Self-Publishing
System of book production in which the author generally assumes the financial risk of publication. The self-publishing model circumvents the need for an author to contract with a publishing house to ensure publication of the book. A self-published book is also usually distributed and marketed by its author. See also Subsidy Publishing; Supported Self-Publishing.
Sell Sheet
Concise, one-page document (resembling a flyer or brochure more than a press release) that provides details about a book.
Shelf Life
Time an unsold book remains on the shelf of a retail store before being replaced by fresh or better selling stock.
Short Discount
Smaller-than-typical discount on books purchased by retailers and wholesalers. Print-on-demand titles are often sold at short discount: about 25 percent to retailers and about 36 percent to wholesalers. Such a short discount can be as small as 20 percent.
Slush Pile
Unsolicited manuscripts a publishing house receives.
Small Press
Smaller publishing house that releases books often intended for specialized audiences.
SMART
Acronym that may be used as a mnemonic device to memorize the steps of effective goal management. SMART reminds goal-setters (particularly authors) to set priorities that are specific, manageable, attainable, realistic and tied to time.
Spine Width
Width of part of the book that is visible on a bookshelf. The spine connects the front and back covers.
Style Sheet
Document prepared during a copyedit, which enforces the standards and consistency of how numbers, abbreviations, word usage and punctuation are to be handled.
Subsidiary Rights
Rights acquired by a publisher for resale, translation into foreign languages and other reuse of a book's content.
Subsidy Publishing
A subsidy publisher shares publishing costs with the author. The publisher typically markets the book through retailers. An author must bear at least some of the cost of copyediting, typesetting, proofreading, indexing and printing the book. Some subsidy publishers require an author to purchase a large number of copies of the book to cover the costs of its initial publication. Compare Self-Publishing; Supported Self-Publishing.
Supported Self-Publishing
Method of self-publishing espoused by Griot Publishing, through which an author has access to many of the services found in a traditional publishing house (e.g., editorial services, marketing copywriters, Internet sales) provided through an upfront cost or available à la carte. Compare Self-Publishing; Subsidy Publishing.
THE "S" GLOSSARY
Terms beginning with S
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