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Monday, June 08, 2015

Publishing Terms Defined

I was delighted with all the interest in the publishing imprint I mentioned last week that I was working with. For those who missed it, this new imprint will be designed to work with authors who want the perks of self-publishing (more control, higher royalties) but with the benefits of traditional publishing (pre-publication reviews, wider distribution, publisher clout, and no author expenses.) It will launch this summer - if you want to be the first to get information, email me or leave a comment.

Several of you asked what an imprint was. I thought this would be a good time to define not only imprint, but a few other publishing terms that might be confusing. Here is a list:

Imprint - A publishing company might have multiple imprints, often with different names but still falling under the parent company, each of which focuses on a specific genre or reader demographic.

CIP - Stands for Catalog in Publication. This information is prepared by either the Library of Congress or a trained CIP block designer and assists with cataloging books for libraries. Located at the bottom of the copyright page, it includes the Library of Congress Control Number (LCCN) or PNC number.

ISBN - Stands for International Standard Book Number. This identification code is assigned to each unique format of a book (hardback, paperback, ebook) and is located on the back of the book, usually in the bar code. ISBNs can only be purchased from R.R. Bowker and cannot be transferred. The person or company who purchases the ISBNs is forever the one on record as the publisher.

POD - Stands for Print on Demand and refers to digital printing. (The other form of printing is offset which is done with printing plates and presses.) POD printers are not to be confused with POD publishers.

BISAC - Stands for Book Industry Standards and Communications. They set the standards for genre classification of books through subject headings in the USA. In the UK, it is the Book Industry Communication who performs this task.

Form more terms, see either Glossary of Book Publishing Terms or The Glossary of Book Trade.

Do you feel smarter already?

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40 comments:

  1. Natalie AguirreJune 08, 2015

    Sounds like an awesome imprint. I missed your post last week while I was on break. Glad you mentioned it again this week.

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  2. Elizabeth Spann CraigJune 08, 2015

    Good terms to know! And excited about the imprint.

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  3. H. R. SinclairJune 08, 2015

    I do feel smarter. :)

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  4. shellyJune 08, 2015

    Authorshellyarkon@gmail.com

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  5. Hilary Melton-ButcherJune 08, 2015

    Hi Diane - sounds really interesting ... I'd love to know more about the Imprint and your involvement .. so yes, please.

    It's good to being reminded of words that we should know, but don't always remember exactly what is what ...

    Good luck with it all .. cheers Hilary

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  6. Ann BennettJune 08, 2015

    The imprint sounds like a great hybrid for self-publishers.

    It pays to know the vocabulary. You just can't put the cart before the horse to make progress.

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  7. Jay NoelJune 08, 2015

    I had to learn all this stuff when I decided to get my rights back and self publish. Still makes my head spin!

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  8. Georganna Hancock M.S.June 08, 2015

    Wazzup girl?

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  9. Bish DenhamJune 08, 2015

    This is a wonderful thing you are undertaking!

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  10. Chrys FeyJune 08, 2015

    You know that I have my hand raised to know more about the imprint.

    Thanks for sharing this! A few of those were new to me. :)

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  11. Alex J. CavanaughJune 08, 2015

    Thanks, I didn't know a couple of those.

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  12. L. Diane WolfeJune 08, 2015

    Natalie, I will keep everyone updated on the imprint.

    Shelly, I got your email.

    Hilary, I will keep you in the loop.

    Hi Georganna!

    Chrys, I do.

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  13. M PaxJune 08, 2015

    Yes! I feel way smarter. :) Setting up the imprint sounds fun. I might be interested. Send me the info when you have it.

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  14. Susan Gourley/KelleyJune 08, 2015

    I did know those terms. Your venture sounds very exciting and I think there's a demand for just that kind of business.

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  15. Beverly Stowe McClureJune 08, 2015

    Thanks for these. I didn't know what all of them were, and after many years in the business I should know them. :)

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  16. JoJune 08, 2015

    Sounds a very useful book for a budding writer.

