Publishing 101: Key Publishing Terms Explained
How to Communicate Like a Publishing Professional
Like any specialized field, publishing is complex and has its own terms and terminology that can be confusing for anyone unfamiliar with it. Knowing key terms and their meanings will not only clarify the steps involved from manuscript to publishable text but will also help when communicating with publishing professionals.
The Most Common Terms from A-Z
Back matter: All information published after the text, for example, the appendix, index, glossary and bibliography. See front matter.
Blues: Abbreviation for blueline proofs. Either the printer will generate blues from repro or the typesetter from electronic files. Bluelines are literally blue pages that are not checked for final color but for completeness, accuracy and placement of all printed elements. Blues should incorporate all changes made at previous stages like the page proof and galley stages.
Copy: All typeset text elements of a publication.
Copyediting: The process of making improvements to a manuscript, for example, spelling, grammar, factual checks and formatting changes.
F&Gs: This abbreviation stands for “folded and gathered” and refers to the final pages of a publication without binding. F&Gs provide a good idea of what the finished book will look like so that any grave errors can be corrected before it goes for binding.
Front matter: All information published before the text, for example the title page, copyright page, acknowledgements, table of contents, preface and foreword. See back matter.
Galley: This is a pre-publication copy of a book with a plain cover. (Covers are finalized in one of the later stages of the publishing process.) Only a few galleys are produced and sent to reviewers. These are advance copies and not meant for sale.
Page proofs: These are paginated and typeset material that shows the placement of text, tables, illustrations and other elements. There can be more than one stage of page proofs, for example, one after copyediting and one after proofreading. Today, page proofs are usually provided in digital format.
Paper vs. article: The term “paper” is used for work that has not been published, for example, a paper presented at a meeting, whereas “article” refers to a published work.
Pull quote: Brief text excerpts, usually not more than a sentence or two, that are enlarged and set off from other information on a page with lines, shading or boxes. Used for emphasis and to draw the reader’s attention to key points. Editors might ask authors to mark text that can be used as pull quotes.
Recto: The right page of a spread. See verso.
Repro: Short for reproduction copy. Page proofs are generated by the typesetter and reflect changes at the galley and different page proof stages.
Running head: The page header. This might be the book title on the left (verso) and chapter title on the right (recto) of a book page or the journal name on the left-hand page and the article title on the right-hand page for a journal.
Spread: Two facing pages with an even-numbered page on the left (verso) and an odd-numbered page on the right (recto).
Typesetting: The graphic presentation of text, either on paper or electronically. Before the invention of word processors, typesetting was done manually by specialists who would set types (i.e., printed or typewritten letters or characters; see photo) to form words and sentences.
Verso: The left side of a spread. See recto.
Frequent use of the terms and further reading will improve confidence in one’s publishing vocabulary so that soon, its correct usage will impress professionals in the field. Style guides such as the MLA Style Manual and the Chicago Manual of Style provide further information as they devote whole chapters to explaining the book production process and how to prepare a manuscript.
For anyone interested in the field, discover how to find publishing internships and how to use them to break into the field.
Old Printing Types
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Old Heidegger Printing Press
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Text Typeset With Old Printing Letters
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