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. 

Formatting
The act of a manuscript being arranged so that it can appear in the correct manner on the page
Full colour
A printing process where four colours (cyan, magenta, yellow and black) are combined to produce complete colour images, artwork and design on pages.
Hardback
A book bound with rigid protective covers, often made of cardboard with cloth or paper coverings.
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
 
Impression
 A single print run of a book; all books in an impression are manufactured at the same time and are identical. A 'second impression' would be the second batch of copies to be printed and bound. The impression number is usually marked on the copyright/imprint page. There can be several impressions in an edition, all sharing the same ISBN.