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. 

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.
Laser proof
A laser proof is a print out from an office laser printer, to give an accurate view as possible of the final layout.
Metadata
Data that describes the content of a book to aid online discoverability - typically title, author, ISBN, key terms, description and other bibliographic information.
Mobi files
Digital book format for Kindle devices (owned by Amazon).
Ozalid
This is a process for reproducing manuscripts and making a proof from exposing film onto light-sensitive paper.