RETAIL PRICE: The cover price of a book. Also referred to as the list price. Most larger publishers pay royalites based on the cover price.
REVISION: The obligation of an author or illustrator to make changes to an original work in order to make the finished product more saleable. Revision clauses that spell out the degree of revision and time allowed are usually included in the publishing agreements. Editors and authors or illustrators typically work closely together during the revision process.
RIGHTS: The provisions offered for sale by an author or illustrator or photographer to a publishing house for a particular manuscript or work of art.
ROYALTIES: A percentage of the proceeds from the sale of each copy of a book. Royalties generally range from 3% to 15%, depending on the type of book, amount of experience the author has, its perceived market potential, etc. Authors and illustrators are both paid in royalties unless a flat fee arrangement has been made.
RHYMER: An editorial term that describes picture books in which the story is presented in rhyme. Rhymers fall in and out of favor with editors, and are more difficult to sell than picture books told in narrative style.
SASE: A self-addressed, stamped envelope.
SCBWI: The Socity of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, the leading organization for children's writers.
SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSION: Submissions that are sent to more than one publisher at a time. Most publishing houses accept simultaneous submissions, but authors who choose this route should always tell the publisher this fact.
SLUSH PILE: Stacks of manuscripts that are received by editors and publishing houses, but not specifically requested. Manuscripts in the slush pile inevitably are read only after material that an editor has sought or received from an agent. Some houses do not accept unsolicited manuscripts; others keep up with the slush pile in hopes of finding new talent.
SPECULATION: Preparing or offering a manuscript or illustration for an editor without assurance that it will be purshased.
SUBSIDIARY RIGHTS: Sales of your book, either by the publisher or an author's agent, to other outlets such as books clubs, foreign publishers, magazines, or movie studios. If the publisher sells the subsidiary rights, the proceeds are split with the author (usually 50/50).
SUBSIDY PUBLISHER: A publisher who splits the cost of publishing a book with an author. Sometimes referred to a vanity publishers, these publishers typically charge authors for typesetting, printing and promoting their own books.
Go To Page: 1 2
