 | advance -- a portion of the projected
royalties paid to an author when a contract is agreed to. This is an advance
against the royalties. The writer will not receive any royalties until the
book has earned the advance money back. |
| bio -- a short sentence or paragraph
about the writer that often appears at the end of a magazine article or the
back of a book to which the writer contributed |
| BOR -- "back of room" It mean the table
speakers often have at the back of the room where they sell their books or
other goods. |
| byline -- the author's name or pseudonym
that appears after the word "by" below the title of the article |
| clip -- a copy of a published article.
(The term comes from the days when a writer actually clipped his or her
article out of the publication. Also called a "tear sheet.")
Photocopies suffice now. |
| compilation -- a book that contains
contributions from many writers. Often a small fee is paid to the writer and
the writer might be able to purchase books at a discount to resell. |
| contributor's copy -- the copy or copies
a magazine sends to writers who contributed to that issue of the magazine.
It's your copy of your published article. |
| e-zine -- an electronic magazine
delivered to your e-mail box. |
| freelance writer -- a writer who submits
his or her manuscripts to any market that accepts freelance material (as
opposed to staff writers). The term freelance comes from the days when
knights were available as soldiers for hire. Their "lance" was "free" to
fight for any king who would hire them. |
| FNASR -- First North American Serial
Rights |
| guidelines -- the guidelines a periodical
or book publisher offers writers to tell us exactly what they want and expect.
Writers should request these guidelines before we ever submit to a market, and
should follow them carefully when submitting. |
| market -- a periodical or book publisher
or other buyer to which we may submit our manuscripts |
| overlapping markets -- magazines or other
markets that circulate to the same audience and therefore compete for that
audience. An example is Woman's World and Woman's Day. Do not
submit simultaneously to overlapping markets. |
| over the transom -- term for manuscripts
coming in to an editor's office without that editor soliciting or requesting
them. (And older term.) |
| periodical -- a publication that is
published periodically, such as magazines, journals, and Sunday School
take-home papers. |
| pull quote -- a quote from an article or
story enlarged, set within a box, or otherwise highlighted on the same pages
with the article. (I know you've seen them. Those quotes from the
same story in a little box.) |
| query letter -- a one-page sales pitch to
a magazine or book editor telling them what your article or book is about and
asking permission to send the manuscript or proposal. (Notice I said
one page.) |
| rights, all -- the owner owns all rights
to the piece of writing. If you sell "all rights," you are selling any and all
rights you have to the piece. You no longer own it. You no longer have any
right to it. The purchases owns it and possess all rights to it and can use it
or reuse it as they wish. |
| rights, first -- the right to print it
first |
| Rights, First North American Serial --
same as "first rights." Extends to the United States and Canada. |
| rights, one-time -- the right to print it
one time. (That means it could also be first rights, reprints rights, or
simultaneous rights.) |
| rights, reprint -- the right to re--print
an already-published piece |
| rights, second -- same as "reprint
rights" (even if it's the third, fourth, tenth or one-hundredth time it has
been printed) |
| rights, simultaneous -- the right to
print it at the same time as another market |
| royalties -- a percentage of the proceeds
from a book paid to the writer from the publisher. The percentage is agreed in
the contract. |
| SASE -- self-addressed stamped envelop |
| sample copies -- copies of a magazine
offered to writers so we may study what they publish and submit appropriate
material. Writers should obtain sample copies before submitting to a market.
When possible, purchase copies off the stand at a bookstore or other outlet.
When periodicals are not available on the stand, sample copies may be
requested from the publisher. Some publishers will send sample copies free for
an appropriately-sized and stamped envelop. Others require writers pay for the
copies. Check writer's guidelines or a market guide for the address to request
the samples from and to find out if you need to send and check and for how
much. (Recommendation: Study at least six issue before submitting to maximize
your chances of acceptance.) |
| sidebar -- a short article, statistics,
graphs, or other information that accompanies an article. It's usually
set off in a box or separate area on the same pages of the article.
|
| simultaneous submission -- having your
manuscript out to more than one market at the same time |
| slush pile -- the pile of manuscripts in
an editor's office awaiting his or her attention. This is where your
unsolicited manuscript will end up. (Avoid the slush pile whenever possible.) |
| solicited manuscript -- a manuscript
requested by an editor. When you query an editor and he or she requests to see
the manuscript, your manuscript is no longer "unsolicited." When you
talk with an editor or agent at a writer's conference or elsewhere and the
editor requests to see the manuscript, your manuscript is no longer
"unsolicited." |
| Special to [name of newspaper] -- a
freelance writer (not staff writer) writing for a newspaper |
| staff writer -- a writer who works for a
magazine or newspaper; a writer on staff with a magazine or newspaper |
| Sunday School take-home paper -- a small
magazine or paper that is published weekly and is intended to be handed out
each week at church or Sunday school. An excellent market for freelancers
because they need a lot of material to fill 52 issues per year. |
| take-home paper -- same as "Sunday School
take-home paper" |
| tear sheet -- a copy of a published
article. (The term comes from the days when a writer actually tore her or his
article out of the publication. Also called a "clip.") Photocopies
suffice now. |
| theme list -- the list of topics a
magazine's editorial staff plans to address in upcoming issues. Request a
theme list from all periodicals who use them and look for themes you can write
to. Submit your query letter or manuscript at least six months (or the time
frame specified in the guidelines) before the theme date. |
| unsolicited manuscript -- term for
manuscripts coming in to an editor's office without that editor soliciting or
requesting them. |
| work for hire -- a publisher hires a
writer to write a certain piece. Most often the writer is paid a flat fee (not
royalties). The idea usually is the brainstorm of the publisher or someone
other than the writer. The finished product is owned by the publisher and the
writer owns no part of it. |
| writer's guidelines -- the guidelines a
periodical or book publisher offers writer to tell us exactly what they want
and expect. Writers should request these guidelines before we ever submit to a
market, and should follow them carefully when submitting. |
| YA -- abbreviation for "young adult."
Refers to material written for older teens and young twenty-somethings in both
books and magazines. |
