Tracy's new e-book, PubSpeak: A Writer's Dictionary of Publishing Terms is now on sale through the following retailers: Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and Amazon UK. Tracy writes: Hello readers and writers of Glass Cases!
I’m very excited to be here today and host a contest for my new ebook, Pub Speak: A Writer’s Dictionary of Publishing Terms. When I wrote the book, I was envisioning an author who may have received their first contract using it to look up terms, or perhaps someone who wanted to get into the industry reading it to get a jump on the numerous other graduates competing for the same internships. I think there is a lexicon in publishing, and like many businesses, those that speak the language tend to do better than those that don’t!
Today though, we build a new lexicon – one of wit, and snark, and hopefully, pants-peeing.
It’s a Pub Speak Definition Contest and the winner will receive an electronic copy of the book, as well as my eternal admiration and probably some embarrassing congratulatory tweets. (You know you want it.)
I’ve listed six terms out of the 400 plus in the book. Choose one term - or all six - and come up with a definition in the comments section. Keep the comments limited to one definition only, but feel free to comment again choosing a different word. Only use each term once - no multiple definitions please from the same commenter, please.
Example: So if one of the terms was “advance,” your definition could be, “Advance: A figment of the writer’s imagination” or, as a second comment, “Advance: Half what you made that year at McDonalds.”
Here are the terms, good luck!
1) cheap edition
2) offer
3) work
4) novelette
5) shelf life
6) advance
Sarah and I will pick the winner and announce on Monday.
Cheap Edition: A book that is destined for the discount rack before it even hits the shelves.
ReplyDeleteOffer: A validation of "they like me, they really like me!"
ReplyDeleteNovelette: A baby novel who one day hopes to grow up to be just like their Mommy and Daddy.
ReplyDeleteShelf Life: How long a book can be sold before it starts to stink up the place.
ReplyDeleteAdvance: A monetary reward for all those social gatherings you ignored in pursuit of your novel.
ReplyDeletenovelette: a published work by any woman who is called "the female version" of a prominent male author
ReplyDeleteNovelette: the thing you self-publish so that you can be published while still not blowing your chances of debuting with an agent.
ReplyDeleteCheap Edition: A novel written by software after I gave it a one sentence pitch.
ReplyDeleteOffer: A hitman character in a mob crime novel.
ReplyDeleteWork: Something I pretend to do while I actually read publishing blogs.
ReplyDeleteNovelette: The novella's red-headed step-child.
ReplyDeleteShelf Life: The length of time brick and mortar book stores will continue to exist, before e-publishing takes over the world, and burns all paper books like in a Bradbury novel.
ReplyDeleteAdvance: A pitch made by a drunk author, at a conference, that goes a little too far.
ReplyDeleteWhat fun! Thanks ladies.
ReplyDeleteNovelette: A cute, small novel that will be dwarfed on shelves by bigger, more serious grown up novels.
ReplyDeleteShelf life: the length of time a shelf will remain standing once you start piling books on it.
ReplyDeleteAdvance: the dream of success a writer has at even the faintest nibble of interest from anyone in the publishing business.
ReplyDeleteCheap edition: The handwritten, spiral notebook edition that one sells out of the back of his/her trunk.
ReplyDeleteOffer: Any personal reply from an editor or agent.
ReplyDeleteAdvance: Something so small even the IRS wonders why you claim it as income.
ReplyDeleteWork: Something I watch my parents do to support my dream of becoming an author.
ReplyDeleteCheap edition: The flimsy paperback edition that you wish you could start with so that everyone could afford to read your book, but which in reality gets published when you are way beyond needing the exposure.
ReplyDeleteOffer: Magical document which drastically reduces one's need for this dictionary.
ReplyDeleteWork: (verb) Self-indulgent behavior which the writer feverishly tries to be paid for, so that it may gain this nomenclature. (noun) The product of the above.
ReplyDeleteNovelette: The core of the story that prematurely strikes out on its own, leaving its fully fleshed-out, would-be self behind.
ReplyDeleteShelf life: The date by which a book has more copies in second-hand stores, used bookstores, cottage bookshelves, institutional lending libraries, and the dump than available for sale.
ReplyDeleteShelf life: With the explosion of e-books, an obsolete word of the 21st century. Sorry folks, all traditional books have been canned.
ReplyDeleteNovelette: the polite society term for 'short story.'
ReplyDeleteAdvance: Sum of money available to any author whose literary income negates his need for one.
ReplyDeleteOffer: synonymous with "dream"
ReplyDeleteThat was a blast. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteWork: the activity that hinders a person from writing/editing
ReplyDeleteNovelette: As far as your novel lets you get (with it)
ReplyDeleteShelf life: Moving time
Novelette: The gambling game editors play when deciding which novel to publish. All manuscript titles are written on a wheel. A wadded-up form rejection serves as the ball. Whichever title the ball lands on when the wheel stops spinning, GETS PUBLISHED!
ReplyDeleteShelf life: That fuzzy stuff growing on your bookshelf, where you spilled orange juice last year.
ReplyDeleteAdvance: Instead of money, authors get a T-shirt or mug (your choice!) with Vivian Vance's face on it, advertising "I Love Lucy." Shortened, this is called an Ad-Vance.
ReplyDeleteCheap edition: A book that smells of strong perfume and inexpensive whiskey, with lipstick stains on the pages and runny ink.
ReplyDeleteWork: That thing I should be doing instead of this.
ReplyDeleteI love these types of challenges. Thanks! :)
Work - ?? I have no idea what this is. Next!
ReplyDeleteAdvance - A request by some guy with dyslexia named Vance to add him as a friend.
ReplyDeleteCheap edition - The less popular singing group similar to New Edition.
ReplyDeleteOffer - as used in a sentence.
ReplyDeleteMaggies husband wanted some sugar, but she told him to get offer.
Shelf life: when a person has so many books that everything in his or her apartment serves as either a bookcase or a bookend.
ReplyDeleteWork: writing or reading, k?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteNovelette: heat oil in pan and sauté pages of novel. Add beaten egg. Toss. Drop. Hope it lands sunny side up, and that nobody notices you haven't made a soufflé.
ReplyDeleteShelf life: beap, beap, beap, beap....
ReplyDeleteCheap edition - from the bottom of the henhouse
ReplyDeleteOffer - what you'd like to do to that agent who rejects your manuscript.
ReplyDeleteCheap Edition: When, in effort to save money, a publisher prints a version of your book without any verbs
ReplyDeleteOffer: The first step in the next round of waiting
ReplyDeleteWork: Any activity that, unlike writing, actually results in a paycheck
ReplyDeleteNovelette: French word meaning "manuscript that will never sell"
ReplyDeleteShelf Life: The amount of time your book has to sell before the next Stephenie Meyer, J.K. Rowling, or Dan Brown book is published
ReplyDeleteAdvance: Amount of money offered up front for the purchase of your book by a publisher, always smaller than the amount given to another author whom you are convinced has less talent than you
ReplyDeleteAdvance: What the author hopes it will do to his or her career.
ReplyDelete