Glossary
We’ve curated a glossary of terms regarding all things writing and publishing related. From commonly-used terms to abbreviations, our glossary will guide writers and people starting out in publishing, to cut through the jargon and gain a better understanding.
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Royalties
Money paid to a writer for the right to use his or her property (the work), usually a percentage of sales or an agreed amount per sale.
Royalty split
How the royalty proceeds are divided between multiple authors or author and illustrator.
Royalty statement
A statement document from a publisher showing the royalty amount due to an author.
Serialisation
All or excerpts of a book can be published in a newspaper or magazine before publication (first serialisation rights) or after publication (second serialisation rights).
Simile
Where one thing is said to be like another to invite comparison and emphasise a similarity.
A more extensive list of literary terms, with quotations from fiction and non-fiction sources showing the terms in use, is included in The Right Word: A Writer’s Toolkit of Grammar, Vocabulary and Literary Terms (Bloomsbury 2021)
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