Reference
The publishing glossary.
Plain-English definitions of the book and publishing terms you’ll meet on the way from manuscript to finished book. 82 terms, searchable, A–Z.
82 of 82 terms
A
- Advance / royaltyPublishing & rights
- An advance is money paid to an author up front against future earnings; a royalty is the author's share of each sale.
- Alt textEbook & digital
- A written description of an image, read aloud by assistive technology — essential for accessible ebooks.
- ARC / galleyPublishing & rights
- An Advance Reader Copy (or galley) is an early, near-final version sent to reviewers and booksellers before launch.
B
- Back matterBook anatomy
- Everything after the main text: appendices, notes, glossary, bibliography, index, acknowledgements and author bio.
- BleedDesign & type
- Artwork extended past the trim line (usually 3 mm / 0.125") so that, after cutting, colour or images reach the very edge with no white slivers.→ related service
- BlurbPublishing & rights
- The short selling copy on the back cover and in store listings. Its only job is to make a browser open the book.→ related service
C
- Case bindingPrint & production
- Hardcover binding: the book block is sewn or glued into rigid boards (the 'case'). Durable and premium.
- CMYKPrint & production
- The four ink colours used in printing — Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Key (black). Print files should be CMYK, not screen RGB.→ related service
- Coated / uncoatedPrint & production
- Coated paper has a smooth (matte or gloss) surface for crisp images; uncoated is more natural and easier to read for long text.
- COBISSPublishing & rights
- The shared bibliographic system of Serbia and the wider region, used by libraries and the national library to catalogue titles.→ related service
- ColophonBook anatomy
- A note (often at the back) describing the book's production — typeface, paper, printer. Historically, a publisher's emblem.
- Copy editingPublishing & rights
- Making the text correct and consistent — grammar, punctuation, usage and a single house style.→ related service
- Copyright pageBook anatomy
- The verso of the title page, holding copyright notice, ISBN, edition, publisher details and legal lines. Also called the imprint page.→ related service
- Crop marksPrint & production
- Thin lines outside the trim showing where to cut. Paired with bleed.
D
- Developmental editingPublishing & rights
- The big-picture edit — structure, pacing, plot or argument — done before the sentences are polished.→ related service
- DPI / PPIPrint & production
- Dots/pixels per inch — image resolution. Print images should be 300 DPI at final size; 'PPI' also means a paper's pages-per-inch.
- DRMEbook & digital
- Digital Rights Management — copy protection applied to ebooks. Optional, and a choice with trade-offs for readers.
- Drop capDesign & type
- An enlarged opening capital letter that drops into the first lines of a chapter or section — a classic typographic flourish.
- Dust jacketBook anatomy
- The removable printed paper cover wrapped around a hardback, with flaps for blurb and author bio.
E
- Edition vs impressionPublishing & rights
- An edition is a version with significant changes; an impression (or print run) is a batch printed from the same setting.
- Emboss / debossPrint & production
- Raising (emboss) or recessing (deboss) an image or text into the cover for a tactile effect.
- EndpapersBook anatomy
- The sheets that join the book block to a hardcover case, glued inside the front and back boards.
- EpigraphBook anatomy
- A short quotation at the start of a book or chapter that sets a tone or theme.
- EPUBEbook & digital
- The open standard ebook format read by Kobo, Apple Books, Nook, Google Play and most readers. EPUB 3 is the current version.→ related service
- EPUBCheckEbook & digital
- The official validation tool that confirms an EPUB meets the standard. Passing it is what gets a book accepted by stores.→ related service
F
- Fixed-layoutEbook & digital
- An ebook that keeps an exact page design, like a PDF — used for children's books, cookbooks and heavily designed pages.
- Foil stampingPrint & production
- Pressing metallic or coloured foil onto the cover for titles or motifs — a premium finish.
- FolioDesign & type
- The page number. A 'blind folio' is a counted page that doesn't show its number (common on chapter openers).
- Foreword / preface / introductionBook anatomy
- A foreword is written by someone other than the author; a preface is the author's note on how the book came to be; an introduction opens the subject itself.
- Front matterBook anatomy
- Everything before the main text: half title, title page, copyright page, dedication, contents, foreword, preface and so on.
- Frontlist / backlistPublishing & rights
- Frontlist is a publisher's new and recent titles; backlist is the older catalogue that keeps selling over time.
G
- GSMPrint & production
- Grams per square metre — paper weight. Book text papers are typically 70–90 gsm; covers far heavier.→ related service
- GutterDesign & type
- The inner margin near the spine, plus the allowance for the binding. Too little gutter and text disappears into the fold.
H
- Half titleBook anatomy
- The very first printed page, showing only the book's title — a quiet opening before the full title page.
- Hybrid publishingPublishing & rights
- A model between the two, where the author contributes to costs in exchange for professional publishing services.
I
- ImprintPublishing & rights
- A brand or trade name a publisher publishes under. One publisher may run several imprints for different markets.
- IndexBook anatomy
- An alphabetical list of topics with page numbers, at the back of non-fiction. Built late, once pages are final.
- ISBNPublishing & rights
- The International Standard Book Number that uniquely identifies an edition of a book. Each format (paperback, hardback, ebook) needs its own.→ related service
J
- JustificationDesign & type
- Setting text so both left and right edges align. The opposite, 'ragged right', aligns only the left edge.
K
- KerningDesign & type
- Adjusting the space between specific letter pairs so spacing looks even — e.g. tightening 'AV' or 'To'.
