Glossary
We’ve curated a glossary of terms regarding all things writing and publishing related. From commonly-used terms to abbreviations, our glossary will guide writers and people starting out in publishing, to cut through the jargon and gain a better understanding.
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Auction
An auction, usually arranged by a literary agent, takes place when multiple publishing houses are interested in acquiring a manuscript and bid against one another to secure the domestic or territorial rights.
Auxesis
The listing of concepts or things in their ascending order of importance.
A more extensive list of literary terms, with quotations from fiction and non-fiction sources showing the terms in use, is included in The Right Word: A Writer’s Toolkit of Grammar, Vocabulary and Literary Terms (Bloomsbury 2021)
© Bloomsbury Publishing Plc 2021
B format
A medium sized paperback (129mm x 198mm), smaller than a trade paperback.
Blad (book layout and design)
A pre-publication sales and marketing tool. It is often a printed booklet that contains sample pages, images and front and back covers, which acts as a preview for promotional use or for sales teams to show to potential retailers, customers or reviewers.
Blurb
A short piece of writing or paragraph that praises and promotes a book, which usually appears on the back or inside cover of the book and may be used in sales and marketing material.