Cape Town Book Fair
Glossary of Publishing Terms

General Terms H - P

Hardcover
Books bound with a hard, cloth-over-cardboard cover and covered with a paper dust jacket.

Imprint
The name of a publisher's specific line of books that have their own, distinct characteristics. Walter Lorraine Books, for instance, is an imprint of Houghton Mifflin.

Layout
The arrangement of text, illustration, graphics, titles, etc., for printed material.

Lists
When publishing professionals talk about a "list," they are referring to the books designated for publication for any given selling season. Most often, publishers offer new lists twice every year - spring and fall.

Literary Agent
Experienced book industry people who represent authors and illustrators for a percentage of their clients' profit. Agents typically claim 10%-20% of advances and royalties, but are generally savvy to contract negotiations and have market knowledge and contacts that most authors do not. Some agents charge reading fees to review a prospective client's manuscript. Those fees can be very high, and do not guarantee placement of the manuscript with a publisher.

Mass Market Books
Paperback books that are smaller (and cheaper) than trade paperback books. In addition to bookstore placement, these so-called "rack sized" books are often distributed through drugstores, airports, supermarkets and the like.

Mass Market Publishers
Publishers who concentrate on high-volume releases of paperback books that typically fit current popular market needs. Titles tend to be short-lived compared to hardcover books, but often are printed in far greater quantities.

Midlist
Titles on a publisher's list that are not expected to be big sellers, but might introduce a new author or find audiences in niche markets. Midlist books are often mainstream books, as opposed to books that neatly fit into genres.

Ms and Mss
"Shorthand" designation for manuscript or manuscripts.

Net Royalty
A kind of royalty paid to an author. It is based on the money the publisher actually receives from each book sale after discounts are given to book stores or buyers.

Option Clause
A clause in a publishing agreement that often requires the author to sell his or her next work to the same publisher on the same terms listed in the current agreement. An option must usually be exercised by the publisher within a short period of time, or the author is then free to seek a new publisher for his or her upcoming book.

Pagination:
Describes how books are broken into pages after initial typesetting. Pagination is particularly critical in picture books, where space is usually limited to 24 or 32 pages (including front and back matter) and illustration must be generously accommodated.

Permissions:
Describes the acquisition and fee paid in order to use all or part of existing, copyrighted material. Permissions are typically sought, for instance, when a publisher wants to excerpt part of a book to use in an anthology. Authors who wish to incorporate a portion of someone else's work in their own creation are obligated to secure permissions. Contracts often require such authors to obtain and pay for permissions, though the responsibility can often be negotiated.

Picture Books
A type of book primarily aimed at children from preschool to age 8. Because of the high cost associated with manufacturing picture books, most picture books are published in 24 or 32 pages, including front and back matter.

PP & B
Book publishing industry term that stands for "paper, printing, and binding," which are the biggest costs in manufacturing a book. (PP&B for picture books is especially expensive, in large measure because of four-color illustration and the higher grade of paper required.)

Proofreading
Checking a manuscript for typographical errors. (Also see copy editing.)

Publishing Agreement
Contract for sale of literary rights to a publisher. Agreements are thick with legalese and typically include 3 to 20 pages, with up to 100 clauses. The contract essentially transfers all or some ownership of a work to a publisher for a sum of money that can vary depending on what rights are sold.