Some Terms of The Trade, Part I

It really pays to learn all you can about the business of writing and the inner workings of the publishing industry. Having a well-rounded knowledge base makes the process of getting published easier. Here are a few terms to start:

Advance: a payment made to a writer before the publication of a manuscript.

Agent: A professional representative hired by an author to obtain and negotiate contracts with publishers.

Editor: A staff member at a publishing company responsible for reviewing manuscripts and/or preparing them for publication.

Imprint: A specific line or lines of books offered by a given publisher.  Eg. Cloak and Dagger Books is an imprint of Chesterton Publishing Group.

ms.: A standard abbreviation for the word manuscript. In the plural, it's mss.

Publisher: A publishing company or the head of a publishing company responsible for putting your book in print.

Query: A written request from an author created to interest an editor in reviewing a book proposal or manuscript. A query to a magazine is sent to interest the editor in reading or commissioning an article.

Reprint: Any edition of a particular book that's published after the first edition.

Royalty: A residual payment made to authors after books are sold based on a percentage of their selling price.

SAE.: Abbreviation for "self-addressed, stamped envelope," sometimes preceded by its required dimensions.

SASE.: Abbreviation for "self-addressed, stamped envelope" sometimes proceeded by its required dimensions or standard envelop number, eg. #10

Submission: An idea, outline, or manuscript sent by a writer to a publisher for consideration.

Trade paperback: a paperback book created for the layman rather than the professional or specialist.