[Resource of the Day] – Publishing Industry Glossary

As I’ve written my business plan for Army Ant Publishing, I’ve done extensive research on the world of publishing. Here is an article I found useful:

Publishing Industry Glossary by RJ Communications.

Have you ever come across a term describing publishing that you didn’t know, or weren’t sure you entirely understood? I know I did when I started researching the publishing industry, especially when it came to understanding printing.

Fortunately, I found a great glossary of terms, many of which I would not have been able to figure out for myself without asking someone. For example, I had a printer ask me if a book I was getting quotes for needed any bleeds. In the comic book industry, “bleed” is a term for stretching artwork across a panel or off a page, so I couldn’t figure out why I was being asked this for a novel.

Now I know:

Bleed: If you want color to go to the edge of your page, then it “bleeds”. The “bleed” itself goes beyond the actual edge of the paper so that when the book is trimmed you are not left with a thin white strip. A bleed is typically 1/8-1/4″.

Cool, huh?

And some of them go into great detail about different processes and practices:

Lamination: There are basically four different types of laminating used on covers, casewraps or jackets. Varnish or aqueous is the least expensive and also the least durable. This coating is not recommended for any book cover. UV coating is OK for long runs (25,000 and up). In long runs it is an economical alternative to film lamination. However it is not nearly as durable. Film lamination comes in either gloss or matte. This is absolutely the best for book covers, casewraps and jackets. If any printer is substituting UV for film, be careful.

Useful!

One term missing that I do wish they’d included is “galley.” A galley is a pre-produced dummy of a book used to send out to others (usually media) for review. It’s something you’d have made at a place like Kinko’s that demonstrates exactly what your book will look like, but without all the binding. Oh, and they’re pretty expensive to make, too – so much so that many childrens’ book publishers don’t do them on the basis that it costs too much to make the illustrations come out well.

But complaining that when a glossary with this wealth of information doesn’t have one definition is like making a fortune and then complaining that you don’t have part of it in doubloons. Check it out!

Writing Scraps

by Sean J. Jordan