Book jargon – demystified

Here are some common terms you might encounter when working in book publishing:

– Manuscript: The original text of a book, written by the author, which is submitted to a publisher or agent for consideration.

– Copyediting: The process of reviewing and correcting grammar, punctuation, spelling, and other language errors in a manuscript or book prior to publication.

– Typesetting: The process of laying out the text and images of a book in a specific format, often using specialised software such as Adobe InDesign.

– Galley: An early version of a book, often in the form of a bound manuscript or a PDF, that is distributed to reviewers and booksellers for advance review.

– Proofreading: The process of reviewing and correcting errors in a manuscript or book prior to publication.
– Proof – A preliminary version of a printed document, usually produced to check for errors before final printing.

– ISBN: International Standard Book Number, a unique number assigned to every book, that identifies the book and its publisher.

– Imprint – A trade name used by a publishing company to identify a specific line of books or a specific publisher within the company.

– Rights – The legal authority to produce and distribute a creative work, such as a book or article.

– Advance Reading Copy (ARC): A finished version of a book that is sent out to reviewers, booksellers, and other industry professionals before the official publication date.

– Royalty: A percentage of the sales of a book paid to the author by the publisher.

– Advance: An advance is a sum of money paid by a publisher to an author before the book is published, based on projected royalties.

– Copyright – A form of legal protection for creative works, including books, that gives the owner exclusive rights to reproduce, distribute, and display the work.

– Print run: The number of copies of a book printed during one production run.

– Frontlist: A list of books that are being published or are about to be published.

– Backlist: A list of books that have been previously published and are still available for sale.

– Advance orders: Orders for a book placed by retailers before its official publication date.