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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Auction
An auction, usually arranged by a literary agent, takes place when multiple publishing houses are interested in acquiring a manuscript and bid against one another to secure the domestic or territorial rights.
Imperative
The mood of verbs used in commands and requests. In English verbs the form of the imperative is identical to the infinitive.
A more extensive list of grammatical terms is included in The Right Word: A Writer’s Toolkit of Grammar, Vocabulary and Literary Terms (Bloomsbury 2021)
© Bloomsbury Publishing Plc 2021
Ingram
A book and e-book distributor, and a print-on-demand service provider.
Literary agent
Represent writers and their works. They match books to suitable publishers and negotiate publishing contracts and rights deals. They also co-ordinate the business side of publishing on behalf of authors.
Print-on-demand (POD)
The facility to print and bind books at short notice without the need for a large print run, using digital technology. When an order comes through, a digital file of the book can be printed automatically and individually.