. Paperback books typically have a “perfect binding” but other binding options include saddle stitching and spiral coil.
Blurb: An endorsement or testimonial from an influencer. (Some people also refer to the book’s description as a “blurb.”) A blurb goes on the front and/or back cover, online sales pages, your website, and, when there are a lot of them, inside the book as part of the front matter (see below).
Book proposal: A detailed document that’s used to secure a nonfiction book publisher. It has many sections, including an overview, audience description, table of contents, and sample chapters.
Callout: Boxed text used as a graphic element in a nonfiction book.
Character: The star (or stars of your ‘show’)
Conflict: Here’s the problem. No really, here’s where you decide what the problem (or challenge) is going to be for your characters/storyline. There must be a conflict for there to be a story.
Copyright: Protects original works of authorship so others can’t profit from it without your permission. Learn more at copyright.gov.
Foreword: An introduction to the book from an influencer. Not to be confused with “forward.” When the author writes the foreword, it’s called a preface. (See below.)
Front matter: Pages that precede the main part of the book, where the story begins — blurbs, copyright, title, dedication, foreword, preface, introduction, table of contents, etc.
Galley: The edited book in typeset form without a cover. Used for proofreading and final author review instead of a PDF file. Sometimes used for blurbs and trade/media/literary reviews.
Introduction: Appears after the table of contents of a nonfiction book to explain special features, highlight the book’s structure, and provide specifics that might help the reader get as much as possible from the book.
ISBN: International Standard Book Number, an identifier that’s unique to your book. It’s required for retail sales of printed and audiobooks unless the author is the retailer
Literary Agent: An individual/company that represents authors in seeking publishing.
Logline: A one-sentence book description.
Metadata: Book specifics such as title, author name, publication date, description, size, keywords, and so on. Think of it as search engine optimization — SEO — for books. It helps your book get found in online searches.
MS: manuscript
MSS: manuscripts
Pantser: A writer who lets the story unfold freely & unplanned
Planner: One who plans out their MS
Plot: The meat of what happens in your story. from set up (introduction) to conflict (see below) to resolution (the end).
Point of View (POV): Who’s telling the story? First-person (“I”) Third-person (he/she) Limited (one character’s perspective) or omniscient (all-knowing narration). Be consistent, whatever you choose. Oh, and don’t use second-person (you) for storytelling. It rarely, if ever, reads well.
Preface: The author’s story behind the nonfiction book — why the author wrote it, etc. It appears in the front matter.
Print on demand/POD: A publishing method that allows a company to print a single book only when there’s an order. Amazon CreateSpace is a POD publisher.
Proof copy: Sometimes referred to as a galley (see above), it’s the edited manuscript that the proofreader uses.
Query: Sending (via email, form, snail mail) requests for representation (by literary agents) or submitting a MS for consideration to a publishing house. This requires specific instructions/guidelines to be followed.
Setting: This is where the story takes place & can be one or multiple locations and/or time periods.
Special market/special sales: Non-bookstore retail outlets and opportunities, such as health clubs, museums, and gift shops.
Street team: Volunteers who agree to help you share information about your book among their social networks and elsewhere in an organized manner under your direction. Responsibilities usually include writing and posting an honest review on retail sites that include Amazon, BN.com, and Goodreads.
Style: This is the sound of your story – how things are said. Is your MC a fast-talking, slick dude? Or a proper lady? Is it a rom-com with quick, witty banter or an epic sci-fi adventure with nerd-speak (I’m kidding, I’m kidding).
Theme: This is the why of your story. What’s the reason for it? What do you want your readers to understand?
Tone: What’s the vibe of the story, emotionally? Upbeat? Humorous? Melancholy?
W.I.P.: this is your manuscript, aka Work In Progress
