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Welcome to the world of freelance writing! The road you've chosen isn't an easy one, but it can be gratifying. Given persistence and a smidgen of talent, someday you'll have the satisfaction of seeing your works published in venues where they'll be read by thousands of people. This glossary is intended to help smooth your way as you ease into the writing field. In the years to come you'll become familiar with these and many other writing terms, but this will provide you with a reference point to start off with.
Advance -- A percentage of a writing fee paid to you up front, usually before you've turned in the project. Unless you're extremely talented (which of course you are), you won't see very many of these early in your career.
Agent -- A literary professional who markets book-length works to publishing houses. They usually charge a 10-20 percent commission, and good ones are worth every penny: they cut deals, line up more work, and can often land you a large advance. Writers who don't deal with book-length works don't typically need to worry about agents. NOTE: Never deal with an agent who charges a fee. Scrupulous agents make their money by selling their clients' books.
Assignment -- A piece of writing that has been assigned to you. Unlike writing you do "on spec," you can almost always expect to get paid for an assignment.
Clips -- Published samples of your writing that you can submit with queries (some markets require this). They usually take the form of professionally-presented photocopies of published works. Sometimes called "tear sheets."
Copyright -- Perhaps the most important term in the writer's vocabulary. A copyright is your right of ownership of anything you write. By US and international law, anything you write is copyrighted the instant you put it on paper. You can formally copyright your work with the US Copyright, but this isn't strictly necessary.
Cover letter -- A brief letter, included as part of a submission packet, that introduces you and your manuscript to the editor. Most editors aren't interested in them, but always include one when the editor has asked for the piece.
Credits -- A list of your publications or other writing qualifications, often included as part of a query.
Deadline -- The latest date that a piece of assigned writing is due to an editor. Never miss a deadline.
Electronic submission -- A manuscript submitted by electronic means -- that is, by e-mail or on electronic media such as computer disks.
Fees -- The amount of money you charge for your writing. Different types of writing projects may require different fees. Some writers charge by the word or by the hour; some negotiate a single flat fee. For magazine writing, most writers get paid by the word.
Follow-up -- A polite letter submitted to an editor or client inquiring about an unanswered query or manuscript.
Formatting -- The manner in which your manuscript is prepared and presented. Standards include using an easily-read font such as Courier 12-point; inclusion of proper contact information; double-spacing between lines, indention of paragraphs; wide margins (1-1.5 inches) all around; and unjustified right margins. Writer's Market and Scott Edelstein's Manuscript Submission are great sources for formatting info.
Go-ahead -- A response to a query letter that assigns an article to you, or otherwise instructs you to submit it on spec.
Hook -- A narrative trick in the lead paragraph that "hooks" a reader's attention and keeps them reading.
IRC -- International Reply Coupons. Whenever you send a manuscript to a foreign country, clip IRCs to your SASE in place of stamps.
Kill fee -- A percentage of a negotiated fee paid to you if an editor buys your work and then decides not to use it. A kill fee can range from 25-100% or the agreed-upon fee.
Lead -- The first paragraph of your manuscript. In a story or article, this is where you should attempt to "hook" the reader's attention.
Manuscript -- The typescript of a written work. It should ALWAYS be typed or printed, never handwritten.
On spec -- Short for "on speculation." This refers to a manuscript written for an editor who has expressed interested in an idea or story, but who is unwilling to buy the piece sight-unseen. The editor doesn't promise to buy your manuscript, but does promise to give it a fair reading.
Outline -- A step-by-step guide, usually constructed for your own benefit, showing how you plan to write a particular manuscript. Some writers always use outlines, even for short pieces; some never do. Most writers fall in between, using outlines for long and/or difficult works, such as books.
Payment -- What an editor agrees to pay you for your work. Two major payment types are used by print publications: payment on acceptance, where you get a check as soon as the work is accepted for publication; and payment on publication, where you get paid only after your work sees print. The former is much to be desired, because publication may take a year or more; however, until you're well established, you'll probably have to settle for on-spec, payment-on-publication type work.
Point of view (POV) -- The angle from which you're writing a piece, particular in fiction. You may take an omniscient point of view, allowing the reader to know everything that's happening, or you may filter your writing through the perceptions of one or more of your fictional characters.
Proposal -- A query package pitching a book-length manuscript.
Query -- A 1-2 page letter pitching an article idea to an editor. Used almost exclusively by writers of non-fiction, a query consists of a catchy intro (often including the lead for the proposed article), a bit of background on the topic, and a synopsis of the writer's credits. Arguably the most important tool in the non-fiction writer's arsenal.
