AA An abbreviation for author's alteration. See AUTHOR'S ALTERATION

AB BOOKMAN'S WEEKLY A 52-year old bookseller's journal that closed its doors in 2000. AB Bookman's Weekly was first published in 1948. One of its most important features was its classified section, which listed books wanted and books for sale. The journal also contained auction and book fair calendars, and trade information. AB Bookman's Weekly may have been done in by the Internet. Traffic on such sites as Bibliofind, which lists books for sale from members, and general auction sites that offer books, have had large increases in traffic.

ABRUPT SERIF A term applicable to a serif, which breaks abruptly at an angle from its stem. See also SERIF STEM

ABSOLUTE PLACEMENT A term to denote the process of specifying the exact position on the page where a line of text is to begin, or a corner of an illustration or other graphic element will be anchored. This contrasts with relative placement, where an element is positioned only in relation to another element, and not in absolute terms. See also POSITIONING RELATIVE PLACEMENT

ABSORBENCY In papermaking and printing, the ability of paper to take up and hold fluids, such as printing inks or water. See also PAPER POROSITY

ABSORPTION The act of absorbing, or state or process of being absorbed. In printing, the term is used in reference to the property of a certain grade of paper (or other substrate) that causes it to absorb ink or other liquids or vapor. This factor should be considered when determining the quantity of ink needed to create a satisfactory impression. In optics, the term indicates a partial suppression of light through a transparent material. See also CHALKING HOLD-OUT IMPRESSION INK SUBSTRATE VEHICLE

ABSTRACT A short summary of a book, article, document, speech, etc. Also, a particular type of written summary in the format approved by the specific academic discipline and a length that is usually limited to 120 words or so. Abstracts of reviews should describe the central thesis and the main arguments. Abstracts of research reports state the problem, describe the method, and give the results or conclusions, and their significance. See also REVIEW UNIVERSITY PRESS

AC An abbreviation for author's correction. See AUTHOR'S CORRECTIONS

ACADEMIC REPRINT A new printing of a scholarly work by a publisher, other than the original. An academic reprint is usually reproduced by a photographic process to satisfy a relatively narrow, specialized academic market. See also REPRINT REPRINT RIGHTS UNIVERSITY PRESS

ACCENT A symbol used to indicate emphasis, stress, or pitch on a particular letter or syllable, or another distinction in pronunciation. Accents include a French grave, acute, circumflex, or cedilla, or any similar mark. See also CEDILLA DIACRITICAL MARK PUNCTUATION UMLAUT

ACCIDENTAL PROFESSION A term sometimes used in reference to the publishing industry. The term arose following an informal study conducted on behalf of the Association of American Publishers (AAP) during the mid-1970s to discover how people obtained their start in publishing. The results appeared to indicate that the majority of respondents began in publishing as a result of luck or accident, rather than due to a conscious desire or plan to pursue a career in publishing. See also PUBLISHER

ACCORDION FOLD A method of folding printed paper that yields two or more parallel folds in the paper, each of which opens in a direction opposite from the previous one. As a result, the paper opens as would an accordion or a lady's fan. A child uses this type of fold to make a fan. When six or more pages are printed on one sheet of paper, this type of fold is used. An accordion fold is also known as a concertina fold. See also FRENCH FOLD LETTER FOLD PANEL FOLD PARALLEL FOLD RIGHT-ANGLE FOLD SINGLE FOLD Z-FOLD

ACCOUNT A statement showing the details of debit and credit between two parties, arising from a contract or other fiduciary relationship between them. In addition, the term is used in business to denote a particular customer or client. See also ACCOUNT PAYABLE ACCOUNT RECEIVABLE BOOKKEEPING CREDIT MEMO

ACCOUNTING AND PAYMENTS CLAUSE A clause in the contract between an author and his or her publisher, which specifies the form, frequency, timing, and content of statements of account for royalties and sub-rights payable to the author. It also grants the author access to the publisher's records of sales of his book. See also ADVANCE ROYALTY COPYRIGHT OUT-OF-PRINT CLAUSE RIGHT ROYALTY

ACCOUNTING METHOD For income tax purposes, individuals can choose to report their annual income and expenses using a cash or accrual method of accounting. A method must be chosen which clearly reflects the income of the business. Hybrid methods are acceptable if they properly and clearly reflect the income of the taxpayer. No specific action is necessary to elect the initial method for the business. One files the initial return using the method one chooses. Individuals are assumed to be on the cash basis method of accounting. If one wishes to subsequently change one's method of accounting, prior approval must be obtained from the Internal Revenue Service. The decision to change the method may affect other accounting matters. Certain entities are required to use the accrual basis. See also ACCRUAL BASIS ACCOUNTING PERIOD BOOKKEEPING CASH BASIS

