GLOSSARY
Publishing has its own vocabulary. Here is what the words mean, in plain English, so you can move through the process with confidence.
A professional writer who writes a book for you, without their name appearing on it. “Ghost” here simply means unseen. You share your story, your teaching, or your message; the ghostwriter shapes it into a finished book in your voice. The book is yours: your name on the cover, your story, your message. Many well-known books were written this way.
The written text of your book before it becomes a finished, published book.
Your manuscript can be complete, partly written, or just a collection of notes.
The big-picture edit. This looks at whether your chapters are in the right order, whether your message is clear, and whether anything important is missing.
A closer edit that improves how your sentences read – the flow, rhythm, and clarity of your writing.
Correcting grammar, spelling, punctuation, and consistency, so the book reads professionally.
The final check before publication, catching any small remaining errors.
Arranging the inside of your book so it looks like a real book-page numbers, chapter headings, margins, and spacing.
Ebooks and paperbacks are formatted differently.
The physical width and height of your printed book.
Different types of books use different standard sizes.
A unique number that identifies your book to bookshops and retallers, rather like a barcode.
Each format of your book needs its own.
The short piece of writing that appears on your book’s page on Amazon, telling readers what the book is about and why it matters.
Sometimes called the blurb.
A short paragraph about you, appearing on your book page and often inside the book.
The words and subject areas that help readers find your book when they search online.
A printed copy of your book is made only when someone orders it.
This means you do not need to pay for or store boxes of books.
A service that makes your book available for people to buy, such as Amazon.
The money you earn each time a copy of your book is sold.
We will walk you through every stage.
