Glossary
~~~~~~~~~~~ A ~~~~~~~~~~~
About the Author -
usually a few paragraphs to one page that describes the author. Written in 3rd person. Used for books, book proposals and sometimes articles.
Advance -
The amount of money paid to a writer by a publisher before a book is published. The amount varies depending upon a variety of factors like: the publisher; the writer’s background; and the type of book. Advances are sometimes paid in installments as the writer works toward publication. The payments come from the projected royalties of the book.
Advertorial -
An article or copy created by a writer that is being paid for by an advertiser (or “advertiser driven”). This definition can be complicated because while they may pay well, a writer must protect herself ethically by making sure her work is marked as advertising in some way or making sure her name does not appear on it. It is also to your benefit to specify from the beginning how many rewrites you’re willing to do.
Agent -
a liason between a writer and their publisher or editor. They try to sell the manuscript to a publisher or editor and they usually take a 10-15% fee from the royalties and the advance.
All Rights or Work-for-Hire -
This means that the publication you’re writing a piece for owns your work once it is submitted to them. Unlike “First Rights” – this type of deal prevents you from ever reselling your work and/or making money on it other than the one time payment you receive from them.
Anthology -
a collection of short stories written by various authors, compiled in a journal or a book, or a gathering of works by one author.
Assignment -
an article the publisher or editor has assigned to a writer for an agreed upon fee.
Attachments -
clips attached to an e-mail query. -(2) -research, photos, or charts, usually attached to a nonfiction book.
~~~~~~~~~~ B ~~~~~~~~~~
Backlist -
Books that are still in print, but are not being published during the current season.
Bio -
A short paragraph, usually less than 100 words, that tells about the writer.
Biography -
A life story of someone other than the writer.
Blank Verse -
Nonrhyming poetry, usually written in iambic pentameter.
Boilerplate -
A standard contract. Most agents and/or authors make many changes on the boilerplate.
Business size envelope -
A #10 envelope which is the standard size for sending business correspondence.
Byline -
The line (usually printed below the title of a published article) that states the name of the writer and to credit her with writing the piece.
~~~~~~~~~~~ C ~~~~~~~~~~~
C.V. or curriculum vitae -
Simply put – your resume.
CC or Contributor’s copy -
This usually means a copy or copies of a book or magazine sent to a writer whose work appears in that publication. Sometimes publishers offer this as a form of compensation instead of monetary payment to a writer whose work they choose to publish.
Category Fiction -
Includes all types of fiction. See also genre.
Chapbook -
A small booklet of poetry, ballads, or tales.
Clean copy -
a manuscript free of wrinkles, smudges, cross-outs, and errors.
Clips -
Copies of a writer’s published work, usually taken from newspapers or magazines, which serve as samples for prospective editors.
Column Inch -
The amount of space in one column inch of typeset for newspapers.
Commercial novels -
A general term referring to novels designed to appeal to a large audience. Often broken into categories such as romance, mystery, western, etc. See genre.
Copyediting -
Editing a manuscript for printing style, punctuation, and grammar, but not for the subject matter.
Copyright -
A means to designate ownership, and protect an author’s work. Most publishers will copyright the text in the name of the author so that when the work goes out of print, all rights return to the author and the book can be sold to another publisher.
Cover Letter -
A short (usually one page) introduction letter usually sent with a manuscript to remind the editor that the manuscript was requested. A cover letter may also be sent with a book proposal. It is not the same as a query letter.
Creative Nonfiction -
Nonfiction in the 1st person, that uses creative language and an innovative approach to the subject.
~~~~~~~~~~ D ~~~~~~~~~~
DF -
An abbreviation for dark fiction usually meaning the genre of dark fantasy.
Derivative Work -
An alteration of a previous work by annotating, condensing, adapted, translated, abridged, etc… This must have the written permission of the copyright owner of the original work.
Desktop Publishing -
A publishing method for a personal computer that can illustrate, layout, print, design, and typeset for distribution.
Distributor -
A company that provides services to publishers like – warehousing, fullfillment and marketing to bookstores.
Dummy -
Mock-up of a book with that includes: page breaks; illustrations; and text.
~~~~~~~~~~~ E ~~~~~~~~~~~
Eclectic -
A variety of different genres or writing styles.
Editor -
Chooses articles or novels and edits writing.
Editing Service -
A company that offers to copyedit, rewrite or provide similar assistance (for a fee) to writers. Many organizations for writers supply information on the quality and legitimacy of such companies.
Electronic Rights -
The definition of electronic rights or Web rights is not clear-cut at this point. Many publishers feel they have electronic rights when they buy “First Rights.” Most freelance writers disagree. The courts are going back and forth on the definition of this term. If a publisher’s contract includes “electronic rights” – you may want to specify how long you give them permission to keep your work published on the Web and/or try to negotiate additional payment for giving them “electronic rights.”