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  17. Notes Along the Way with Mary Montague SikesJune 08, 2015

    This imprint sounds like a really good thing. I suspect there will be a stampede!!! Thanks for the definitions.

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  18. AnonymousJune 08, 2015

    Interesting info. The second and last terms were new to me.

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  19. J E OneilJune 08, 2015

    Cool! It's good to know all these details. I don't want to admit how many of those are new to me...

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  20. RobinJune 08, 2015

    Book publishing is moving so fast that I'm somewhat amazed that people can keep up.

    Thank you for the tutorial:)

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  21. dolorahJune 08, 2015

    Thanks for the publishing terms. So much to understand.

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  22. Rawknrobyn.blogspot.comJune 08, 2015

    So an imprint is a part of a company, like a department of a larger organization?

    This list is helpful, Diane. Thank you.

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  23. TBMJune 09, 2015

    I learned a new term. Best of luck!

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  24. klahanieJune 09, 2015

    Hi Diane,

    I cannot thank you enough for all those definitions and actually noting what a number of acronyms are. I appreciate that because I got tired of Googling acronyms.

    My last two brain cells feel that little bit smarter!

    Gary

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  25. Karen LangeJune 09, 2015

    I do feel smarter, thanks so much! :) I would be interested in learning more. Will check out last week's post too. Had a lot going on so I think I missed it.

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  26. Yolanda RenéeJune 09, 2015

    Great information Diane, thanks, good luck with the new venture!

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  27. Shannon LawrenceJune 10, 2015

    Thanks for the links to publishing terms. I didn't know BISAC, so yes, I do feel smarter already. Now the question is: will I retain it?

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  28. Scribbles From JennJune 10, 2015

    Congratulations on your new imprint! It's nice to have something in between self and traditional publishing.

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  29. L. Diane WolfeJune 10, 2015

    Mary, I will.

    A stampede would be great, Mary.

    Robyn, yes. Imprints are like departments or divisions of a larger company.

    Karen, I will keep you in the loop.


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  30. S.A. LarsenッJune 10, 2015

    Thanks so much for the refresher of this information. You know, if you Google some of this stuff you'll find conflicting answers. #slapsforehead

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  31. Tyrean MartinsonJune 10, 2015

    Sounds like a great imprint! I would love to know more. Please e-mail me at tyreantigger@gmail.com - Thanks!

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  32. Rawknrobyn.blogspot.comJune 10, 2015

    Thank you, Spunk! =)

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  33. Vanessa MorganJune 11, 2015

    This is going to be great. No doubt about it.

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  34. Cherie ReichJune 11, 2015

    I hadn't heard of CIP, although I know about such information, cataloging for libraries, and LCCN/PNC. Of course, most of that is from being a librarian and having worked with MARC records (cataloging information).

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  35. Jessica LawsonJune 12, 2015

    Thanks for sharing these :) The imprint sounds great!

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  36. Sherry EllisJune 13, 2015

    I'd be very interested in learning more about this imprint.

    Thanks for defining all of these publishing terms. That were a couple I did not know.

    (If you need my email to send info about the imprint, it's sherry.a.ellis@gmail.com)

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  37. Stephen TrempJune 14, 2015

    Diane, looks like the response has been great. Glad this is working out. Like others, I'm very much interested to hear more details of this imprint and see if it's a good fit. I'm staying tuned.

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  38. L. Diane WolfeJune 14, 2015

    SA, and that's so frustrating when you find different answers.

    Tyrean, I will let you know.

    Cherie, then you understand it better than most. You could probably create CIP blocks for people.

    Sherry, I will send you an email when I have details.

    Stephen, you're first on the list to get info!

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  39. Nas June 14, 2015

    Thanks for this post. I'm also researching CIP and ISBN so this post is timely.

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  40. Maurice MitchellJune 16, 2015

    Since I'm not a writer this is very insightful. I would have had no idea what a CIP is. Thanks L!

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