Part 14 (2/2)
backlist Older t.i.tles on a publisher's list that are still in print.
barcode A machine-readable unique product code. The barcode usually appears on the front cover of a magazine and the back cover of a book, and is used for stock control and sales.
benefits In a marketing context, benefits are the advantages that come to the user/purchaser from a product or service's features (see 'features'). Too much publis.h.i.+ng copy is feature-rather than benefit-orientated, but the market is far more interested in what the product will do for them than in how the publisher has set up its specifications. For example, product features of a guidebook might be lavish ill.u.s.trations or high paper quality. The benefits to the reader, however, might be that it provides a lasting souvenir of the holiday, really gives a flavour of the place to be visited before they get there, or stands up well to use throughout the trip because it is well made. Similarly a picture book for very young children may offer attractive ill.u.s.trations by a well-known artist, but be appreciated by a grandparent because it makes a welcome present that they can enjoy reading together.
binding How the pages of a book are held together and presented: paperback, hardback etc.
blad Originally this meant a section of a book printed early to help in the promotion, and shown as a sample. Today blads can consist of marketing information about, a random a.s.sortment of pages from, or a synopsis of a forthcoming publication, and do not necessarily const.i.tute a distinct section.
bleed Printed matter that extends over the trimmed edge of the paper; it 'bleeds' off the edge. To obtain a bleed in a magazine ad, you have to book a full-page s.p.a.ce.
blog A blog is a user-generated website where entries are made in journal style and displayed in reverse chronological order. The term blog is derived from 'Web log', but the word also gets used as a verb, meaning to run, maintain or add content to a blog.
blurb A short sales message for use in leaflets or jackets.
body copy The bulk of the advertising text; usually follows the headline.
boss The person paying (or approving) your wages. Never forget this.
bottom line Financial slang referring to the figure at the foot of a balance sheet indicating net profit or loss. Has come to mean the overall profitability, for example: 'How does that affect the bottom line?'
brand A product (or service) with a set of distinct characteristics that make it different from other products on the market.
break-even The point at which you start making money. In a publis.h.i.+ng context reaching break-even means that sufficient copies of a publication have been sold to recover the origination costs. The break-even point in a mailing is reached when enough copies have been sold to recoup the costs of the promotion.
bromide A type of photographic paper. Producing a bromide is a one-stage photographic process on to sensitised paper or film which is then developed. PMTs are routinely produced on bromide paper but alternatives now include acetate or self-adhesive paper.
budget A plan of activities expressed in monetary terms.
bullet point A heavy dot or other eye-catching feature to attract attention to a short sales point. A series of bullet points is often used in advertis.e.m.e.nt copy both to vary pace and to engage the reader's attention: * good for attracting attention * uneven sentences and surrounding s.p.a.ces draw in the reader * bullet points enable you to re-state the main selling points without appearing over-repet.i.tious buyer The person within a retail or wholesaling firm responsible for selecting/ordering stock. Large shops will have a different buyer for each department.
b/w Abbreviation for black and white.
card deck (also called business reply card mailing or cardex mailing) A collection of business reply cards, each offering a separate sales message to which the recipient can respond by returning the card concerned. Handily, recipients often tend to pa.s.s on individual cards to others they know may be interested. Often used for selling technical, business and professional t.i.tles.
cased edition A book with a hard cover, as opposed to limp or paperback.
centred type A line or lines of type individually centred on the width of the text below.
Type on a t.i.tle page can also be centred on the page width.
character 1. An individual letter, s.p.a.ce, symbol or punctuation mark. 2. A person with poor social skills.