L
- LaminationPrint & production
- A thin film applied to covers — gloss, matte or soft-touch — for protection and feel.→ related service
- LeadingDesign & type
- The vertical space between lines of type (from 'lead' strips in metal type). Sensible leading is what makes body text comfortable to read.
- Legal depositPublishing & rights
- A legal requirement to send copies of a published book to a national library for the public record.
- LigatureDesign & type
- Two or more letters joined into one glyph (like fi or fl) to avoid awkward collisions and improve the look of the text.
- Line editingPublishing & rights
- Editing at the level of the sentence: flow, rhythm, word choice and clarity.→ related service
M
- ManuscriptPublishing & rights
- The author's text before it becomes a designed, published book — what you send us to quote and produce.→ related service
- MarginDesign & type
- The blank space around the text block. Good inner, outer, top and bottom margins make a page readable and let the binding work.
- MetadataEbook & digital
- The data describing a book — title, author, ISBN, description, keywords, categories. Good metadata is how readers find you.
- MOBI / KF8Ebook & digital
- Older Kindle formats. Amazon now prefers EPUB and converts it internally; standalone MOBI is effectively retired.
O
- Offset printingPrint & production
- Traditional printing of a set quantity from plates; lower cost per copy once the run is large enough.→ related service
- ONIXEbook & digital
- The publishing industry's standard format for sending rich book metadata to retailers and distributors.
P
- Perfect bindingPrint & production
- The common paperback method: pages glued at the spine into a squared-off cover. Most POD books are perfect-bound.
- POD (print on demand)Print & production
- Printing single copies as orders arrive, with no upfront print run — ideal for most self-published titles.→ related service
- Point sizeDesign & type
- The measurement of type size; 72 points = 1 inch. Most book body text runs 10–12 pt.
- PrepressPrint & production
- All the file preparation between a finished layout and the press: colour, bleed, crop marks, imposition, output.→ related service
- Prologue / epilogueBook anatomy
- A prologue is an opening scene before the main narrative; an epilogue is a closing one after it.
- ProofPrint & production
- A test copy (physical or digital) checked before the full print run — your last chance to catch errors.→ related service
- ProofreadingPublishing & rights
- The final read after layout, catching the last typos and slips before print.→ related service
- Public domainPublishing & rights
- Work whose copyright has expired or never applied, free for anyone to use. Terms vary by country.
Q
- Query letterPublishing & rights
- A short pitch an author sends to agents or publishers to interest them in a manuscript.
R
- Recto / versoDesign & type
- Recto is the right-hand page (odd-numbered); verso is the left-hand page (even-numbered). Chapters usually open on a recto.
- ReflowableEbook & digital
- An ebook whose text re-wraps to fit any screen and font size — the right choice for novels and most non-fiction.→ related service
- RGBPrint & production
- The Red-Green-Blue colour model used by screens. RGB images look brighter than they will print; convert to CMYK for press.
- Running headDesign & type
- The repeating line at the top of pages showing, for example, the book or chapter title. A running foot sits at the bottom.
S
- Saddle stitchPrint & production
- Binding by folding sheets and stapling through the spine — used for thin booklets and chapbooks.
- Self-publishingPublishing & rights
- Publishing your own book, keeping the rights and control — and hiring the production craft you need, as you need it.→ related service
- Serif / sans-serifDesign & type
- Serif type has small finishing strokes (traditional, common for print body text); sans-serif has none (cleaner, common on screen).
- SignatureBook anatomy
- A large printed sheet folded into a group of pages (often 16 or 32) that is then bound. Why page counts come in multiples of 4.
- Slush pilePublishing & rights
- The stack of unsolicited manuscripts a publisher or agent receives and reads through.
- SpineBook anatomy
- The bound edge of the book that shows on a shelf. Its width depends on page count and paper, and it can carry the title and author. → related service
- Spot UVPrint & production
- A glossy varnish applied to selected areas of a matte cover for contrast and shine.
- Style sheetPublishing & rights
- A document recording the spelling, capitalisation and formatting choices made for a book, so they stay consistent throughout.→ related service
- Subsidiary rightsPublishing & rights
- Rights beyond the original edition — translation, film, audio, serial — often the most valuable part of a deal.→ related service
- SynopsisPublishing & rights
- A brief summary of a book's whole plot, including the ending — used in submissions and competitions.
T
- Title pageBook anatomy
- The page carrying the full title, subtitle, author and publisher imprint.
- TrackingDesign & type
- Uniform spacing applied across a run of letters, as opposed to kerning between single pairs.
- Traditional publishingPublishing & rights
- A publisher acquires rights, pays an advance and handles production and distribution, usually via a literary agent.
- Translation rightsPublishing & rights
- The right to publish a book in another language. Selling or buying these is how books cross borders.→ related service
- Trim sizeDesign & type
- The final width × height of a book after printing and trimming — e.g. A5 or 6×9 inches. It sets the page proportions and how the text is laid out.→ related service
- Typeface vs fontDesign & type
- A typeface is the design (e.g. Garamond); a font is a specific size/weight/style of it (e.g. Garamond 11 pt bold). In everyday use the words are mixed.
V
- Vanity pressPublishing & rights
- A company that charges authors to print their books while posing as a selective publisher — a label to be wary of.
W
- Widow / orphanDesign & type
- A widow is a short last line of a paragraph stranded at the top of a page; an orphan is a first line stranded at the bottom. Good typesetting removes both.→ related service
Where to next
Put the terms to work
Met a term while preparing your book? We handle the part it names — editing, print preparation, eBooks and covers.