Jargon for Writers: Part Three

by Gayle Heston, COFW member

This month we look at the word most often found on the business side of the writing business. Again this is neither a complete list nor the only definitions available.

ADVANCE: The amount a publisher pays a writer before a book is published; it is deducted from the royalties earned from sales of the finished book.

AGENT: Acts as the author's representative in all deals with a publisher. In recompense for this service, the agent usually receives a 15% commission on the author's earnings from the books the agent represents.

AGENTED MATERIAL: Submissions from literary or dramatic agents to a publisher. Some publishing companies accept agented material only.

ARC: Advanced Reading Copy--Large bound copies of books sent out to garner cover quotes and advance reviews of books.

AUTHOR: A person who makes or originates something; a person whose profession is writing books, articles, etc.

BACKLIST: A list of books a publisher has in print, but which are not published within the current season. Backlisted titles usually get little promotion or publicity.

CATEGORY ROMANCE: A novel in which the hero and heroine's relationship is the main focus of the story. Category romances are marketed monthly under imprints readers have learned to associate with romance--Harlequin, Loveswept, Silhouette.

CHICK LIT: Books aimed at singles in their mid-twenties showing a monogamous relationship that does not necessarily lead to marriage.

COPYRIGHT: Legal protection of creative works from unauthorized use. Under the law, a copyright is secured automatically when the work is set down in written or recorded form.

EDITOR: Represents the publisher, from buying the manuscript to publishing the finished novel... In Your Novel Proposal, From Creation to Contract by Blythe Camenson and Marshall J. Cook, the authors say that "editors make notes and writers are expected to make revisions."

E-BOOK: Electronic form of publishing, that is down loadable from the internet or purchased in compact disk form.

FANTASY: Romances involving elves, witches, sprites and other mythological creatures, often with a medieval setting. Fantasy romances usually involve magic in some form.

GENRE: Fiction that falls into specific categories: Romance, Mystery, Science Fiction, Western, Action/adventure, Gothic, Romantic Suspense, Thrillers. There are also subgenres: Historical Romance, Contemporary, Chick Lit, Erotica, Paranormal, and Inspirational.

GOTHIC NOVEL: A decidedly dark, brooding novel often set on an old estate or lonely moor. This genre dates back to the 18th century, and the plots usually deal with mystery, the supernatural, and chivalry.

HISTORICAL FICTION: The story takes place during a definite, recognized period in real history. Examples include the Regency, Victorian, or Western novel.

MAINSTREAM FICTION: A book that is a catch-all description that appeals to a wide range of readers. It usually shows situations and themes of broad interest and portrays characters with whom many people can empathize. It does not always have a happy ending, the hero and heroine may not be monogamous, and there are secondary story lines.

MANUCRIPT FORMAT: General rules are: inch to inch-and-one-half margins, font: Courier New, OR Times New Roman, size 12, lines-double spaced, 250 words or twenty-five lines on a page, (Editorial note: About 350 words for TNR) page numbers top right, author's last name/title, top left; begin new chapter one third down page.

MIDLIST: Titles on a publishers list that are expected to get some sales but not be best sellers.

MULTIPULE SUBMISSIONS: Submitting the same query or manuscript to several publishers or agents at the same time.

MYSTERY: A story with a puzzle and a detective who brings skill and insight into the solution of a murder, if it includes a romance that is definitely a subplot. Mysteries are generally plot driven not character driven like romance. There are several sub-genres: cozy, private eye, police procedural, woman/child --in-jeopardy and amateur sleuth.

PROPOSAL: Usually consisting of on outline of the work and one or two completed chapters.

QUERY LETTER: This is a mini-proposal that aims to hook the attention of the editor or agent; describe your project; tell the editor or agent who you are; get the editor or agent to ask for more.

REGENCY: A subgenre of historical romance set in England between 1811 and 1820. Characters are usually part of the British aristocracy and are governed by the etiquette of the period.

ROMANTIC SUSPENSE: A romance novel in which the heroine or someone close to her is in jeopardy. The hero and heroine work together to end the danger and foil the villain, usually falling in love at the same time.

ROYALITIES: A percentage of the retail price paid to the author for each copy of the book that is sold.

SASE: Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope. a #10 size envelope, sent with your material for the editor or agent's response.

SCIENCE FICTION: Adventure fiction dealing with space ships, space colonies, aliens, other worlds and technologies. The basic theme is power and how to use it. Your plot is always a political one. You are telling us how the world works in human terms, what kinds of hazards and personal flaws can subvert good behavior, and what kinds of values best inspire such behavior.

STAND ALONE/SINGLE TITLE: Any book that is not published in a line or series. Most mainstream titles are single title.

SLUSH PILE: The stack of unsolicited manuscripts in an editor or agent's office.

SYNOPSIS: It is the bare-bones summary of your book, the introduction to your work, and assuming you've passed the query letter stage, the thing that the editor uses to evaluate whether or not your book is worth her time and whether it's a marketable piece of work.

THRILLERS: Come in many packages: romantic suspense, spy novels, techno-thrillers, legal thrillers, and political thrillers. They are the height of suspense; that is happening right now. Thrillers are not a sifting of clues in a past mystery, but the grit our teeth and bite our nails adventure as our hero dodges bullets and evades danger in the present.

TIP SHEET/GUIDELINES: Guidelines available from the publisher that tells the author specifically what kinds of stories the publisher is looking for.

The following books and internet sites were used in the article:

Internet Public Library at www.ipl.org; Deanna Carlyle at www.deannacarlyle.com/articles/verb; The Fiction Dictionary by Laurie Henry; Dynamic Characters by Nancy Kress; The Breakout Novel Workbook by Donald Maass; Your Novel Proposal by Blythe Camenson & Marshall J. Cook; bits and pieces from the Elements of Fiction Writing Series by Writer's Digest Books; Scene and Structure by Jack M. Bickham; GMC: Goal, Motivation and Conflict--The Building Blocks of Good Fiction by Debra Dixon; The Writer's Journey, 2nd Ed, Mythic Structure for Writers by Christopher Vogler; The Weekend Novelist by Robert J, Ray; Romance Writer's Handbook by Rebecca Vinyard; Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy by Crawford Kilian; Writing Romance by Vanessa Grant; The Dreaded Synopsis by Elizabeth Sinclair; Writing Romances Edited by Rita Gallagher and Rita Clay Estrada; Guide to Manuscript Formats by Dian Dincin Buchman & Seli Groves; The Writer's Handbook edited by Sylvia K. Burack; Romance Writer's Source Book--Where to Sell Your manuscripts edited by David H. Borcherding, and How to Write Killer Fiction by Carolyn Wheat

Gayle Heston, who writes mysteries and romantic suspense, is trying her hand at a thriller. She is a member of RWA, COFW and Sisters in Crime.

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