Advanced Reader Copy (ARCs): see Galley
Agent: An individual representing an author in his or her negotiations with a publisher. Agents might also handle or offer other services, like copyright matters. They receive a percentage of royalties paid to the author.
Amazon.com: Internet-based book retailer started in 1995, which also sells other merchandise, including e-books. They are also the creator of the Kindle e-reader and CreateSpace, an online self-publishing company.
BN.com: Barnes & Noble’s book-selling website.
Back Matter: The pages located at the back of the book, i.e. order forms, notes pages, author biography, permissions, credits, glossary, and resources.
Barcode: An optical machine-readable representation of data, which shows certain information on certain products. On a book, the ISBN and sometimes the price are represented with a barcode on the back cover.
Barnes & Noble: One of the largest book retailers or bookstore chains in the United States, also the creator of the Nook e-reader.
Bind: To fasten printed sheets or signatures with wire, thread, glue, or by other means.
Bleed: Printing that extends to the edge of a sheet or page after trimming.
Blurb: A favorable quote(s) used on the front or back cover of the book, usually provided by someone prominent or well known whose opinion adds credibility to the book. Also referred to as a testimonial or endorsement.
Book Design: The process of organizing and developing the final printer-ready version of a book, factoring its physical and visual aesthetic (i.e., its cover, trim size, and graphics).
Book Designer: An individual who executes the design of a book, including its cover and interior design. Also referred to as a graphic designer or graphic artist.
Book Signing: A planned event in which the author signs copies of his/her book. Usually takes place at a bookstore, conferences, trade shows, and speaking engagements.
C1S: Abbreviation for “coated on one side,” used to describe cover or text paper that is coated on one side only.
C2S: Abbreviation for “coated on two sides,” used to describe cover or text paper that is coated on both sides.
Case: The covers enclosing a book, usually made of thick cardboard and normally covered with cloth, paper, or leather.
Case Bind: To bind using glue to hold signatures to a case made of binder board covered with fabric, plastic, or leather. Also called cloth bind, edition bind, hard bind, or hard cover.
CIP: A Cataloging in Publication record (CIP data) is a bibliographic record prepared by the Library of Congress for a book that has not yet been published. When the book is published, the publisher includes the CIP data on the copyright page, thereby facilitating book processing for libraries and book dealers.
Coated Paper: Clay-coated printing paper with a smooth finish.
Copy: All furnished material or disk used in the production of a printed product.
Copyright: A bundle of exclusive rights to permit or forbid the use of a work. In the United States, copyright is granted to the author of the work, the author’s employer, or anyone to whom rights are legally transferred.
Copyright Page: The page that normally appears on the verso of the title page, containing the artistic property protection along with publisher information, CIP data, and ISBN.
Digital Color Printing: The use of multiple print heads that place specified colors of inks in predetermined places. The results are similar to photographs, but are often larger. This printing method is used in smaller print runs of 500 books or less.
DPI (dots per inch): A measurement of resolution for a printer or scanner. For example, a resolution of 300 dpi means 300 dots across and 300 dots down. A higher dpi signals a higher or finer resolution.
Dust Jacket: A separate and removable paper covering for a case-bound or hardcover book. It often includes promotional copy.
E-book: An electronic copy of a book viewed through various mediums, including on the computer screen as a PDF file or on an e-book reader.
E-book Reader: A device created for reading book content (e.g., Nook, Sony E-Reader, Kobo, Kindle, and iPad).
Editor: A person who reviews and provides suggestions for improving upon a manuscript, often referred to as a copy editor, line editor, or manuscript editor.
Editing: The process of making corrections to a manuscript, factoring consistency, clarity, and focus.
Emboss: Pressing an image into paper so that it will create a raised treatment.
End Sheet: Sheet that attaches the inside papers of a case-bound book to its cover. Also called end papers.
Estimate: Price that states what a publishing service will probably cost. These costs are based on specifications provided by the author and/or publisher. Also called a bid or quote.
Flap Copy: Book summary text that is placed on the inside portion of a book cover.
Front Matter: The pages preceding the text of a book, i.e., title, copyright, dedication, foreword, and table of contents. Usually unnumbered or numbered with roman numerals.
Galley: A bound manuscript created after typesetting used for prepublication marketing. Also referred to as advance reader copy (ARCs) or book review copy.
Genre: The classification of a book’s subject, such as business, biography, poetry, and fiction. The genre is usually indicated on the back cover of a book.
Hard Copy: The output of a computer printer, or printed pages of a manuscript.
Hard Proof: A printed proof supplied by the printer distinguished from a soft proof, which is an electronic proof viewed on a computer screen.
Header: Information, such as page number or chapter title, that appears at the top of every page of a book.
