Descriptionary

acknowledgments the author's thanks to interview subjects, research assistants, family members or col­leagues, and others who aided in the writing and production of the book.

acquisitions editor at a publishing house, an editor in charge of purchasing manuscripts for publishing into books.

adaptation a novel converted to a screenplay, or vice versa.

addendum new or additional material added to a book after its initial publication.

advance an amount of money paid by a publisher to an author up front (in advance of publication), usually based on a minimum projection of sales.

anthology a book of short stories or other selected writings by one or more authors.

appendix supplementary information printed at the back of a book, usually before the index.

auction the bidding for the purchase of a valuable author's book by several publishers.

audio book a book recorded on tape, sometimes as read aloud by the author.

authorized biography a biography written with the permission and cooperation of the subject, as distin­guished from an unauthorized biography.

autobiography a biography written by oneself.

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.