Sunday 28 March 2021

Publishing terms continued


More explanations of publishing terms. (Part 1 is here.) Once the list is reasonably comprehensive I'll find a way to put it together and/or make it easier to refer to. See here for the first part of the list. Please add any you can think of in the comments – both those you know the meaning of and those you don't! 

Cliff hanger A chapter or serial instalment ending intended to make the reader keen to continue reading, for example having your hero hanging onto the edge of a cliff by his fingernails. 

Do NOT have a cliffhanger at the end of a book, even if it's a series, unless you want your reader to feel cheated. I warn you now, if you do it in a book I read I'll give it a one star review and say it's not finished and whinge about it every time your name is mentioned.

Elevator pitch A short description or sales pitch for your book to be used in advertising and to deliver


to an editor or agent should you ever share a lift with one.

Filler A very short article or story used in a magazine or newspaper. Examples are news snippets, letters to the editor and useful tips. Writing these can be an excellent way to get used to submitting work and earn a little money.

Freebie A free book (usually an ebook such as this one) or anything else offered for free to potential readers in the hope of getting them interested in your writing. Some authors give away bookmarks, or offer prizes connected with their book as freebies.

Exclusive Having your work available through only one publisher. This may be temporary.


It's common for magazines (those which don't take all rights) to have the story on an exclusive basis for a period during which the author can't submit or publish it elsewhere. 

In order to offer books through Amazon's kindle unlimited service the ebook must be published exclusively through them.

Fair use In some cases, such as reviews or quotes, small sections of copyrighted material may be used without gaining prior permission. This does NOT apply to all written work.

Genre Classification in which a book or story falls. Eg romance, science-fiction, historical

Ghostwriter Someone who writes a book or article which is published under another person's name.


This might be because the person has enough knowledge, experience or fame to interest a reader but not the skill, desire or time to write. The ghostwriter is generally paid a flat fee, but might earn a royalty share.

Hook An aspect of the writing which sets it apart from other similar work and draws in the reader. 

9 comments:

Lynn Love said...

Thanks Patsy 😊

Marguerite said...

I haven't got much to say, but I do appreciate these being here :)

ados123 said...

Thanks, Patsy.
Alyson

ChrisC said...

I m new to this writing scene. I ve heard people mention ALCS, can anyone tell me what this is please?

Patsy said...

Thanks, Lynn, Alyson and Marguerite.

ChrisC, this explains all – https://womagwriter.blogspot.com/2015/05/guest-post-by-womagwriter-carol-bevitt.html If you've had anything published in a UK magazine, I recommend signing up.

Eirin Thompson said...

I signed up for ALCS expecting perhaps a few pounds, if I was lucky. I've now had two payments - last March and this month - and was very pleasantly surprised. Would strongly recommend joining, Chris C.

ChrisC said...

Thank you. I ve looked on their website but I can t see anything about stories in magazines. Details on books, articles, scripts. Anthologies. But I m guessing it does include magazines?? Thanks 😎

Patsy said...

@ Eirin – that seems to be a common experience! This year the payment apparently included some back dated money. As a result my husband, who writes a regular non fiction column, earned almost as much from ALCS as he was originally paid.

@ ChrisC – In this context short stories are considered articles. Articles are also considered to be articles, as are fillers, such as letters to the editor.

Anonymous said...

Patsy-Thabk you that makes sense now