Glossary
A
Agent
A literary agent works with traditional publishing houses and helps writers get their stories published and sold in bookshops or online.
Assignment
(content commissioning)
An assignment (or content commissioning) is an expression used when delegating content creation in exchange for a fee.
Auction
(Book Bidding)
A glossary also known as a vocabulary or clavis, is an alphabetical list of terms in a particular domain of knowledge with the definitions
Author copies
Author copies are copies of a book given by the publisher to the author free of charge. In the contract between the author and publisher
Average Word Count
Average word count refers to the length of a book and, more precisely, the number of words typical for a specific genre.
ARC
An Advance Reader Copy (ARC) is an unpublished version of a book that authors send to reviewers and book buyers before the official release date.
B
Backlist
A backlist is a publisher's books that are still in print but have been on the market for at least a year. This is opposed to newly-published titles, which are known as the frontlist.
Bio
A bio is a paragraph about the author that usually includes credentials, hobbies, or any other relevant information that an author wants to share with the reader.
Bimonthly
Bimonthly refers to a periodical produced twice a month or every two months. Yes, it has both meanings, and yes, the memes you may have accidentally stumbled across are correct.
Blurb
A blurb is a short book description found on the back cover. It's meant to engage the reader through a short, catchy text that is descriptive, informative, and intriguing.
Boilerplate
A boilerplate is any written text you can reuse in various contexts with little change to the original. The term is mainly used in communication and marketing
Book Advance
A book advance represents the sum of money an author is paid in advance by the publisher to have the necessary funding to finalize their work.
Book Category
In publishing terms, category is a broad term that refers to general aspects of the book's audience and content. Categories are shelf headings that orient the library readers
Bound Galley
A bound galley, galley copy, or galley proof is your book's final pre-production version. They are created and printed mainly for editors, proofreaders, and authors.
Byline
A byline is a short line placed between the headline and the body text telling the author’s name. This is mainly related to magazine and article publishing.
BISAC Codes
BISAC codes, developed by the Book Industry Study Group, help categorize books. They are part of your book’s metadata and tell retailers, libraries, sellers, buyers, and search engines
Book Design
Book design refers to the cover art and the book's layout. Each of them is very important for the success of the book. The cover attracts the reader's attention, but the layout is what keeps them engaged while reading.