ACCOUNTING PERIOD The fixed period of twelve months used in keeping books; determining annual income, expenses, and profit or loss; and calculating income tax payable. For most individuals, this period is the calendar year. Many corporations choose a fiscal year for their accounting period. This is a period of twelve months ending on the last day of any month, except December. A change in the accounting period may require approval by the IRS. See also ACCOUNTING METHOD ACCRUAL BASIS BOOKKEEPING CASH BASIS

ACCOUNT LIST A customer list. A list of all persons and/or organizations that have made a purchase from you. In most industries, one's customer list is a valuable asset and a source of additional future sales. See also FRIENDS OF THE HOUSE MAIL ORDER MAILING SERVICE

ACCOUNT PAYABLE The amount owed by a business to a creditor, whether to another business or an individual. A contract obligation owing on open account. An account payable is a current liability, which arises during the normal conduct of business. Typically, it results from the purchase of raw materials, supplies, or services on normal credit terms. That is, payment of the invoice may be due only 30 days after the supplies or materials have been received. Consequently, at any one point in time, a company usually has unpaid invoices (to pay) for materials or services received. A current liability, such as an account payable, is a debt that must be paid within a year. Current liabilities are listed on the company’s balance sheet. See ACCOUNT ACCOUNT RECEIVABLE PURCHASE ORDER

ACCOUNT RECEIVABLE The amount owed to a business by a customer, whether by another business or an individual, for goods sold. A contract obligation owing on open account. An account receivable is a current asset, which arises during the normal conduct of business. Typically, it results from the sale of raw goods on normal credit terms. That is, payment for the goods may be due only 30 days after the goods have been shipped. Consequently, at any one point in time, a company usually has unpaid invoices (to collect) for goods sold. A current asset, such as an account receivable, is a debt, which is collectible within a year. Current assets are listed on the company’s balance sheet. See also INVOICE ORDER PROCESSING

ACCRUAL BASIS The accounting method used by one, who reports all income earned during the year or accounting period, whether actually received or not, and all expenses incurred, whether actually paid or not. This is the method used by corporations to calculate net income. The accrual basis is sometimes called the accrual method of reporting or, simply, accrual. It contrasts with the cash basis of accounting in which amounts are posted only when paid or received. Accrual basis is also described as accrual accounting. See ACCOUNTING METHOD ACCOUNTING PERIOD CASH BASIS

ACETATE A thin sheet of clear flexible plastic laid down over finished mechanical art by the designer as a medium on which to mark his instructions to the color separator or platemaker (e.g., where various colors should appear). A transparent colored acetate may be used instead of a clear sheet. See also MECHANICAL OVERLAY TRANSFER TYPE

ACHROMATIC Free of color. A term applicable to black, white, and gray - the non-colors. Colorless. See also CHROMA GRAYSCALE PANCHROMATIC

ACID-FREE PAPER Paper that is free of acid or acid-producing chemicals. Such paper is sometimes called alkaline paper or neutral pH paper because it has a pH of 7.0 (neutral) or slightly more (slightly alkaline). Paper that is acidic is subject to various destructive effects, including a tendency to yellow. See also ALKALINE PAPER BROWNING LIGHTFAST PAPER

ACKNOWLEDGMENT A part of a book's front matter, often included in the Preface or, if lengthy, on a separate page entitled Acknowledgements following the Preface. In the Acknowledgement, the author names individuals and organizations that helped him with some aspect of the book and expresses his appreciation. See also CREDIT LINE FRONT MATTER INTRODUCTION PARTS SECTION

ACQUISITIONS EDITOR The individual within a publishing company whose chief responsibility is the acquisition of manuscripts to publish. This includes identifying potential new titles and negotiating with their authors, or the authors' literary agents, to acquire the rights to them. It may also include editing the manuscripts. Also termed Acquiring Editor or Commissioning Editor. See also AUTHOR LITERARY AGENT MANUSCRIPT

ACROBAT See ADOBE ACROBAT

ACROBAT READER A program distributed free on the Internet by Adobe Systems, Inc. in several versions, including ones for Windows, Macintosh, and Unix. The program enables one to view and print documents that are received from others in Portable Document Format (PDF). A commercial program, such as Acrobat Distiller and Acrobat Exchange, is required to copy or edit PDF files. See also ACROBAT PORTABLE DOCUMENT FORMAT

ACRONYM A word formed by using the first letter of each word of a group of words, or group of letters of words, in a set phrase. Acronyms or abbreviations are frequently used in order to avoid having to spell common, but lengthy and complicated, terms. Many acronyms are more or less self-explanatory. Others are more difficult to remember. Many are so well established in common usage that their origin itself is frequently unknown. Examples of this include sonar (Sound Navigation Ranging), radar (Radio Detecting And Ranging), and scuba (Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus). Many computer terms (e.g., ASCII) are in the process of becoming acronyms, instead of abbreviations for remembered phrases.