Record of submission -- a formalized record of where you've sent your submissions and when. It doesn't have to be fancy. Spreadsheet programs like MS Excel, however, make it easy to create complex and neater-looking records.
Rejection slip -- Every writer's recurring nightmare. A rejection slip can consist of anything from a scrawled "NO" on a returned manuscript to a multi-page letter telling you exactly where and how you went wrong writing your manuscript. Unless you're this generation's Asimov or Sheldon, you'll get rejected often before you start selling regularly. Different writers deal with rejection slips in different ways; some toss them, some use them for wallpaper or scrap paper, and some number each and every one and store them in labeled folders.
Reprints -- Works you've managed to sell twice or more. In most instances, the rights to a published work will revert back to you within several years, whereupon you can attempt to publish it again. If you do this, make sure the editors to whom you submit it know that it was published before, and where and when it was published. Some publications don't accept reprints, but many do.
Rights -- The intellectual property rights that you can sell to a publisher or editor. In most cases, the rights offered are dictated by the publisher; new writers rarely have much leeway to negotiate. You can be offered a bewildering variety of rights. Some types you might see include all rights, worldwide rights, electronic rights, English rights, first serial rights, one-time rights, and reprint rights. In most cases, ownership of the work will revert back to you within a year or two; the obvious exception is all rights, which allows the publisher to publish the work everyday forever if they so desire.
Royalties -- The percentage of the cover price you get for every copy of one of your books sold by a publisher. For books in print, this may vary from 7-15 percent; for e-books, royalties of 25-50 percent are common.
SASE -- Self-addressed stamped envelope. This will get your manuscript and/or rejection slip back to you in the event of rejection. Never use metered postage on a SASE; the USPS will only accept metered postage on the date it's issued.
Self-publishing -- A branch of publishing in which the author publishes his own works, cutting out the middlemen and raking in all the profits himself. With the advent of computers and desktop publishing programs, this approach has become increasingly viable. Not to be confused with vanity publishing.
Sidebar -- A short addition to an article, often consisting of short tips or bulleted items, that helps sell the piece. For example, an article about skiing in Vail, Colorado might have a sidebar called "Ten Great Places to Eat When You're in Vail."
Simultaneous submission -- The practice of submitting the same query or manuscript to several editors at once. Editors hate this, but it's beneficial for writers, who might not have time to wait for three months for a response. This practice can be dangerous if, for example, two or more editors ask for the same piece based on your query, or decide to buy the same story.
Slant -- The "angle" or manner in which you present the information in an article; similar to the fictional POV. For example, you might use the same data on the growing elderly population to write one article about senior health issues, another about demographic trends among the elderly, and a third about the growing political clout of seniors. Each article would represent a different slant.
Spin-off -- Just like TV -- a piece which either started as part of a earlier, longer piece, or which grew out of the knowledge gained from writing the original piece. See Slant.
Terms -- The arrangements for publication of a particular work, made between you and an editor/publisher. These include types of rights purchased , when and how much you'll get paid, expected date of publication, and other similar items.
Vanity publishing -- A form of publishing in which you pay a publisher to publish your work. This isn't recommended, for most vanity publishers don't do any editing of your work, will publish anything, and sometimes expect to get part of the royalties. Some vanity publishers are fronts for unscrupulous individuals who want to take advantage of hopeful writers. Remember: money should flow from the publisher to you, not the other way around.
Withdrawal letter -- A politely worded letter to a publication or publishing house withdrawing a manuscript from consideration. When repeated queries about a manuscript's status receive no replies, the withdrawal letter may be the best remedy.
Word count -- The estimated number of words in a manuscript. With modern word-processing programs, calculating the word count is an easy task. If you're still using a typewriter, you can: 1) count every single word in the document; 2) get a rough estimate by multiplying 250 (the average number of words on a typewritten page) by the number of pages in the document; or 3) count the number of words in ten full lines, divide the total by ten, and multiply the result by the number of lines in your document. In any case, round to the nearest 100.
Writer's block -- The scourge of every writer: the inability to write when you want or need to. Sometimes this takes the form of simply being unable to put anything on paper; sometimes, you can write, but everything you write seems terrible. Looming deadlines are a wonderful antidote to writer's block.
Writer's guidelines -- A set of guidelines to which a publication wants its writers to adhere. Guidelines usually outline the types of manuscripts the editors want, the terms and payment offered, and any special formatting required. Sometimes basic formatting rules are also included. You can usually find a publication's guidelines online or in a marketing book such as Writer's Market. In addition, a publication will generally send their guidelines to any writer upon request.
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