Electronic Submission -
A submission of an article or book proposal, manuscript or similar work sent to the editor electronically (usually by e-mail or on computer disk).
Experimental Fiction -
A term that usually applies to fiction that can be defined as innovative in content or style.
E-zine -
A magazine published online.
~~~~~~~~~~ F ~~~~~~~~~~
Fair Use -
A portion of the copyright law stating small passages from copyrighted material may be used without the owner’s permission.
First Rights or First American Serial Rights -
This usually means the rights that you sell, even if you do a story on assignment. It means you give the publication the right to run your piece one time and then the rights come back to you. It is to your benefit to specify “First Rights” on your work as this allows you to resell your work after the initial publication.
Fanzine -
Usually refers to a publication produced by speculative fiction fans, which features fan-written stories about characters from popular published stories.
Feature -
An article about human interests instead of news. Used in magazines to describe a distinctive department or a lead article.
Filler -
A short item used to complete a magazine or newspaper page such as: short humor, an anecdote, a timeless news item or light verse.
First person point of view -
The author reports or narrates the story from his or her point of view.
Flash Fiction -
Very short fiction pieces that vary in length from 100 words to 1,000 words depending upon the genre.
Flat Fee -
Same as “work-for-hire.” The illustrator or author is paid a lump sum for their work, and gets no royalties.
Formulaic Fiction -
Fiction that tells a story following a pre-formatted formula.
Frontlist -
Books published in the current season and shown in the publisher’s current catalogue.
~~~~~~~~~~ G ~~~~~~~~~~~
Galleys -
The first typeset of a manuscript before it’s been divided.
Genre/Category -
A term used to classify a writer’s work according to its content. Some examples of different types of genres include – erotica, gothic, mystery, poetry, romance, science fiction, and western.
Ghost Writer-
A book, story, article, or speech that is based on another person’s experience or ideas. No byline given for the writer.
GL or Guidelines -
The publisher’s instructions for writers to follow in order to submit their work to that publication.
Gothic Novel -
A genre or category of fiction that usually has a pretty young woman, a castle or mansion, a menace, and a hero.
~~~~~~~~~~~ H ~~~~~~~~~~~
Haiku -
A three line, seventeen syllable poem, usually about nature.
Hardcover –
Hard cloth over cardboard bound book that includes a paper dust jacket.
Historical Fiction -
Fiction of any genre set in the past.
Home page -
First page of a document from the World Wide Web.
Hypertext -
Words in an electronic document that are linked to illustrations or other text, such as a related document or a definition.
~~~~~~~~~~~ I ~~~~~~~~~~~
Institutional Sales -
Trade and mass market books that are sold to libraries and schools.
Interactive Fiction -
Features multiple plots and endings. The reader determines the structure of the story by choosing from different alternatives at the end of each chapter.
Invasion of Privacy -
Writing about someone without their consent, even if it’s true.
~~~~~~~~~~~ K ~~~~~~~~~~~
Kicker -
Used in journalism for a short and snappy ending.
Kill Fee -
The amount of money a publication pays to a writer when an article they were assigned to write has been canceled. The amount is usually determined with the initial contract and varies depending upon factors like: the publisher’s guidelines; the length of the article; and the time spent researching the piece.
~~~~~~~~~~~ L ~~~~~~~~~~~
Lead Time -
The time between getting the article or query and publishing the article. This is very important for seasonal stories and articles.
Lede -
A journalism term for the beginning of a story.
List Royalty -
The amount paid based on a percentage of a book’s retail or ‘list’ price.
Literary Fiction -
A general category for nonformulaic, intellingent, and serious fiction.
Little/Literary -
A small publication created with the primary goal of providing literary writers a place to publish their work as opposed to making a profit. This type of publication generally has a low circulation and offer little or no pay, although writers may be compensated with contributors’ copies (free copies of the issue in which their work was published).
Logline -
One sentence description of a TV or screen play.
~~~~~~~~~~~ M ~~~~~~~~~~~
Magalog -
A mail order catalog that includes how-to articles about the items for sale.
Mainstream Fiction -
Uses more depth with background, characterization, etc., than genre novels which tend to be more narrowly focused.
Manuscript -
A writers document of screenplay, nonfiction book or novel.
Markets -
Writers markets for publishing poems, articles, short stories or books.
Market Research -
Uusually for nonfiction books to show a publisher there is a need for the proposed book.
Mass Market Publishers -
Publishers the produce paperback books inexpensively, in large quantities, titles fit current market needs, sell high volume in a short amount of time.
Memoir -
A narrative of a writer’s (or fictional narrator’s) family history or personal background.
Meter -
The regular patterns of stressed and unstressed syllables in poetry.