ACROSS THE GRAIN Another term for against the grain. See AGAINST THE GRAIN

ACTUAL WEIGHT The true weight of a specified quantity of a designated grade of paper. Actual weight often differs from basis weight due to normal variations that occur during the papermaking process. Also termed actual basis weight. See also BASIS SIZE BASIS WEIGHT

ADDENDUM Material that is supplemental to the main text of a book and added at the beginning, or end, of it. It is often printed on a tip-in, a piece of paper, which is pasted into the book during the binding process. The plural of addendum is addenda. See also TIP-IN

ADDITIVE COLOR Any color produced by combining red, green, and blue light in varying intensities. By adjusting the intensity each of these three colors, all other colors can be created. Combining red, green and blue of equal intensity results in white. Cathode-ray tubes (e.g., computer monitor, television screen) use the additive color process, whereas the printing process uses subtractive color. This creates a difference between what a designer sees on a monitor and what emerges from a printing press. In photographic reproduction, the primary colors of red, green, and blue are mixed to form all other colors. See ADDITIVE PRIMARY COLORS RGB SUBTRACTIVE PRIMARY COLORS

ADDITIVE PRIMARY COLORS A term that, in color reproduction, denotes red, green, and blue. When red, green, and blue light are added together equally, they produce white light. When added in other unequal degrees of intensity, they create all other colors of light.

Visible light is a mixture of all the colors of the visible spectrum. Each color has a specific fequency. Adding different colors of light together increases the number of frrquencies present. The more colors one adds, the closer it becomes to white. Therefore, light is called an additive color mixing system. This type of color mixing is used in computer monitors, TV sets, color photography, and illumination of actors on stage. All colors can be displayed using only red, green, and blue color lights. These three colors are the primary additive colors.

When two primary colors of light are added together in equal proportions, a secondary color, brighter than either of its components, is created. Red and green create yellow, red and blue make magenta, and blue and green give cyan. Combining primary colors in unequal proportions makes new colors. However, pimary colors cannot be created by mixing other colors. Colored light does not mix to produce the same colors as do paints, dyes, and inks. Additive primary colors are also called additive color primaries, additive primary colors, and RGB. See also RGB SATURATION SUBTRACTIVE PRIMARY COLORS

ADDRESSOGRAPH An addressing system for office use until about 1980. Addressograph was established in 1896, but today is one of two brands of the NewBold Corporation of Rocky Mount, Virginia, and known for credit card imprinting machines.

ADHESIVE BINDING See PERFECT BINDING

ADNATE SERIF A serif shape that flows smoothly to or from the stem. It is also known as a bracketed serif. See also SERIF STEM

ADOBE ACROBAT A cross-platform document distribution system from Adobe Systems, Inc., for creating, editing, and reading PDF (Portable Document Format) files. Acrobat converts a formatted document created on a Windows, Macintosh, or UNIX platform into a PDF file, which can be read on, or printed by, any computer that has an Adobe Acrobat Reader program. Adobe Acrobat Reader is distributed free of charge on the Internet by Adobe Systems, Inc. Several versions of the reader are available, including ones for Windows, Macintosh, and Unix. Acrobat permits documents, which contain graphics, colors, and distinctive typefaces to be sent electronically, regardless of the application in which they were originally created. The graphics, colors, and typefaces are reproduced accurately and the formatting is preserved. See also ACROBAT READER PORTABLE DOCUMENT FORMAT

ADOBE SYSTEMS, INC. A software developer and publisher situated in San Jose, California. The company concentrates on desktop publishing software and allied technologies, such as printer description languages, graphics imaging, and display technologies. Adobe created PostScript and is a leader in the creation of high-quality fonts.

The company distributes such products as Adobe Type Manager (ATM), After Effects, Illustrator, PageMaker, Photoshop, and Premiere. However, its best known program may be Adobe Acrobat, a portable document format program that facilitates the distribution of formatted documents electronically. See also ADOBE ACROBAT ADOBE TYPE MANAGER PAGEMAKER POSTSCRIPT

ADOBE TYPE MANAGER (ATM) A Windows program from Adobe Systems, Inc., that manages PostScript fonts on a computer. It enables PostScript Type 1 fonts to work on non-PostScript printers. See also POSTSCRIPT POSTSCRIPT FONT POSTSCRIPT PRINTER

ADVANCE See ADVANCE ROYALTY

ADVANCE COPY A term commonly used in reference to an issue of a magazine, which has been printed and bound, but not yet distributed to subscribers or newsstands. Some magazines supply advance copies to their contributors. The term applies also to review copies of a book supplied to reviewers before the official publication date. They may be in a different format and may or may not be bound. See also AUTHOR'S COPIES REVIEW COPY

