Publishing Terminology

A sum of money paid by a publisher to an author before the book is published, to be earned back from future royalties. Indie authors on KDP do not receive advances — royalties are paid per sale.

A pre-publication version of your book sent to reviewers, bloggers, and early readers to generate reviews before launch day. ARCs are typically unfinished and may carry watermarks.

Amazon's platform for authors to manage their public profile, editorial reviews, and book listings. Setting up Author Central increases your credibility and discoverability on Amazon.

All content appearing after the main narrative — including the author bio, acknowledgements, bibliography, index, and "also by" pages. Back matter is critical for cross-selling your other titles.

When images or design elements extend to the edge of the page, they must include an extra 0.125" beyond the trim line to account for cutting imprecision. Any image that touches the page edge must have bleed.

The short promotional description on the back cover or product page of a book. A strong blurb hooks the reader, establishes genre, and ends with an implied question that only the book can answer.

The page (usually verso of the title page) that asserts your legal ownership of the work. It includes your copyright notice, year, ISBN, edition info, and permissions statement. Inktastic generates this automatically.

The technical requirements for your book's print cover, including total width (front + spine + back + bleed), required DPI (typically 300), and accepted file formats (PDF/X-1a for print).

Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Key (Black) — the four-colour model used in print. Print files must be in CMYK, not RGB (which is for screens). Submitting RGB files can cause colour shifts when printed.

An enlarged first letter of a chapter that drops below the baseline of the first line, historically used to mark the beginning of a new section. Common in literary fiction, romance, and fantasy. Inktastic applies genre-matched drop caps automatically.

The resolution of an image measured in dots per inch. Print books require a minimum of 300 DPI. Covers and interior images at lower resolution will appear blurry in print, even if they look fine on screen.

Electronic Publication — the standard ebook file format used by Apple Books, Kobo, and most non-Amazon retailers. EPUB 3.0 supports rich media, fixed layout, and reflowable text. Amazon uses its own MOBI/KFX format but accepts EPUB for conversion.

A quote from a notable source (publication, author, expert) that appears on your Amazon detail page above customer reviews. Unlike customer reviews, editorial reviews are not subject to Amazon's review policies and can be added at any time via Author Central.

All content before Chapter One — including the half-title, title page, copyright page, dedication, table of contents, preface, and acknowledgements. Front matter pages are typically numbered in Roman numerals (i, ii, iii).

A design where the printed area extends across the entire page with no white margins. Common in children's books and illustrated titles. Full bleed requires careful attention to safe zones to ensure no important content is cut during trimming.

The inner margin of a page — the space closest to the spine. Gutters must be wider than outer margins to account for the curvature of the book spine. KDP requires a minimum gutter margin based on page count (e.g., 0.875" for books 300–600 pages).

A 13-digit identifier unique to each edition of your book. Each format (print, EPUB, hardcover) needs its own ISBN. KDP provides a free ISBN, but using your own gives you more control over metadata and publisher name.

A professional print-on-demand and distribution platform that places your book in bookstores, libraries, and retailers worldwide. Generally requires higher production standards than KDP but offers broader wholesale distribution.

Amazon's self-publishing platform for both ebook and print-on-demand paperback and hardcover titles. KDP offers 70% royalties on ebooks priced $2.99–$9.99 (in eligible territories) and 60% royalties on print minus printing costs.

An optional 90-day exclusivity programme that makes your ebook available only on Amazon (no other ebook retailers) in exchange for inclusion in Kindle Unlimited and access to promotional tools like Kindle Countdown Deals and Free Book Promotions.

The adjustment of spacing between individual letter pairs to improve readability and visual consistency. Poor kerning — especially in headlines and display type — is one of the most common signs of amateur book design.

The vertical space between lines of text (pronounced "ledding," from the lead strips typesetters once used). Standard leading for book body text is 120–145% of font size. Proper leading dramatically affects readability and page count.

A unique identifier assigned by the US Library of Congress to help libraries catalogue your book. Useful if you want your book to be discoverable in library systems. Only available for US-published titles; must be applied for before publication.

The complete, finished text of a book before it has been formatted for publication. A manuscript is the raw input; the formatted book file is the output. Inktastic accepts .docx, .rtf, and .txt manuscript files.

All the descriptive information about your book: title, subtitle, author, categories, keywords, description, language, edition, and BISAC codes. Metadata is how readers — and algorithms — discover your book. Good metadata is as important as the cover.

The print-ready PDF standard required by most book printers (including KDP and IngramSpark). It embeds all fonts, converts colours to CMYK, and strips interactive elements. It is the only file format that guarantees what you see is what gets printed.

A printing model where books are printed individually as orders are placed, rather than in large print runs. POD eliminates inventory risk, allows instant updates, and has made indie publishing economically viable for authors at any volume.

An introductory section written by the author explaining the background, purpose, or personal significance of the book. Unlike a foreword (written by someone else), a preface is always in the author's own voice.

Recto is the right-hand page (always odd-numbered); verso is the left-hand page (always even-numbered). Chapters traditionally begin on recto pages. Headers, footers, and page numbers often differ between recto and verso in professional layout.

The percentage of each sale paid to the author. On KDP, ebook royalties are 35% or 70% depending on price and territory. Print royalties are 60% of list price minus the printing cost. Royalties on Inktastic-distributed titles are reported in your dashboard.

A visual separator within a chapter indicating a shift in time, location, or POV — without starting a new chapter. Common scene break markers include *** (asterisms), ❦ (fleurons), ornamental dividers, or a simple blank line. Inktastic applies genre-matched scene breaks automatically.

The thickness of a book's spine, determined by page count and paper type. KDP calculates spine width as approximately 0.002252" per page for white paper. A 300-page book has a spine of roughly 0.675". Spine width is critical for cover design.

The final cut dimensions of a book after printing. Common trade paperback sizes are 5"×8" and 6"×9". Trim size affects spine width, page count, cost-per-unit, and the perceived quality of the book. See our full trim size guide in the Formatter.

The process of arranging text on a page — controlling fonts, spacing, hyphenation, orphans, widows, and page breaks to produce readable, aesthetically professional output. Typesetting is what Inktastic does automatically when you format your manuscript.

A widow is the last line of a paragraph stranded alone at the top of a new page. An orphan is the first line of a paragraph stranded alone at the bottom of a page. Both are considered formatting errors in professional typesetting and should be eliminated.

Genre conventions dictate expected word counts: cozy mystery 60–80K, epic fantasy 100–180K, romance 50–90K, literary fiction 80–110K, children's picture books 500–1,000. Significantly over or under the convention can signal an unpolished manuscript to readers and retailers.