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Publishing Terms

© Sue Reichard

For many children's writers new coming in to the craft, there is much to learn including the need to become familiar with the many publishing terms a writer encounters. This week I will present many of those terms.

ADVANCE: Compensation paid to an author once the author's book is contracted before it is published. Typically, one-half of the advance is paid upon signing and the remaining paid upon delivery of the final manuscript.

BACKLIST: Books from previous seasons that are still in print. In the world of children's publishing, a book can remain on a publisher's backlist for many years, especially if they are award-winners or considered "classics."

BACK MATTER: Printed material that appears in the back of a book, after the main body of text. Typical material considered back matter are glossaries, footnotes, indexes, author and illustrator biographies. In picture books, back matter reduces the space available for the story and illustration, since they are restricted to 24 or 32 page format.

BOILERPLATE: This refers to a publishers' standard contract prior to any changes being made by an author or agent. Most publishers have a variety of boilerplate contracts for meeting different needs. They always favor the publisher.

BOOK PACKAGERS: A book packager can also be known as book producers or book developers. They creae new titles from concept to bound books for publishers, as opposed to publishers using in-house staff and existing authors. They are often very receptive to new writers.

CALDECOTT AWARD: An annual and very prestigious award presented by the American Library Association to the artist of the most distinguished picture book for children published in the U.S.

CHAPTER BOOKS: A category of books for children ages 9-12, such as the R.L. Stine Goosebumps. Chapter books may be the first books of length that children read when they grow too old for picture books.

CONCEPT BOOKS: A type of picture book for preschool children in which a basic concept is introduced. Among the most often created concept books are those that deal with the alphabet, shapes and sizes, and numbers and colors. Themes such as sharing, death and alternative lifestyles are gaining popularity.

CONTRACT: A legally binding agreement in which an author or illustrator sells to a publisher some or all rights to a creative piece of work. Contracts spell out what rights are being surrendered, for how long, under what circumstances, and for what compensation.

COPYEDITING: Checking a manuscript for spelling, grammar, and content errors.

The copyright of the article Publishing Terms in Writing for Children is owned by Sue Reichard. Permission to republish Publishing Terms in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.