Publishing Exam Thompson #1

Front 1

scout (aka: foreign rights scout)

Back 1

one who generally works on retainer for foreign publishers looking for books suitable for their clients to translate and publish in their own countries. Finds out what books are on submission to NY houses. Rarely does the direction of scouting/reporting go the other way.

Front 2

pre-emptive bid

Back 2

An offer made by an editor who hopes to avoid competing in an auction for a book. If the bid is high enough, it’s likely to succeed: the agent will then accept the offer and tell the other editors still considering the book. If an agent feels the pre-emptive is not high enough, she may advise the author that it is worth gambling by rejecting the pre-emptive and waiting to see what bids an auction might generate.

Front 3

co-op advertising

Back 3

an arrangement by which “booksellers -- mostly chains, but also larger independent stores -- keep a certain percentage of a publisher's net sales, usually 3 percent to 5 percent annually, depending on the agreement with the publisher. This money is then parceled out for various purposes, to help, for example, defray the bookseller's advertising costs, when a chain takes out ads or prints fliers to promote certain books. But the publisher's money may also buy coveted space on the store's front tables or on tall, highly visible racks, known as stepladders, announcing to customers that these books are considered the most important in the store.”

Front 4

commercial fiction

Back 4

designed to appeal to a broad audience, tends to focus more on plot and are generally easy to read (in terms of sentence structure, vocabulary, etc.), often valued based on potential for making money. Most genre fiction falls into this category. Often focuses on external struggles/conflicts.

Front 5

literary fiction

Back 5

tends to focus more on character development, may be more challenging to read (in terms of sentence structure, vocabulary, etc.), often valued based on potential for winning awards. Often focuses on internal struggles/conflicts.

Front 6

synergy

Back 6

cooperative interaction among parts of a corporation that creates a more successful or productive outcome.

Front 7

P&L sheet

Back 7

a financial summary of the likely revenue that will be generated and costs that will be incurred in publishing a book. Meant to help guide decisions about advances and other financial plans for the book.