by Barry, Sam
Copyright
Legal protection granted to the originator of material to prevent use without permission
Copyright page
The page at the beginning of a book with copyright and Library of Congress information
Course adoption
Utilization of a book as a required text in academic classes
Crop marks
Printed lines showing where to trim a printed sheet
D
Deckle edge
A rough edge left on some paper; not to be confused with a low-cut blouse
Dedication
A tribute in the front of the book from the author to a person, persons, or cause; what it takes to finish your book
Desk copy
A copy requested by an educational institution interested in adopting the title for a course
Dingbat
An ornamental element that denotes a space break in the text; everyone who turns down your book
Dots-per-inch (DPI)
A measure of resolution in printing. It refers to dots of ink used by a printing device. In general, the more dots (higher DPI) used, the clearer the image
Drop cap
A large initial letter at the start of the text that drops into the line or lines of text below
Dummy
A mockup of the book layout at finished size; everyone who turns down your book
E
Earning out
The point when enough copies of the book have sold to cover the amount of the publisher’s advance
E-book
A book in digital form
E-book reader
The portable electronic device with which one reads an e-book
Embargo
A process whereby the sale of a book is restricted, by publisher’s edict, until an agreed-upon moment in time (think Harry Potter)
Embossing
The process of creating a three-dimensional image or design in the paper or cover
End papers
The pages at the front and back of a book pasted to the cover boards
F
Foil embossing or stamping
The process of stamping a design on a book cover without ink, using a colored foil with pressure from a heated die or block
Foldout or gatefold
An oversized sheet bound into a publication, frequently used for a map or chart; not to be confused with a centerfold
Font
A specific size and style of type within a type family or typeface
Foreword
Introductory text in the front matter that is written by someone other than the author, often an authority on the subject of the book
Four-color process
Printing in full color using four color separation negatives (yellow, magenta, cyan, and black)
French flaps
Extensions of the cover of a paperback that fold back inside the book and contain extra copy, imitating the flaps of the jacket of a hardcover book
Frontlist
The publisher’s newest books; for accounting purposes, the books published in a fiscal year; for sales, generally books during their first year after publication
Front matter
Everything before the first chapter or beginning of the main text of the book
G
Galley (or bound galley)
Pre-publication copies of a book to be sent out for reviews and endorsements (but not for sale); the kitchen on a boat
Galley proof
Copy of text for checking by the author and publisher before the manuscript is assembled for the print run
Ghostwriter
Someone who is paid to write a book for which authorship will be credited to another; Charles Dickens
Gilding
Gold leaf on the edge of the pages; what you shouldn’t do to the lily
Gloss
A shiny look that is achieved with ink that dries without penetration
Gutter
The inside margins toward the book’s bound edge; where Edgar Allen Poe met his end
H
Half-title page
A page that includes only the title of the book
House style
Copyediting rules in a publishing house for punctuation, capitalization, etc.
I
Imprint
The publisher; larger publishers often have a number of different imprints, each with a different focus
Introduction
Material at the beginning of the main text that explains or presents the book to the reader; the introduction is always by the author
ISBN
Acronym for International Standard Book Number, used as the title’s digital identity for inventory, tracking sales, and pricing (see bar code)
K
Kerning
Adjustment of spacing between certain letter pairs
Kill fee
Prenegotiated fee paid to a writer by a publisher when a contracted book is not published
L
Landscape
Print format or layout in which the width is greater than the height
Leaf
A sheet of paper
List
All the books that a publisher has in print or that are forthcoming; often divided into sections identified by season or chronology (e.g. spring list, fall list, backlist, frontlist)
Long discount
The discount generally given by trade publishers to booksellers of 40 to 50 percent off a book’s list price; academic books usually come with a 20 percent, or short, discount
M
Manuscript (ms)
The original work by the author
Margins
Nonprinted areas of the page
Mark up copy
Copy prepared with typesetting instructions
Mass-market books
Inexpensive paperback editions, often sold in airports, supermarkets, and mega-stores, the successful authors of which never win the National Book Award but make boatloads of money
Matte finish
Nonglossy paper or ink finish
Mechanical
Camera-ready art
Mechanical separation
A method utilizing plastic sheet overlays for each color used in the printing process; when you have a fight with the person who fixes your car
Midlist
Books that are not lead titles or bestsellers but that have a shot at doing well enough to justify being published—the majority of books fall into this category
Mock-up
The rough visual model for a book design
N
Newsprint
Low-quality paper like that used for newspapers
O
One-day lay-down
Applies to major titles (think Harry Potter) that are released for sale at one agreed-upon moment in time, e.g., midnight on Halloween; the 24-hour flu
On-sale date
The agreed-upon date when a book can be sold by all retailers
Option clause
Contractual clause that gives the publisher the right of first refusal on an author’s next book
Orphan
1. instance of the first line of a paragraph sitting by itself at the bottom of a page; 2. a book or author whose editor leaves the company during the publication process; 3. character in a Charles Dickens novel
Out of print
Status of a book when it is no longer offered for sale by the publisher, often accomplished informally by letting the title go out of stock
Over the transom
Unsolicited manuscripts that are submitted without agent representation
P
Page count
Total number of pages including blank pages
Page proof (or first pass)
Stage following galley proofs where type and sometimes graphics are laid out as they will look in the printed book
PDF (Portable Document Format)
&nb
sp; Widely used format for Adobe Acrobat Reader that makes it possible to send formatted documents and have them appear, exactly as designed, on the recipient’s monitor or printer
Perfect bind
Sheets and cover bound with glue, common for paperback books; a tricky situation that drives the plot of your thriller
Permissions
The requirement that any proprietary work (song lyrics, poetry, artwork) have permission cleared by the owner of the rights, often involving payment of a fee
Platform
The audience, contacts, organization, and fame of the author
Portrait
An upright image or page where the height is greater than the width
Pre-emptive offer
A publisher’s bid that prevents a project from going to auction
Preface
Text at the front of a book that explains or introduces it to the reader. This is the author’s own statement, and may include acknowledgments. It follows the foreword, if there is one, and is part of the front matter.