Ches.h.i.+re labels Old-fas.h.i.+oned format for labels. Ches.h.i.+re labels are presented as a continuous roll of paper which is cut up and pasted on to envelopes by a Ches.h.i.+re machine. Still sometimes used for the despatch of items bought on subscription, ie where customer loyalty is established.
closed market Closed markets are created when local selling rights are sold to a particular agent. Booksellers in an area that is part of a closed market must obtain stock of t.i.tles from the local agent rather than direct from the original publisher. This arrangement is under threat from the Internet, which knows no geographical boundaries.
coated paper Paper that has received a coating on one or both sides, eg art paper.
colour separations The process of separating the colours of a full-colour picture into four printing colours (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black abbreviated to CMYK and not CMYB), done either with a camera or electronic scanning machine. The separated film may then be used to make printing plates.
compet.i.tive differentials What a company is good or bad at; the things that set it apart from its compet.i.tors.
controlled circulation A publication circulated free or mainly free to individuals within a particular industry, advertising sales paying for circulation and production costs. Much used in medicine and business.
cooperative mailing (or shared mailing) A mailing to a specialised market containing material from several advertisers who share the costs between them.
copy Words that make up the message, often used of material prepared for advertising or newspaper features.
cover The difference between success and failure.
cromalin proofs See digital proofs.
cut-out An irregularly shaped ill.u.s.tration which requires handwork at the repro stage of printing.
data See media.
database marketing Building up increasingly complex information about your customers in order to serve their needs more precisely and sell more to them in the future. The long-term aim of direct marketing.
database publis.h.i.+ng Publis.h.i.+ng from information stored on a database. Can be a fast method of producing complex material or material which dates quickly.
die-cutting A specialised cutting process used whenever the requirement for a cut is other than a straight line or right angle (ie when a guillotine cannot be used). A metal knife held in wood is punched down on to the item to be cut. Many old letterpress machines have been adapted to form die-cutting equipment.
digital proofs Digital proofs are of two broad sorts high-res (short for resolution) or low-res. High-res proofs are made from the final printing files, normally PDFs. There are a number of quality levels. At one extreme, they may be little more than the sort of colour prints you would get from an office laserjet printer; and though they may look fine, they won't necessarily represent the printed product very faithfully because they are produced in a fundamentally different way. To get closer to this ideal, most printers use special laser printers which are calibrated to the platesetter (the device that exposes the printing plate) in a very direct manner. Digital cromalins are this sort of proof; high-res, calibrated proofs which can be used to check for colour before the item is printed. Low-res proofs, by contrast, are for position and content only, and are made using standard office equipment.
direct costs Costs attributable to a specific project, as opposed to general overheads or indirect costs. For example, the printing bill for producing a particular t.i.tle is a direct cost; the photocopier used to copy proofs that are circulated is an indirect one.
direct marketing The selling of services directly to the end consumer including e-mail, direct mail, telemarketing and house-to-house calling.
direct response advertising Advertising designed to produce a measurable response, whether through e-mail, mail, telemarketing, s.p.a.ce advertis.e.m.e.nts etc. This compares with direct promotion, where material is sent directly to the market, which may, or may not, produce a direct response back.
disintermediarisation An interruption in the former process of doing things. For example, authors who offer their content direct to users, by self-publis.h.i.+ng or publis.h.i.+ng through their websites, are changing the usual sequence of intermediaries (publishers, distributors and booksellers); this is a process of disintermediarisation.
display type Large type for headlines, usually 14 points or more. (Sales people are usually the display type.) distributor In magazine publis.h.i.+ng, the company blamed by the publisher for not getting the magazines to the right place at the right time, and blamed by the newsagent who didn't order them in the first place.
dues (also called arrears) Orders for a new (or reprinting) publication before it is released. Publishers record the dues and fulfil orders as soon as stock is available. Checking the dues of forthcoming t.i.tles is a good way of finding out how well the reps are subscribing particular t.i.tles in bookshops, and hence of estimating sales.
dumpbin Container to hold, display and stock in retail outlets; usually supplied by the manufacturer to encourage the retailer to take more stock than might otherwise be the case. Most are made from cardboard, to be a.s.sembled in the shop. Supplied free but on condition that a stock order to fill it is received, too.
duotone A half-tone shot printed in two colours. This is a more expensive way of printing a photograph than simply using a single printing colour, but can add depth and quality to the image presented. It is usually printed in black plus a chosen second colour. An alternative effect can be produced by using a tint of the second colour behind a black and white half-tone.
ELT English language teaching.
embargo A date before which information may not be released; often used on press releases to ensure that no one paper scoops the rest. Often regarded by the media as applying to everyone else.
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