ADVANCE BOOK INFORMATION.(ABI) A form to be completed and submitted by publishers to have a new book included in Bowker's next edition of Forthcoming Books and Books in Print. The form, which supplies information about the new book, is submitted to R.R. Bowker/Reed Reference Publishing. See also BOOKS IN PRINT BOWKER

ADVANCE INFORMATION SHEET (AI) A document produced by publishers for book buyers and containing information on new titles. The contents may include a blurb, author biography, reviews of the previous works by the author, specifications of the upcoming title, publication date, and price. See also MARKETING

ADVANCE ROYALTY Money paid by a publisher to an author prior to the former's receipt of a finished manuscript, or in advance of its publication, if the sum represents a payment of future royalties.

In book publishing, an amount of money is sometimes paid to an established author when he signs a contract for the new work with a publisher. The advance is normally non-returnable, but deducted from future royalties. In freelance writing or work for hire, an advance is sometimes paid in order to help the writer to finance the research and/or travel expenses. Such an advance represents partial payment of the contract price. The balance is payable upon completion of the assignment. The term advance royalty derives from advance against royalties. See also ACCOUNTING AND PAYMENTS CLAUSE ROYALTY

ADVENTURE NOVEL A form of novel in which excitement takes precedence over characterization and, sometimes, even theme. See also NOVEL PLOT

ADVERTISING ALLOWANCE In book publishing, an amount of money or quantity of merchandise provided (or committed) by a publisher as assistance to a bookseller who agrees to advertise or promote a particular book title or collection of titles. See also COOPERATIVE ADVERTISING FREIGHT ALOWANCE

ADVERTORIAL A term that describes advertising copy, which has been written so as to resemble an editorial feature of a magazine or other periodical. Although the article reads like an editorial, the word advertisement appears over it, typically at the top of the page. See also FEATURE

AFTERWORD A concluding section of a book or treatise, etc., in which the author or publisher provides a commentary or closing statement, or offers his parting remarks. See also BACK MATTER

AGAINST THE GRAIN Any direction that forms a right angle with the direction of something else, typically the direction in which the fibers in paper are aligned. It is generally preferable to make folds in paper in the direction of the grain, rather than against the grain. Paper expands about three times as much in the against-the-direction as in the machine direction. Paper is weaker in a direction at right angles to the direction of the grain. It is also more sensitive to changes in relative humidity. Against the grain is also termed across the grain and cross direction. See also GRAIN WITH THE GRAIN

AGATE In printing, a name for 5½ point type. It is an intermediate size between pearl and nonpareil. Agate is a commonly used size for classified advertising in newspapers and magazines. See also DIAMOND PEARL POINT TYPE SIZE

AGATE LINE A unit of measure of advertising space used by newspapers for classified advertising and stock prices. It represents a space that is one column wide and 1/14th of an inch deep. One column inch comprises fourteen agate lines. See also COLUMN INCH MODULAR AGATE LINE

AGENT In publishing, a term commonly used in reference to a literary agent. A literary agent is one employed to represent a writer's work to publishers. He or she contacts publishers and introduces the writer's manuscript. The agent negotiates the contract terms, including subsidiary rights, and generally manages the business aspects of the author's work. See also LITERARY AGENT RIGHT

AGENTED MATERIAL A term to describe a manuscript submitted by a literary agent to a publisher on behalf of its author. Some publishing companies will accept only those manuscripts submitted by agents. See also AGENT LITERARY AGENT MANUSCRIPT MULTIPLE SUBMISSION OVER THE TRANSOM

AIR A term used in desktop publishing and design in reference to white space within a layout of textual or photographic material. See also LAYOUT

AIR BRUSH A small, high-pressure pencil-shaped painting gun that is driven by compressed air. It produces an adjustable spray of paint or ink and is used to retouch photographic images and other illustrations. The air brush helps one to create tone or graduated tone effects. It also can be used to remove spots or other unwanted areas. Image manipulation software also can assist in retouching. See also AIR IMAGE EDITING IMAGE ENHANCEMENT RETOUCH

ALBION PRESS A type of hand-operated horizontal printing press invented in 1822 by Richard W. Cope. It was constructed of iron with a horizontal platen press sliding bed and was hand inked. The Albion Press was an English relief printing press (letterpress).