Midlist -
These are mainstream books by unknown or new writers that are expected to have only limited sales.
Monograph -
A scholarly study that is documented and detailed about a single subject.
Multiple Submissions –
Sending more than one piece of work at a time. (Submissions made this way are usually fillers, greeting cards, poetry etc….)
~~~~~~~~~~~ N ~~~~~~~~~~~
Net Price -
Sometimes called “wholesale price.” This is the money the publisher receives from each book sale after discounts are given to buyers or book stores. Some publishers base the royalty paid to the illustrator or author on net price.
Net royalty -
A royalty payment based on the amount a publisher receives from the sale of a book after returns, special sales discounts, and bookseller’s discounts.
New Age -
This used to be a ‘fringe’ topic that included occult and UFO phenomenon. Now, it includes general topics such as health, religion, or psychology, but emphasizes the alternative, spiritual, or mystical aspects.
Newbie -
A new writer.
Novel -
A fiction book for authors that is usually 40,000 to 60,000 words, Young Adults and contemporary Romance are less. Spy thrillers, historical, and generation books are often 80,000 to 100,000 words.
Novella -
Fiction that is more than 7,500 and less than 40,000 words but can vary with genre.
Novelization -
Usually a paperback that is made from the script of a movie. Also called a movie ‘tie-in’.
Nut graf -
A journalism term for the paragraph that contains the point of the story.
~~~~~~~~~~~ O ~~~~~~~~~~~
On Acceptance -
Payment is given to the author when the editor accepts the article.
On Spec –
When you write an article based on an editor’s expressed interest in your idea. But since the editor has not assigned the piece to you, she is under no obligation to accept your final work.
One Time Rights -
The publication buys the nonexclusive rights to publish the piece once. The author can sell the same article to other publications simultaneously.
On Publication -
Payment is given when the piece is published.
One-shot feature -
A single feature article for a syndicate to sell. The opposite of regular columns or article series.
Outline -
A writer’s own guide for their play or novel.
Over-the-transom -
The submission of unsolicited material by a freelance writer.
Overview -
The description of the nonfiction book or novel to a publisher is a couple of pages.
~~~~~~~~~~~ P ~~~~~~~~~~~
Package Sale -
An editor pays for photos and a manuscript as a ‘package’ with one check.
Page rate -
When a magazine pays at a fixed rate per published page, instead of per word.
Parallel submission -
Several different articles are written from one unit of research to send to similar magazines. This isn’t a simultaneous or multiple submission because it isn’t the same article.
Parody -
The imitation of a work for the purpose of making fun or ridiculing the work.
Payment on Acceptance -
The writer receives payment as soon as her work is accepted by the editor.
Payment on Publication -
The writer receives payment when her work is published.
PB -
Picture Book.
Pen Name -
A name that is not the writer’s legal name. When a writer wants to remain anonymous, her work is published using a pen name.
Permissions -
A fee paid by anyone who wants to reprint part of your book for various uses such as: another writer using more than 50 words from your book in a published article, teachers reproducing all or part of your story for class use (often the publisher will allow teachers to use the material for free). The publisher handles permissions for the author and usually splits the proceeds 50/50.
Personal Essay -
Usually about the writer’s life and written in the first person.
Photo feature -
The emphasis of the feature is on the photographs instead of the written material.
Pica -
Printer’s measure of type = 12 points, used to measure columns and photos.
Plagiarism -
Using the words and ideas of another writer as your own.
POD -
Print on Demand, publishing a book or books as they are demanded by the publisher.
Point of View -
First person, second person(you), or third person.
Potboiler -
Quick projects to bring in money or ‘keep the pot boiling’ with little effort or time involve, such as stories, short articles, how-to tips, or fillers like anecdotes.
POV -
Point of view.
Proof reading -
Thorough reading and correction of a manuscript’s typographical errors.
Proposal -
A summary of a proposed book, usually nonfiction that includes articles you have written (particularly on the proposed topic), 2-3 sample chapters, chapter-by-chapter outline, author information, marketing information, one page overview of the manuscript and a cover letter.
Prose Poem -
An open form poem whose long lines seem like prose.
Prospectus -
A description of an article or a book that is usually about a page long.
Public Domain -
Work that has never been copyrighted (or work that has had its copyright expire).
© Danielle Hollister (2004) is the Publisher of the Free Ezine for Writers featuring news, reviews, and continuously updated links to the best resources for writers online like – freelancing & jobs, markets & publishers, literary agents, classes & contests, and more… Read it online at – http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art157.asp
~~~~~~~~~~~ Q ~~~~~~~~~~~
Query -
A letter written by a writer asking an editor if she is interested in a piece on a certain topic. This is not the same as a cover letter. A Query introduces the idea, outlines your qualifications for writing it, and lists your previously published pieces.
