backlist a term referring to a publisher's books that have been in print for a significant amount of time yet continue to sell well, such as classics or reference books.
belles lettres literary works appreciated for their aesthetic value rather than their educational content, such as poetry or drama.
bibliography a list of books to read for additional information, printed at the back of a book before the index.
biography a person's life story, written by another.
blockbuster a hugely successful book.
blue pencil a reference to an editor's corrections on a manuscript page, originally performed in blue pencil.
blurb a glowing review or testimonial from a noted person on a book's jacket.
bodice ripper a form of romance novel in which the courtship gets rough.
book producer a company or individual who provides a range of services for publishers, from hiring writers and artists for specific jobs, to performing various design and editing tasks, to arranging printing. Also known as a book packager.
brand-name author an author who writes consistently successful and popular books.
breakout book a novel of exceptional size, scope, or content, written by an experienced author with previously unspectacular sales but that a publisher believes in and promotes heavily in order to make the author a household name.
chapbook a small booklet or paperback containing poems or ballads.
coffee-table book a large, illustrated book, purchased primarily for its pictures.
colophon a publisher's logo, usually printed on the spine of a book.
commercial fiction popular fiction that can be counted on to generate large sales.
copyediting the final editing and correcting of stylistic and grammatical errors in a manuscript.
copyright the legal right of ownership of a piece of written material, such as a book.
cyberpunk a subcategory of science fiction featuring high technology and violent themes.
dedication author's tribute to a loved one or other important person at the beginning of a book.
desktop publishing publishing carried out in a home office, with ordinary word-processing equipment.
Edgar an award presented by the Mystery Writers of America for best mystery novel of the year.
e-book an electronic book, sold over the Internet or in a bookstore, for reading in an electronic device.
epic a larger-than-life story of a legendary hero.
epilogue a closing note sometimes used to tie up loose ends, illuminate a point, or hint at the future, following the main body of a book.
escalator a bonus paid by a publisher to an author when a book attains specified goals, such as 100,000 sales or appearance on the New York Times bestseller list.
flap copy description, blurbs, author's capsule biography, or other copy found on a book's flaps.
flyleaf a blank page at the front or back of a book.
footnote a supplementary note printed in small type at the foot of a page.
foreword an introductory piece preceding the main body of a book.
formula novel a novel that features a proven plot- line, such as boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy wins girls back, to elicit reader interest.
frontispiece an illustration preceding the title page of a book.
frontlist a publisher's newest releases.
genre kind, type, or category of book—western, science fiction, romance, and so on.
ghostwriter a writer who writes a book for someone else, who may or may not give credit to the real author.
glossary a list of definitions of words encountered in a book.
Golden Spur an award presented by the Western Writers of America for best western novel of the year.
gothic horror a horror novel that takes place in an old mansion or castle.
gothic romance a romance novel that centers on a naive girl or woman victimized by an evil man and courted by a heroic man, all taking place in or around an old mansion or castle.
hack a writer who churns out books quickly and is concerned more with making a buck than producing fine art.
hardcover a book printed with a hardback cover as opposed to a paper one.
hard SF hard science fiction; a science fiction novel emphasizing technology.
historical romance a romance novel featuring a story that takes places in the past.
imprint a division with its own distinctive line of books, that may be only one of many different imprints of a publishing company.
index a directory located at the back of a book of terms, names, etc., arranged alphabetically with page numbers, for quick location in the text.
instant book a book published quickly in order to take advantage of some timely event. Also known as a quickie.
interactive fiction a novel, usually for children, that offers several plot alternatives for the reader to choose.
International Standard Book Number (ISBN) an
internationally recognized identification number printed on the back of a book. The ISBN includes an item number and a code identifying the country of origin and publisher.
literary agent one who represents authors in the sale of rights to their books.
literary book an avant-garde, experimental, or highly styled novel that usually has limited sales; a noncommercial book featuring a high degree of writing skill.
literati those with great knowledge concerning literature.
magnum opus an author's masterpiece.
managed text a textbook whose writing is supervised by a professor.
manuscript a book in typewritten form, as submitted by an author to a publisher.
mass-market paperback a rack-size, commercial paperback sold in magazine outlets as well as bookstores.
midlist books expected to have only moderate sales appeal.
monograph a small, scholarly book on a single subject.
Nebula an award presented by the Science Fiction Writers of America for best science fiction novel or story of the year.
New Age collective term for a category of books that includes metaphysical, spiritual, holistic, astrology, mysticism, and faith healing interests.
Nobel Prize in literature prestigious annual award composed of a gold medal and a large cash prize given to the author of an outstanding body of work, as originally endowed by Alfred Nobel.
novelization the writing of a novel based on a movie or TV script.
novella a short novel, from 7,000 to 15,000 words. Also known as a novelette.
omnibus a collection of works by a single author or on the same theme.
option the right retained by a publisher to publish an author's next book.
O.S.S. obligatory sex scene, as found in many commercial novels.
out of print referring to a book that is no longer published or sold.
overrun a surplus of printed books. A printing of books that exceeds the demand.
over the transom of an unsolicited manuscript, sent to a publisher by a freelance writer or a freelance writer's agent.