ALBUM BOUND See OBLONG

ALIASING The visible, jagged appearance of graphic images, particularly along diagonal lines and curves, creating a staircase effect due to the steps that appear. Aliasing occurs in computer-generated images due to a low-resolution monitor. See also ANTIALIASING JAGGER RESOLUTION

ALIGN To arrange in a straight line or bring into line. To arrange typeset or other graphic material using a vertical or horizontal line as a reference point. See also JUSTIFY

ALIGNMENT The act or process of positioning text or graphics on a page in relation to a page margin. Text may be aligned flush left, flush right, justified, or centered on a page. Flush left and right are also termed left justified and right justified. See also FLUSH LEFT FLUSH RIGHT JUSTIFICATION MARGIN

ALKALINE PAPER Another term for acid-free paper, a grade of paper that provides a high degree of permanence. See ACID-FREE PAPER BROWNING LIGHTFAST PAPER

ALLEGORY A narrative or other written work, which contains a deeper meaning behind the literal meaning. A treatment of one subject under the facade of another. See also APOLOGUE METAPHOR

ALLEY The unprinted space between the columns on a page. See also GUTTER

ALL-FLAPS-MEET MAILER A corrugated mailing carton designed to meet the precise dimensions of a book. It provides less protection than a bumper-end mailer. See also JIFFY BAG MAILER ONE PIECE FOLDER

ALLITERATION The repetition for effect of the same initial letter in successive words within a group of words. The letter is usually, but not necessarily, a consonant. For example, "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers."

ALLONYM A pseudonym, pen name, nom de plume. See PSEUDONYM

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED A printed notice that is printed in a book. It advises all readers that use of any material contained within the book is prohibited without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. See also COPYRIGHT COPYRIGHT PAGE

ALPHABET The letters of a language in their normal order. The system of characters or signs used by a language. This includes letters, numbers, punctuation marks, and other common symbols. See also ASCII CHARACTER CHARACTER SET PUNCTUATION

ALPHABET LENGTH The length of the complete set of lowercase alphabet characters of a specified style and size of type measured in points. See also PICA POINT TYPESTYLE

ALPHANUMERIC Consisting of letters and/or digits. A term applicable to all uppercase and lowercase letters of the alphabet and numbers 0 to 9. An alphanumeric set of characters sometimes also includes control characters, space characters, and other special characters, such as @, $, and #. However, punctuation characters (comma, period, etc.) are not included. Software often treats alphanumeric characters differently from other characters. For example, punctuation characters typically cannot be used in file names. See also ALPHABET CHARACTER CHARACTER SET DINGBAT LETTER PUNCTUATION

AMBERLITH A red-orange acetate used to mask mechanicals during photography for printing plates. The masked area appears black to the camera and leaves a clear area on the film. See also ACETATE MASKING MATERIAL MECHANICAL

AMERICANA Books, maps, papers, etc., relating to the United States of America. In particular, the term is used in reference to books about America, especially of history, geography, and biographies. See also NONFICTION

AMERICAN BOOK TRADE DIRECTORY A directory published annually by the R.R. Bowker Company, which provides an annotated listing of bookstores by state and city, along with the headquarter locations and number of bookstores for chains and franchises. The names of owners, managers and buyers of each store are given, as well as the store size, year established, and details of any specialization. Supplemental lists are included for United States and Canadian wholesalers and Canadian retailers. The information about wholesalers includes the accounts they service and any non-book products that they offer. The back of the directory contains a list of names and addresses of 6,500 publishers. See BOOK TRADE BOWKER MARKET

AMERICAN NATIONAL STANDARDS INSTITUTE (ANSI) A U.S.-based organization that works to enhance the global competitiveness of U.S. business and the quality of life in the U.S.A. by promoting and facilitating voluntary consensus standards and conformity assessment systems. The Institute represents nearly 1,400 company, organization, government agency, institutional and other members. ANSI does not develop standards, but facilitates their development in many different fields by establishing consensus among qualified groups. ANSI also works closely with other entities, such as the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) to facilitate the development of global standards. One widely used ANSI standard is ASCII, the most commonly used format for computers and Internet text. See also ASCII

AMERICAN STANDARD CODE FOR INFORMATION INTERCHANGE (ASCII) A standard code for text developed in 1968 that has become the established international standard for transmission of digital information between disparate hardware and software systems. It is now incorporated in all personal computers and many minicomputers and mainframe computers.

ASCII assigns a 7 digit (bit) binary number (0000000 through 1111111) to each upper and lower-case Latin letter, number, and punctuation mark, control character, and other symbol. There are 128 ASCII codes. The system has been subsequently enhanced by the addition of an additional digit to become an 8-bit code to support languages other than English and assign numeric values of up to 256 characters. An ASCII file is one that contains only text and contains no special formatting. Consequently, most computers can read and exchange ASCII files. Files in ASCII are sometimes termed text files or text-only files. See also AMERICAN NATIONAL STANDARDS INSTITUTE (ANSI) EXPORT PLAIN TEXT PORTABLE DOCUMENT FILE (PDF) RICH TEXT FORMAT TEXT FILE

