A liaison between a writer and editor or publisher who advocates for their client.

Advance reader copy—an early version of the book sent out for potential reviews or promotion.

Books from a publisher's catalog that are still in print but not part of the current season.

Promotional text on the book cover or jacket, often including reviews or author quotes.

Arrangement where author and publisher share publication costs and profits.

A concise summary of your book designed to capture interest in a few seconds.

A publisher’s newest titles, typically released in the current publishing season.

A story idea that can be described in a single sentence with mass appeal.

A brand or division within a larger publishing house.

Descriptive information about a book—title, author, ISBN, categories—used for discoverability.

An author’s visibility and reach to a target audience through media, speaking, or online presence.

A letter sent to agents or editors pitching your manuscript or book proposal.

Earnings an author receives based on book sales, often a percentage of net or retail price.

Publishing a book independently, where the author pays for and controls the process.

Unsolicited manuscripts received by publishers or agents.

A detailed summary of a book’s plot, characters, and arc—often required in submissions.

Unique Selling Proposition—what makes your book stand out in the market.

Young Adult—books written for readers aged 12 to 18.

A contract in which an author sells all rights to a work. Generally not recommended if reprints are possible.

When an editor requests a specific article or content piece from a writer.

Multiple publishers bid for rights to publish a manuscript, often managed by a literary agent.

Occurs every two months.

Occurs every two weeks.

A standardized contract or legal document.

Prepublication edition of a book used for final proofing or promotional purposes.

The name of the author credited with a written work.

A small collection of poetry or fiction, often fewer than 40 pages.

The number of copies a magazine or newspaper distributes.

Free copies of a publication given to contributors whose work appears in it.

A brief letter sent with a manuscript or query to introduce the submission.

A document outlining a writer's experience, education, and accomplishments.

High-level editing that focuses on structure, content, pacing, and character development.

Rights to publish and distribute a work in digital formats.

The process of getting a published book into stores, libraries, and online platforms.

A professional responsible for preparing text for publication by correcting and organizing content.

Supplemental material at the end of a book, such as glossaries or indexes.

A manuscript submission offered to one agent or publisher for a limited period.

A legal doctrine that allows limited use of copyrighted material without permission under specific conditions.

A longer, more in-depth article on a subject of interest.

The right to be the first to publish a manuscript in a serial format (e.g., magazine, newspaper).

An introductory section written by someone other than the author, usually a notable figure.

A professional writer hired to create content credited to someone else.

A model combining elements of self-publishing and traditional publishing, often fee-based.

Marketing text found on the dust jacket of a book, including blurbs and descriptions.

A detailed form of editing focused on style, tone, and sentence structure.

The retail price of a book set by the publisher.

Persuasive text used to promote a book across various platforms.

A specific market segment targeted by a book or author.

A contractual provision allowing a publisher the first chance to publish the author's next work.

The numbering of pages in a book or document.

Final printed versions of a book provided for last-minute corrections before publication.

A professional who promotes authors and books to media and readers.

A pitch letter to agents or publishers proposing a book project.

Unsold copies of books returned by retailers to the publisher.

A reader who evaluates a manuscript for potential bias or cultural inaccuracies.

Rights to publish a book or excerpts of it in a magazine or journal serially.

A set of standards for writing, formatting, and citing sources in a manuscript.

A publisher that releases books for a general audience.

A company that charges authors to publish their books, often with minimal editorial support.

A project in which the writer is paid a flat fee and relinquishes all rights.

The original text of an author's work before it is published or printed.

International Standard Book Number, a unique identifier for books.

The process of reviewing and correcting written material to improve accuracy and readability.

A payment made to an author before their book is published, against future royalties.

The total number of copies of a book printed in one batch by the publisher.