~~~~~~~~~~~ R ~~~~~~~~~~~
Reader –
A person who reads unsolicited manuscripts for an editor, usually for the purpose of weeding out those manuscripts that are unwanted.
Reading Fee –
A charge to the author ostensibly for the purpose of defraying the cost of time spent reading the author’s manuscript or the hiring of readers. Too often, these charges may constitute the only business income or a significant portion thereof.
Royalty –
Payment by publisher that is an agreed upon percentage of the book’s earnings.
Royalty Publisher –
A publisher who pays the author.
RT -
Response time. Generally, the turnaround time required to hear back from a publisher based upon when the manuscript was submitted.
~~~~~~~~~~~ S ~~~~~~~~~~~
SASE -
A self-addressed, stamped envelope. SASEs are required if the author wishes to receive an answer from an editor. The SASE should be large enough and carry enough postage to return the manuscript if it is rejected. If the author doesn’t want the manuscript returned, a note to that effect should be included, but a letter-sized SASE is still required for the editor’s response. If the author requests any information from the editor, such as writer’s guidelines, an SASE should be enclosed.
Second Rights -
The rights you sell to a publication for your work that has already been published somewhere else.
SF/F/H -
Abbreviation for science fiction/fantasy/horror, generally used to indicate what genres the publication accepts as submissions.
Short Short -
Fiction under 1000 words.
Short Story -
Fiction under 10,000 words but usually less than 7,500. In Sci Fi it’s less tha 7,500 words. Check submission guidelines because they are individual for each publisher.
Side Bar -
Nonfiction such as extra info, tips, or hints that are put aside from the main article, usually for magazines. You may get extra pay if you can include this.
Simultaneous Submissions –
Submitting a work to several publishers at the same time. Some publishers accept simultaneous submissions, others will refuse to even look at them. The author should always state when a work is being submitted to more than one publisher.
Slipstream -
A story that describes a genre that does not fit into any one particular genre.
Slug line -
(1)a journalism term for the identifying tag of a story, (2)a line in a screenplay describing a new scene.
Slush Pile -
A stack of unsolicited manuscripts that have arrived at an editor or publisher’s office. These manuscripts will usually be read – unless the editor or publisher specifically states they will not read unsolicited works – but with less speed, interest, or enthusiasm than works submitted on spec or other request.
Sonnet -
A fourteen line poem, usually a lyric in iambic pentameter.
Speculative Humor -
Humorous fiction with a foundation of fantasy, horror, or science fiction.
Stanza -
A group of lines in a poem that form a thematic or metrical paragraph.
Sub-genre -
An additional categorization of a particular genre.
Submission Guidelines -
Guidelines given by the publisher or the editor for submitting manuscripts or queries to the publisher.
Subsidiary Rights -
Sales of your book by your agent or publisher to other outlets such as movie studios, foreign publishers, book clubs, or magazines. If the publisher sells these rights, proceeds are split with the author (usually 50/50). If the agent sell these rights, the author keeps all the proceeds except the agent’s commission.
Subsidy/Vanity Publisher –
A publisher that requires an author to pay for the publication of his or her work.
Synopsis -
A brief summary of a work. Depending on the length of the piece, the synopsis make be from one paragraph to several pages long. The synopsis is not the same as an outline, as it rarely carries elements such as chapter headings.
~~~~~~~~~~~ T ~~~~~~~~~~~
Tagline -
The identification of the speaker in dialogue. (For example: "She said")
Tearsheets -
Another word for Clips – or a copy of your work that has been published.
Trade book –
A paperback or hardcover book which usually covers a special interest, and is marketed directly to the layperson.
Trim Size -
The outer dimensions of the finished book.
~~~~~~~~~~~ U ~~~~~~~~~~~
Unsolicited Manuscript -
A manuscript send to an editor or publisher without it being requested. Unsolicited manuscripts normally end up on the slush pile.
~~~~~~~~~~~ V ~~~~~~~~~~~
Vanity Publisher -
A publisher that charges you to publish your book.
~~~~~~~~~~~ W ~~~~~~~~~~~
Work-for-hire -
A piece of writing that is written to an editor or publisher’s request and all rights to the work belong to the publication. The writer gives up the copyright to this work and can never receive additional income from it, even if it is resold.
~~~~~~~~~~~ Y ~~~~~~~~~~~
YA -
Young Adult -13 to 22, between 20,000 and 45,000 words.
YW -
Young Writer between the ages of 12 and 22.
© Danielle Hollister (2004) is the Publisher of the Free Ezine for Writers featuring news, reviews, and continuously updated links to the best resources for writers online like – freelancing & jobs, markets & publishers, literary agents, classes & contests, and more… Read it online at – http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art157.asp
