Glossary of Terms
WRITERLY TERMS
Here are some of the more common terms you’ll encounter in freelance writing. This list is by no means comprehensive. See our note at the end for additional definitions.
Advance – What a publisher pays the writer in advance of writing a book. Amounts can vary from a few hundred to half a million dollars or more. Larger amounts are generally paid in installments with the full amount deducted from actual sales of the book. As long as the author fulfills the terms of the contract, the advance is not returned to the publisher if the book doesn’t meet sales expectations. By the same token, that writer might have a hard time selling another book to the same publisher if sales are poor.
Agent – The person who represents the writer and works to ensure his or her best interests in negotiating contracts, advances, royalties, etc. Agents generally take 15 % commission on all advances and royalties.
Bio – A brief description of you as the writer, including where you were born, writing and educational background, published works. Bios are often accompanied by a photo headshot.
Blurb – Also known as jacket copy, this is the sales pitch of a book seen on the cover or inside dust jacket; may include testimonials from reviewers or high-profile readers.
Boilerplate – Standard contracts. I’ve also seen this term used in describing standard, generic responses from agents or publishers in declining a project, as in “boilerplate rejection.”
Byline – Your name as the author of a published piece or project
Clips – Your published samples of work, usually related to articles; can be submitted with a query or upon a publisher’s request.
Contributor copies – Once a piece is published, the writer usually gets one contributor copy of the publication to save as a clip.
Cover letter – A brief introductory letter that accompanies a manuscript sent to an agent or publisher.
E-book – electronic version of a print book that’s been converted or a book that has been published direct through an online company such as CreateSpace (Amazon) or Kindle (Barnes & Noble).
Fair Use – Part of copyright law that states short passages from copyrighted material can be used without infringement of owner rights. Knowing the amount of material considered a “short passage” can be subjective and therefore difficult to measure. As a rule of thumb, I would advise no more than two brief paragraphs. Consult a copyright attorney for stricter guidance.
Feature – As opposed to “news,” a feature article generally revolves around human interest or a service piece that provides information to readers.
Filler – Editors use this term when they are looking for a short piece (a joke, an anecdote for example) to “fill” their editorial space.
Hook – The one element that sets your work apart and draws in a reader to “hook” them into reading more; can be part of your specific slant.
Kill fee – A percentage of the full amount agreed upon for an assigned story when it has been cancelled or declined for some reason. A typical kill fee is 25% of the full amount agreed upon.
Lead time – With articles, lead time refers to the time between an assignment and the actual publication of a feature. Magazines have longer lead times than newspapers; books have longer lead times than magazines. With books, the lead time falls between an editor acquiring the manuscript and its actual publication by the publisher. Lead times in magazines and books are important for writers to know when submitting a timely or seasonal topic.
Multiple Submissions – The process of sending more than one idea to a publisher or editor at the same time or sending the same idea to multiple sources. When sending a multiple submission, the term “Multiple Submission” should be included in the cover letter or query letter to let an editor, agent or publisher know in advance. Check writer guidelines to make sure your source will accept Multiple Submissions. More are doing so today due to long response times and other market factors.
Payment on acceptance – You receive payment as the writer following acceptance of the piece. This arrangement is preferable to most writers.
Payment on publication – You do not receive payment until the material is actually published. This could take months, even up to a year and is not preferred by most writers. Check writer guidelines before submitting your written work.
Platform as in Building a Platform – Having a “platform” means a writer should have a combination of speaking experience, interviewing skills, an active website and other social media skills. The goal is to build a solid base of potential buyers for a book or other marketable materials produced by the writer.
POD – Print on Demand, one of the newer ways writers have their books published today. There are dozens of POD companies online that produce the writer’s book for a fee, and do not reproduce the book until there is a purchase requested; hence the book is printed “on demand.” Quality and customer service vary from one POD service provider to another. Go online and check consumer reviews before deciding which POD company warrants your investment.
Proposal – Used mostly in nonfiction books, a proposal is a summary of book contents, sent to a publisher. It contains certain elements including a cover letter, overview or synopsis of the book, marketing information, competitive analysis, author bio, chapter outlines and two or three of the book’s sample chapters.
Query – A one-page letter pitch to an editor or agent in an attempt to sell an idea before the actual piece is submitted.
SASE – Self-addressed stamped envelope included with all snail-mail queries or proposals. Even with e-mail a standard form of communication, some editors and publishers prefer snail mail. Check writer guidelines before submitting.
Self-publishing – Becoming a popular alternative to traditional publishing (in which the print publisher absorbs all manufacturing costs and keeps the majority of the profits) self-published authors pay for manufacturing, production and marketing of the book but keep the majority of profits or even all the profits from sales. Publishing is changing rapidly with the advent of POD books and e-books. A good source to keep up with trends is through Publisher’s Weekly, online or through paid print subscription. Joining writer groups and professional organizations like Linked In also keep writers up-to-date on what’s going on in the publishing business.
Sidebar – A short companion piece listed in a separate box or alongside the article that includes information not found in the article itself. It might be a “Did You Know?” section, a bulleted list of statistics, or a few additional highlights that add to the main story. The information must be relevant to the main piece.
Slant – The specific approach you, as the writer, take with a story. It is designed to support your main message. Every story needs a specific slant. Think of it as your road map to give readers the direction you promised in the “hook.”
Slush pile – a stack (literally) of those manuscripts or written materials that an agent, editor or publisher did not request. These may eventually be assigned to an assistant to go through, but more often, they are of low priority.
Synopsis – A brief summary of what your story is about.
TOC – Table of Contents
Unsolicited manuscript – An unrequested manuscript sent to an agent or editor they did not ask to see. Usually a waste of time and often the end result is that your work winds up in the “slush pile.”
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