AMPERSAND A symbol (&) often used in place of the word and. it derives from the Latin word "et," which means "and." The symbol represents a ligature of the letters "e" and "t" into a single character by Roman scribes. The word ampersand is a corruption of "and per se and," which is how children were taught to describe this symbol during the nineteenth century. It reflects the mispronunciation of four separate words spoken as one. The ampersand is used in place of "and" in company names and business titles. Except for such uses, the symbol has no place in works of fiction. See also CHARACTER LIGATURE

ANACHRONISM A chronological error in which a person, event, etc. is assigned a date or period, which is not the correct one. The use of language, customs, or artifacts in a novel that are not compatible with the era or period purportedly discussed in the novel. See also HISTORICAL NOVEL NOVEL

ANAGRAM A new word or phrase created by changing the sequence of the letters in another word or phrase (e.g., ten and net, God and dog). Also, the transposition of the letters to form the new word or phrase. See also ANASTROPHE

ANALOGY The comparison of two things, which are alike in some respects, in order to explain or clarify an idea or object by showing how similar it is to something familiar. Although a simile and analogy are somewhat similar, a simile is usually a more artistic likening done for effect and emphasis, while the analogy serves more to explain a thought process or reasoning, or the abstract, in terms of the tangible. See also ANALOGY METAPHOR SIMILE

ANALPHABETIC Not alphabetic. A term applicable to typographical characters, which are used with the alphabet, but do not appear in the alphabetical order. Examples include the acute accent, asterisk, umlaut, and circumflex. See also ALPHABET

ANASTROPHE The inversion of the normal word for effect. A change in the usual order in which words normally appear in order to achieve an effect. The normal sequence of words in English is subject followed by verb, and then object. See also ANAGRAM

ANCHOR A visually dominant element placed on a page in order to balance the layout and hold the reader's attention on the page. Also, a format code in word processing or desktop publishing to fix a graphical object so that its location in relation to some other element remains unchanged during repagination. The anchored object is usually attached to another element, such as a block of text or a particular location in the document. For example, a caption may be anchored above an illustration so that they always appear together. See also EMBEDDED COMMAND ENTRY POINT RELATIVE PLACEMENT

ANGLE The author's point of view from which he writes a story. The writer's approach to his subject. The issue that the article attempts to address, particularly if the subject is too broad for a single work to address. Also, to assume a position or take a stand See also NONFICTION

ANODIZED PLATE A metal printing plate that has a surface of aluminum oxide in order to reduce deterioration because of chemical reactions during printing. See also LITHOGRAPHY WALK-OFF WASHED OUT

ANNOTATED Containing, or supplied with, critical or explanatory notes or remarks, as, for example, The Annotated Shakespeare. See also ENDNOTE FOOTNOTE

ANNOTATION A critical or explanatory note or comment inserted into a document. A note or comment added to a portion of a document to supply related information. Also, the act of adding a critical or explanatory note to a text. See also APPENDIX ENDNOTE FOOTNOTE

ANONYM A person who conceals his name or whose name is unknown. An anonymous person or publication. Also, a pseudonym. In addition, the state of being anonymous. See HOUSE NAME PSEUDONYM

ANONYMOUS Nameless. Without any name acknowledged, as that of author, contributor, etc. Also, an anonymous author. One whose name is withheld. One of unknown name. See also HOUSE NAME

ANTHOLOGY A collection of selected writings by several authors published as a single work, often on the same theme or in the same literary form. Alternatively, a collection of writings by one author. NONFICTION

ANTI-ALIASING In computer graphics, a software feature that smoothes the jagged, staircase appearance of graphic elements. Jaggedness can be minimized during reconstruction by using various gray levels at the edges of strokes. See also ALIASING JAGGER

ANTICIPATION DISCOUNT Another term for cash discount. See CASH DISCOUNT

ANTICLIMAX A disappointing or unimposing end to what had promised to be much better. A noticeable or nonsensical drop in dialogue or story from patronizing ideas or expressions to the commonplace. Ideally, the climax of a novel is at least as dramatic as the problem it solves, or the reader may be reluctant to purchase the author's next book. See also CLIMAX DIALOGUE PLOT

ANTIQUA The European term for Roman typefaces. A Post Antiqua would be termed a Post Roman. See also ROMAN

ANTIQUARIAN Concerned with, or dealing in, old or rare books or ancient objects. Also, such a person. In addition, antiquarian denotes a size of drawing and writing paper, which is 31 inches ´ 53 inches or 29 inches ´ 52 inches. See also CODEX GAUFFERED EDGES GILT TOP ILLUMINATED

ANTIQUARIAN BOOKSELLER A bookseller who sells old or rare books.