Proof
An initial typeset and designed version of the book or the cover, produced to correct errors and make alterations
Proof correction marks
Standard set of signs and symbols in the margin to indicate corrections on proofs
Publication (or pub) date
A date set by the publisher before which news media are not supposed to review the book; this is to allow time for transportation from the warehouse to booksellers, and may be from four to eight weeks after the finished book is available
R
Reading line
A descriptive line of text that appears on the book jacket or cover but isn’t the official subtitle
Recto
The right-hand page of an open book; the standard side to start a story or chapter
Release date
The day on which a book is scheduled to be shipped to bookstores and/or is ready for sale; this comes before both the on sale and publication dates
Remainder
The fate of books that are printed in much too large a quantity for subsequent sales; the resulting discounts at extremely low prices are beneficial to the consumer, but not the author or publisher
Review copy
Book copy sent to the media in the hope that they will publish a review or promote the book
Rock Bottom Remainders
A mediocre rock band made up of famous authors and “rock stars in residence,” with the stated purpose of raising money for literacy-related charities; the band’s members include (or have included) Stephen King, Dave Barry, Amy Tan, Scott Turow, Mitch Albom, Tad Bartimus, Dave Marsh, Greil Marcus, Joel Selvin, Ridley Pearson, James McBride, Roy Blount Jr., Matt Groening, Barbara Kingsolver, Robert Fulghum, Roger McGuinn, Warren Zevon, Al Kooper, and—by astonishing coincidence—Sam Barry and Kathi Kamen Goldmark (She founded the band in 1992)
Running head or footer
Line of type at the top of a page which repeats the heading or other information on each page; the Headless Horseman in Washington Irving’s alternate universe
Running text
This is a fancy term for the way most people write—forming words into sentences, which are in turn formed into paragraphs. In other words, your basic prose
S
Saddle stitch
To bind by stapling sheets together in the seam where the sheets fold; how a cowboy mends his trousers
Sample chapter
A sample of the manuscript included in a book proposal
Sell through
The percentage of books shipped that are actually sold by retailers (a 50 percent or higher sell through is considered respectable); in current practice, most unsold titles are returned to the publisher
Short discount
The discount generally given by trade publishers on academic books of 20 percent off a book’s list price; trade books usually come with a 40 to 50 percent, or long, discount
Slush pile
The unsolicited (over-the-transom) manuscripts that lie around on editorial assistants’ desks or languish in e-mail inboxes; the sidewalk outside Random House in early March
Spine
Back or binding edge of a book or publication
Spiral bind
Continuous wire or plastic looped through holes along bound edge
Stet
Proof correction that rescinds a correction (The copyeditor of our book says “Oh no! We don’t like authors to know they can stet” but she doesn’t mean you.)
Stock
Paper for printing
Style sheet
A list of words, terms, and phrases that a copyeditor maintains for a manuscript so that the book will be consistent (e.g., do or don’t capitalize “church”)
T
Table of contents (TOC)
Listing of the divisions of the book (e.g., chapters) and the pages on which they begin
Teaser page
A page or pages at the beginning of the book that promotes the book by offering praise for the author’s writing, a sample of the contents, or some other promotional material
Template
Layout with basic page dimensions; the thing you serve “tem” on
Thumbnail
A small version of an image or, if plural, small versions of images
Tip in
The insertion of an extra page in a book after the normal printing process is completed
Title page
A page that includes the title, author’s name, and possibly other information such as the translator or publisher
Track
Sales record of an author’s previous books
Trade publisher
A company that publishes for the general consumer market
Trim size The book’s finished size
Typo
Typographical errur
U
UV coating
Laminated paper treated with ultraviolet light
V
Varnish
Clear liquid applied after printing for glossy appearance and protection
Vellum
A thick, rough book paper (originally an ancient form of paper made from the treated skin of a calf )
Verso
The left-hand page of a book
W
Widow
Instance of the last line of a paragraph left alone at the top of a page
