Glossary of Publishing Terms-Part Six

by Laura Fabiani @ NouveauWriter

If you want the exact meanings of the words proposal and query, read on.

PAYMENT ON ACCEPTANCE: The editor sends you a check for your article, story, or poem as soon as he decides to publish it.

PAYMENT ON PUBLICATION: Editor doesn’t send you a check for your material until it is published.

PEN NAME: The use of a name other than your legal name on articles, stories, or books. Also called a pseudonym.

PHOTO FEATURE: Magazine feature in which the emphasis is on the photographs rather than on accompanying written material.

PICTURE BOOK: A type of book, aimed at pre-schoolers to eight-year-olds, that tells a story using combination of text and artwork, or artwork only.

PLATFORM: A writer’s professional affiliations, speaking experience, interview skills, Web site and other abilities which help form a following of potential buyers for that author’s book.

PROOFREADING: Close reading and correction of a manuscript’s typographical errors.

PROPOSAL: A summary of a proposed book submitted to a publisher, particularly used for non-fiction manuscripts. A proposal often contains an individualized cover letter, one-page overview of the book, marketing information, competitive books, author information, chapter-by-chapter outline, and two to three sample chapters.

QUERY: A letter that sells an idea to an editor or agent. Usually a query is brief (no more than one page) and uses attention-getting prose.

REMAINDERS: Copies of a book that are slow to sell and can be purchased from the publisher at a reduced price.

REPORTING TIME: Time it takes for an editor to report to the author on his/her query or manuscript.

REPRINT RIGHTS: The rights to republish a book after its initial printing.

ROYALTIES, STANDARD HARDCOVER BOOK: 10 percent of the retail price on the first 5000 copies sold; 12½ percent on the next 5000; 15 percent thereafter.

Source: Writer’s Digest Weekly Planner