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. 

Filter by

Advance Information sheet
A sales and marketing document which contains information about the content and format of the book, as well as key selling points, intended audience, promotions and reviews that is circulated to sales reps, potential retailers and customers.
Blad (book layout and design)
A pre-publication sales and marketing tool. It is often a printed booklet that contains sample pages, images and front and back covers, which acts as a preview for promotional use or for sales teams to show to potential retailers, customers or reviewers.
Blurb
A short piece of writing or paragraph that praises and promotes a book, which usually appears on the back or inside cover of the book and may be used in sales and marketing material.
Emotional beat
An emotional beat is when the action of a story creates an emotional reaction in your character. The emotional beat is there to show us what will motivate our character's next action. The emotional beats of a story help to outline the arc of a character. For example, in the film Babyteeth, the inciting incident is the very first meeting between Milla and Moses. Milla falls in love very quickly with Moses. When we find Moses robbing her house in the middle of the night, her parents are angry. However, the emotional beat for her parents is seeing Milla happy and giddy with her first love. As Milla has just been diagnosed with cancer, we know that her parent's emotional beat - prioritising their daughter's happiness over their own concerns about Moses - will influence the rest of the film.
Ingram
A book and e-book distributor, and a print-on-demand service provider.