ANTIQUE FINISH A term used to describe a type of surface finish for book covers. An antique finish is a natural or cream-colored rough finish. See also FINISH PARCHMENT TOOTH VELLUM

ANTONYM A word, which means the exact opposite of another. See also HOMONYM SYNONYM

APEX Although apex normally refers to a tip or uppermost part, in typography and printing the word is used in reference to that upper point of a character where two lines meet. The letters A, M, N, W provide examples of this. See also CHARACTER LETTER

APOCRYPHAL Of doubtful authenticity or authorship. Also legendary, but untrue. See also AUTHOR

APOLOGUE A narrative that is intended to be instructive. Didactic. A moral fable, often using inanimate objects or animals, which converse and act like human beings, in an effort order to illuminate the human condition or some aspect of society. A moral fable. An allegory or symbolic narrative. See also ALLEGORY NARRATIVE

APPEND To add or attach something to the end of a file, page, paragraph, or string of characters. One file may be appended to another, or a paragraph appended to the end of particular text. Append means to add to the end. In contrast, insert means to add between. See also FILE INSERT

APPENDIX Supplementary material that appears at the end of a book, article, or other text. An appendix usually consists of material of a reference or bibliographic nature, sometimes in the form of tables or lists of resources. It is considered to be important to understanding of the main text of the book, although it does not form part of it. When there are several appendices, each begins on a separate right-hand page. Appendices are usually consecutively numbered or lettered (e.g., Appendix A, B, C,). An appendix is usually less extensive than a supplement. See also ANNOTATION BACK MATTER

APPLE COMPUTER, INC. The company based in Cupertino, California that developed the Macintosh line of computers and popularized the graphical user interface. Apple has long had a strong franchise among practitioners of graphic design for which its computers were particularly well-suited. The Macintosh, along with PageMaker, and the laser printer were important contributors to the desktop publishing revolution. See also LASER PRINTER PAGEMAKER

APPOSTROPHE The sign ' used to create the possessive form of a noun. This is usually accomplished by adding an apostrophe to the noun followed by a letter s. The apostrophe is also used to denote the plural form of certain abbreviations and letters (e.g., several C.P.A.'s). Finally, the apostrophe is used in contractions, although this should be avoided in formal prose. See also PUNCTUATION

APRON The additional white space in the binding edge margin of a foldout, usually on a French Fold. This permits folding and tipping without interfering with the copy. See also FOLDOUT FRENCH FOLD TIP

ARCHAISM The use in literature of what is archaic, such as words, expressions, spelling, or construction. Thee, quoth, and methinks are examples of archaic words, words that are no longer in general use. See also ANTIQUARIAN CODEX ILLUMINATED

ARCHIVAL PAPER A term that is applicable to papers specifically made to not discolor and to resist disintegration. Such acid-free papers have an extended lifespan that makes them well suited to use for records that must endure, academic texts, and other works of permanent value. See also PAPER TEXT EDITION UNIVERSITY PRESS

ARIAL A sans serif TrueType font that closely resembles Helvetica. It was developed by Microsoft Corporation and is distributed with the latter's products. See also COURIER FONT EGYPTIAN FRAKTUR GARAMOND HELVETICA JENSON NEW CENTURY SCHOOLBOOK SANS SERIF TIMES ROMAN TRUETYPE

ARM In typography, the arm-like elements that branch out from the stem of a letter. The letters: E, F, K, T, and Y provide examples of such extensions. The upper case E has three arms. F, T, and Y each have 2 arms. K has 2 extensions from the right side of its vertical line. See also CHARACTER LETTER STEM

ART A term from graphic arts to denote all materials to be reproduced, except text. Art includes all visual elements, including photographs, illustrations, drawings, charts, and hand lettering. See also CLIP ART ILLUSTRATION ORIGINAL ART STOCK ART

ARTBOARD Another term for mechanical art. See MECHANICAL

ART DIRECTOR In publishing, the employee, who bears responsibility for the l look or feel of the final product, whether book or magazine, etc. This may range from selection of photographers to approval of the initial production for color reproduction and legibility at the printing run. In some organizations, the Art Director reports to the most Senior Editor, although their responsibilities are equivalent. In some advertising agencies, the Art Director reports to a Creative Director. See also DESIGNER

ART PAPER A high quality, heavy coated paper that has a hard smooth surface on one or both sides. A coating of a fine china clay compound creates the smooth and even, closed surface required for uniform ink absorption and fine-screen images. See also CAST COATED PAPER CHINA CLAY COATED PAPER GLOSS FINISH PAPER SCREEN

ARTWORK (A/W) Any illustrative material prepared for reproduction, excluding pure text, prepared for graphic reproduction. This includes photographs, drawings, paintings, hand lettering, and other material prepared to illustrate printed matter, and copy (text and images). It may be black and white or color, analog or digital, and hard copy, such as a mechanical, or output from a desktop publishing system. Artwork is also termed art. See also HARD COPY ILLUSTRATION MARKING UP MECHANICAL ORIGINAL ART PASTE-UP

