Glossary

Some definitions, as used in this discussion:

• Independent Press — An established small press that has been in business for some years, publishes at least 6 titles per year from multiple authors, and is to some degree known, respected, and trusted by bookstores and the public.

• Mainstream publisher
  1. Noun. A large publishing corporation grossing at least $50,000,000 per year whose offerings encompass a wide range of genres and subjects and whose titles are almost always ordered by bookstores as a matter of routine.

  2. Adjective. Any publisher generally considered by writers, booksellers, the publishing industry, and the general public to be "mainstream."

• Online bookstore — Any website at which a customer can buy a book. The best known online bookstores are Amazon.Com, Barnes & Noble, and Powells Books.

• POD (Print on Demand) — A method of printing a single copy of a book (or a small number of books) at the time they are ordered. By extension, a method of publishing/selling books.

• POD Printer — A POD vendor that prints and ships books for publishers and self-published authors. See Choosing a POD Vendor and POD Printers for more information.

• POD Publisher — A POD vendor that acts as a publisher and pays royalties on copies sold. See Choosing a POD Vendor and POD Publishers for more information.

• POD Vendor — A company that provides POD services to writers. There are two different kinds of POD vendor — POD Printers and POD Publishers (see above).

• Profit — The money that is left from a book sale after the bookseller's share is deducted from what the customer paid, and printing/shipping expenses are covered. In POD publishing, authors (hopefully) earn either a profit or a royalty.

• Royalty — A fixed percentage of what a customer pays for a book that goes to the author. In POD publishing, authors (hopefully) earn either a profit or a royalty.

• Self-published — A publishing model in which the author pays for printing, arranges for distribution, and promotes the work. POD Publishing and author-owned small presses (using either traditional printing or POD Printing) are two forms of self- publishing.

• Small press — Any publishing business that is not generally considered to be a mainstream publisher. Small presses come in a wide range sizes — from eccentric Aunt Morgana whose mimeographed poems are composed entirely of vowels, to widely known and respected independent presses.

• Vanity press
  1. Noun. As a noun, "vanity press" originally meant any publisher or press who printed books at the author's expense. By that definition, POD is a form of vanity publishing.

  2. Adjective. As an adjective, it's a derogatory term for any self-publishing author (or self-published work) that the speaker holds in contempt.

  Because POD is emerging as a respectable (or, at least, semi-respectable) and somewhat economically viable method of publishing, use of "vanity press" as a noun is falling into disuse, though it continues to be used as a derogatory adjective.

Copyright © 2007, Bruce Hartford

(Labor donated)