Insert: A printed piece prepared for insertion into a book during the printing phase, usually photographs, maps, etc.
ISBN (International Standard Book Number): A thirteen-digit number specific to publishers that uniquely identifies books for purchasing and inventory purposes. Individual authors can purchase an ISBN from myidentifiers.com.
Laminate: A thin, transparent plastic sheet (coating) applied to a thick stock (covers, postcards, etc.) providing protection against liquids and heavy use, and usually accenting existing color, providing a glossy (or lens) effect.
Landscape: A book orientation in which the finished book is wider than it is tall and binds on the short side. Also referred to as oblong.
Lay-Flat Bind: Method of perfect binding that allows a publication to lie fully open. Also known as lay-flat perfect binding.
Matte Finish: Dull paper, laminate, or ink finish.
Mentoring Press: A hybrid publisher that guides authors with marketable manuscripts through the self-publishing process. Mentoring presses offer services for a fee that include coaching, editing, book design, printing, publicity and distribution. Mentoring presses are often selective and emphasize the importance of editing and good design to create successful books.
Mission Statement: A brief description of a company’s (or book’s) purpose and what it hopes to accomplish.
Native Files: The original files from which a designer creates a books within a desktop publishing software program like Adobe InDesign.
Offset Paper: Term for uncoated book paper.
Offset Printing: Printing technique that transfers ink from a plate to a blanket to paper rather than directly from plate to paper.
Over-Runs or Overs: Copies printed in excess of the specified quantity. (Printing trade terms allow for plus or minus 10 percent to represent complete order.)
Page Count: Total number of pages that a publication has, including blank pages.
Page Proof: Proof of type and graphics as they will look on the finished page, complete with elements such as headings, rules, and folios.
Pagination: The numbering of pages, or the order in which pages appear in a book.
Perfect Bind: To bind sheets that have been ground at the spine and are held to the cover by glue. Also called adhesive bind, cut-back bind, glue bind, paper bind, patent bind, perfecting bind, soft bind, or soft cover.
Plate: Piece of paper, metal, plastic, or rubber carrying an image to be reproduced using a printing press.
Platform: An author’s existing following, media presence, or outlet to promote and market his or her book.
PMS: The abbreviated name of the Pantone Color Matching System®.
POD (Print-On-Demand): A digital printing technology suitable for small runs (twenty to five hundred book copies) printed and bound in much less time than traditional printing and binding methods.
Point: For paper, a unit of thickness equaling 1/1000 inch.
Prepress: The process of setup and preparing artwork, film, and screens for conventional printing methods.
Press Check: Event at which makeready sheets from the press are examined before authorizing the start of full production.
Press Time: Amount of time that it takes for a book to be printed, including time required for setup.
Proofread: To examine a manuscript for errors such as misspellings, typos, incorrect grammar, and incorrect usage of punctuation. This is separate from the copyediting stage and takes place after a book has been formatted by a book designer.
Public Relations (PR): A form of marketing that engages consumers through media coverage, events, and social media.
Publicity: An aspect of public relations that focuses on the media to generate sales leads and create sales demand.
Reprint: A second or additional printing after a first or initial print run. Often needed after all books from a first printing have been consumed.
Request for Quote (RFQ): A proposal created by the author or publisher to acquire quotes for publishing services such as design or printing.
Return: An unsold book returned to the bookseller or distributor for a full refund within a specified time period, usually six months.
Royalty: The author’s portion or percentage of book’s net sales income. An author might have a negotiated royalty in a contract with a publisher.
Serif Font: A typeface that has curved edges on each letter, making it easier to read. An example of a serif font would be Times New Roman. The opposite of a serif font is sans serif and an example would be Arial.
Special Sales: Unusual or nontraditional outlets for selling books (e.g., organizations, government institutions, and book clubs), usually in mass or bulk quantities.
Spine: The binding edge or backbone of a book or publication where the title is displayed when it is standing upright on a shelf.
Spot Varnish: Varnish used to highlight a specific part of a printed sheet.
Spread: Two facing pages in a book.
Title: The name of a book. (Note: Titles are not able to be copyrighted under the law.)
Title Page: A page in the front matter of a book that lists the book’s title.
Trim Size: The size of the printed material in its finished stage (e.g., the finished trim size is 5.5” x 8.5”).
Typesetting: The process of transforming a manuscript into a form suitable for printing. Includes the selection of typefaces, type size, chapter and header treatments, and performing page-layout in a program such as Adobe InDesign.
Uncoated Paper: Paper that has not been coated with clay. Also called offset paper.
Vanity Press: A company that helps authors self-publish, offering book design and printing services for a fee regardless of quality and marketability.