Pub Speak: A Writer's Dictionary of Publishing Terms [Paperback]

Tracy Marchini (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 27, 2011

Curious what a certain term means in a book contract? Not sure what the difference is between an easy reader and a picture book? Can't tell a Newbery from a Nebula?

Pub Speak: A Writer's Dictionary of Publishing Terms is a dictionary for both new and established authors that contains over 400 definitions, including:

- contract and royalty terms
- ebooks and audiobooks
- fiction and non-fiction
- publishing terms
- retailers, book clubs, wholesalers and distributors
- social networking and collaborative publishing
- trade associations, events and publications
- writer's organizations, awards and publications

A small but powerful book, writers can read the dictionary all the way through to gain a more thorough understanding of the industry, or use the dictionary to look up terms as needed. The book is not designed to replace an agent or editor, but to help authors become informed partners in the business of publishing.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"[Pub Speak] is a veritable catalogue of acronyms, technical words, and even common awards and associations that every writer, editor, publisher, and publicist of the English language should know." --Trees And Ink

Pub Speak aims to help authors keep up to date on publishing terms and keep you from getting overwhelmed! I highly recommend you add Pub Speak to your writing resources! --Sydney Health Writer --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

About the Author

Tracy Marchini is a freelance writer and editorial consultant. Before launching her own editorial service, she worked at a literary agency, as a children's book reviewer, a newspaper correspondent and a freelance copywriter. More information about her and her critique services can be found at www.tracymarchini.com.

Product Details

• Paperback: 110 pages
• Publisher: Squirrel Books (April 27, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0615481094
• ISBN-13: 978-0615481098
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,838,798 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Tracy Marchini is a freelance writer and editorial consultant. Before launching her own editorial service, she worked at a literary agency, as a children's book reviewer, a newspaper correspondent and a freelance copywriter. She may also be known as the worst kickball player to ever grace her schoolyard.

More information about her and her critique services can be found at www.tracymarchini.com.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars This slim volume will make you smarter September 10, 2011

By alchemyofscrawl

Format:Kindle Edition

when talking about publishing. Every profession has its own vocabulary and terms. If you're a newbie to the publishing world (and who isn't in this day and age with eBooks on the rise), then this book is for you. It covers the alphabet soup (acronyms) of terms and vocabulary used in the publishing, writing, editing, marketing universe. After reading this, you'll be able to sit at the grown-up table!

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable and Informative April 12, 2011

By Rebecca of Amazon HALL OF FAMETOP 100 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

If you are the type of person who reads dictionaries for fun then this book will be very interesting. I'd also recommend this book to anyone in the publishing industry. Authors will also find this book to be very informative.

While most authors and publishers are going to know what .pdf means - authors, reviewers and readers are going to want to know what ARC (Advanced Readers Copy) and DRM (Digital Rights Management) means. If you try to publish a Kindle book you are going to come across DRM. Some people are for it and others against so you get to pick a side.

I recently came across an author who said they wrote flash fiction and I was wondering what that meant. This book explained it completely. My brother was also talking about a machine that can print you a book on demand and apparently that is called an Espresso Book Machine.

This book also reminded me of when I sent an unsolicited manuscript to a major editor and received a personalized rejection letter in return. From what I can tell this only spurred me onward to get published. Other rejection letters didn't leave such a good impression on me and seemed more like form letters. All this is explained in this handy book.

One thing this book alerted me to is the horrifying practice of book stripping. Apparently the cover is torn off and the book is returned to the publisher. This is much worse than putting a remainder mark on a book. I wish there was a way to stop marking books and destroying them. People out there who are selling these books don't seem to always indicate that the book is damaged. When buying used books I often get a book with a remainder mark on it.

Well I think this book is essential reading for all authors, publishers, editors, freelance writers and especially Kindle authors. It is a quick read and will give you a little more power when negotiating a book deal or producing an eBook.

~The Rebecca Review

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A to Z May 6, 2011

By tmtrvlr

Format:Paperback

Pub Speak is the perfect handbook for those who need to navigate the publishing business. Whether you are a new author or just someone who wants to understand publishing, this dictionary is a great source for terms used in the industry. A-Z - So much is covered that it is difficult to describe. There are agency terms, contract and royalty terms, e-book information, book publishers and sellers, publishing terms, websites and social networking, abbreviations, and character terms.

Although I would highly recommend Pub Speak for authors, I also think this book is of interest for book reviewers, bloggers, and readers. There is information on voice, characters and fiction terms that will help reviewers. Many authors now are self-publishing and Pub Speaks is a great resource for learning the essentials.