Descriptionary

Pulitzer Prize prestigious annual award granted to the authors of outstanding works of American fic- tion, drama, poetry, biography, autobiography, his­tory, nonfiction, and journalism, originating with an endowment made by Joseph Pulitzer to Columbia University in 1917.

pulp fiction poor-quality novels that were once printed on cheap, pulp paper.

purple prose flowery or overly ornate writing; the excessive use of adjectives and adverbs, a weakness of inexperienced writers.

remainder an overstocked book sold at a low price.

reprint a hardcover book republished in a paper­back format.

revision a rewrite of a manuscript, or previously published book, to add or delete information, correct copy, etc.

roman a clef a novel depicting actual events and real people given fictional names.

roman-fleuve a very long novel, sometimes pub­lished in several volumes, that follows multiple gen­erations of a family or group.

royalties a percentage of a book's profit paid to the author by the publisher after a certain number of books have been sold and the author's advance has earned out.

saga a long novel following multiple generations of a family or group.

self-publishing the publishing of a book by an indi­vidual as opposed to a publishing company.

sequel a novel published as a follow-up to an ear­lier novel. serial a long story published in separate installments.

serial rights rights purchased by a magazine or newspaper to publish excerpts from a book.

SF science fiction.

sidebar a block of text set off from the main text to highlight a peripheral subject or interesting tidbit.

signature the folded and printed sheets ready for binding.

slush pile stacks of unsolicited manuscripts that pile up at publishing houses.

small press a small publisher that issues a select number of books each year, usually with limited dis­tribution and negligible payment for the authors.

space opera a science fiction adventure similar to Star Wars.

Stoker Award award given by the Horror Writers of America for best horror novel.

stream of consciousness an author's presentation of the thoughts and feelings of a character or characters.

subplot a secondary storyline to a more important plot or storyline.

subsidiary rights individual book rights sold for foreign and translation sales, motion picture and tele­vision sales, serialization sales, electronic and audio editions, etc.

subtext in a story, the meaning between the lines.

sword and sorcery a fantasy novel featuring a mythical past with warriors, witches, warlocks, elves, magic, and suchlike.

synopsis a brief description of a novel.

thriller any mainstream novel filled with high dan­ger and adventure and white-knuckle suspense.

tie-in a novelization of a motion picture or televi­sion show.

tour de force a masterful work by an author.

trade book a commercial hardcover book intended for a general audience, as distinguished from a college textbook.

trade paperback same as a trade book, but in paperback format.

trilogy a story published in three volumes.

trim size the dimensions of a book.

unabridged containing the complete information or text; not condensed.

unauthorized biography a biography written with­out the cooperation of the subject.

vanity press a publisher who publishes books that are paid for by their authors.

verisimilitude realism or the appearance of realism in fiction; a skillful quality of truth in description, characterization, etc.

voice an author's own distinctive writing style, char­acterized by choice of vocabulary, tone, point of view, richness or starkness in description, etc.

whodunit popular colloquialism for a mystery.

writer's block psychological problem in which an author is unable to write, due to loss of confidence in one's abilities, lack of inspiration, general procrasti­nation, etc.

YA abbreviation for young adult books.

Book sizes

atlas folio a book that measures 25 by 50 inches.

double elephant folio any book that measures 50 inches tall or taller.

duo decimo any book that measures 5 by 7% inches.

elephant folio any book that measures 23 by 25 inches.

folio any book that measures 12 by 19 inches.

imperial octavo any book that measures 8% by 11% inches.

medium octavo any book that measures 6 by 9% inches.

octodecimo any book that measures 4 by 6% inches.

quadragesimo-octavo any book that measures 2% by 4 inches.

royal octavo any book that measures 6% by 10 inches.

sexodecimo any book that measures 4 by 7% inches.

super octavo any book that measures 7 by 11 inches.

Book Terms