ASCENDER In typography, the portions of lowercase characters, which extend above the x-height. (The x-height is the height of the lowercase x.) For example, the ascenders of the lowercase letters "b, d, f, h, k, l, t are those parts that extend upwards from the bodies of the letters. The remaining 19 letters do not have ascenders. See also BASELINE CHARACTER DESCENDER LETTER X-HEIGHT X-LINE

ASCENDER HEIGHT The distance from the baseline of a lowercase character to the top of its ascending stroke. See also ASCENDER LOWERCASE

ASCENDING ORDER The sequencing of items by ascending order. A sorting operation that lists or arranges items in sequence from lowest to highest vales, such as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc., or A, B, C, D, E, etc., to Z. The popular word processing programs can sort words, lines, paragraphs, etc. Ascending order is the normal default order for such programs. See also DEFAULT DESCENDING ORDER LEXICOGRAPHIC SORT SORT ZIP CODE SEQUENCE

ASCII See AMERICAN STANDARD CODE FOR INFORMATION INTERCHANGE

ASPECT RATIO In computer displays or graphics, the ratio of the width of a picture screen or image frame to its height. A ratio of 2:1, for example, describes a screen or picture, which has a width twice that of its height. Image programs usually have an aspect ratio feature to ensure that proportions are maintained when pictures are resized to incorporate into another document. This is necessary in order to avoid distortions. See also SCALE

ASSEMBLE In book manufacturing, to bring together the various sections of a book to create a complete volume. Also, in order fulfillment, to bring the items requested together for packing. See also COLLATE COLLATING GATHERING

ASSIGNMENT Something assigned, as a particular task. A specific article or piece to be written for a publisher, who has requested it, for an agreed price. The writer is paid upon completion of the work. Also, a written or oral contract between an editor and writer, that confirms that the writer will undertake and finish a particular article or manuscript by the designated date and for the specified fee. See also COMMISSIONED WORK FREELANCER MANUSCRIPT NONFICTION PIECE

ASTERISK A word derived from the Greek word asteriskos for little star. The asterisk, created in the shape of a star (*), is the most commonly used reference mark in writing and printing. It may be used to refer to a footnote or to indicate an omission or something of a doubtful nature. See also FOOTNOTE REFERENCE MARKS PUNCTUATION

AS-TOLD-TO A term to denote a book that has been written by a professional writer in collaboration with a non-writer, typically a celebrity. See also GHOST WRITER NARRATIVE TITLE PAGE

ATM See ADOBE TYPE MANAGER

ATTRIBUTION In journalism, the ascribing of a quotation, sentiment, belief, or idea to someone other than the writer. A serious editor or journalist will not publish a direct quote without specific attribution, acknowledgement of its source, particularly if it is controversial. See also QUOTATION

AUTHOR The original writer of a book, treatise or document. The composer of a literary work. One who writes a novel, essay, poem, etc. Also, to write a literary work or journalistic piece. See also APOCRYPHAL BYLINE FREELANCER GHOST WRITER HACK

AUTHOR'S AGENT Another term for literary agent. See LITERARY AGENT

AUTHOR'S ALTERATION (AA) Any change or correction made in copy or artwork by the author after the original manuscript or work has been typeset and submitted to the printer. An author's change to proofs that cause them to differ from the original manuscript. Additional costs incurred because of an author's alterations are charged to the client, rather than the printer. See also PRINTER'S ERROR

AUTHOR'S COPIES Complimentary copies, usually ten in number, of the first edition of a book provided to an author by his publisher. See also CONTRIBUTOR'S COPIES GALLEYS HONORARIUM REVIEW COPY

AUTHOR'S CORRECTIONS A term for author's alterations. See AUTHOR'S ALTERATION

AUTHORS EDITION A term used around the end of the 19th century to denote a book, which had been authorized by an author, typically a foreign edition, rather than an unauthorized edition, or a title that had been pirated. See also EDITION PIRATED EDITION UNAUTHORIZED EDITION

AUTOGRAPH A person's own signature. In publishing and bookselling, the term is often used in reference to the signature of an author on the title page or flyleaf of a book. It is common practice for authors to make public appearances in bookstores in order to autograph books for purchasers. See also PUBLICITY TITLE PAGE

AUTOMATIC PAGE NUMBERING An alternative term for pagination. See PAGINATION

AUTOMATIC TEXT FLOW A feature of desktop publishing software that enables text to flow automatically from the bottom of one column to the top of the next column on a page and from one page to the following in a document. It eases the task of making copy changes to a long document. See also WORD WRAP WRAPAROUND

A/W An abbreviation of artwork. See ARTWORK