Fifteen Publishing Terms Every Author Needs to Know
Finishing a manuscript is only the beginning of an author’s publishing journey. Once you step out of final edits, you’ll hear a flood of design and production terms that can sound like a foreign language. If you don’t know them, it’s easy to feel sidelined in conversations about your own book. Learning the basics won’t make you a typesetter or printer, but it will help you spot red flags and communicate clearly with your publishing team.
Here are fifteen publishing terms every author should know, arranged alphabetically.
1. 300 dpi
Stands for “dots per inch” and refers to image resolution. For print, 300 dpi is the standard. Anything less risks appearing blurry or pixelated once printed, no matter how good it looks on your screen. In most cases, this is a hard metric. There are some tricks to bump up lower resolution images, but know that if your book designer says an image won’t work, there’s not much to be done.
2. Bleed
When artwork or color extends all the way to the edge of the page, it requires a bleed so printers can trim cleanly. This usually translates into an eighth or quarter inch extension of your trim size (see below) on the top, bottom, and outside margins. Without a bleed, you risk white edges where you expected full coverage.
3. CMOS
The Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) is the publishing industry’s go-to reference for grammar, punctuation, citation, and style rules. If you and your editor disagree on a point of usage, CMOS often has the final word.
4. ePub
Short for “electronic publication,” ePub is the most widely used file format for ebooks. It reflows text, meaning it adapts to different screen sizes on devices like Kindles, Nooks, and phones.
5. Formatting/Layout
Turning a raw manuscript into a print-ready PDF is called formatting or, in old-school terms, layout. It’s the process of designing pages so they meet both aesthetic and technical printing standards. Layouts are done on desktop publishing programs like InDesign or Quark. If anyone ever tells you they’re formatting a book in Word, run.
6. Gutter
The inner margin of a book where the pages are bound, or the space between columns of text on a single page. Today, designers often refer to the inner margin instead, but “gutter” remains a widely used term. If the gutter is too tight, text can disappear into the fold.
7. ISBN
The International Standard Book Number is the unique identifier assigned to each edition of a book. Paperback, hardcover, and ebook versions of the same title each require their own ISBN. It’s what distributors, retailers, and libraries use to track and sell your book.
8. Kerning
The adjustment of space between individual letters. Proper kerning keeps words visually balanced and easy to read. Poor kerning can make text look amateurish.
9. Leading
Pronounced “ledding,” this is the vertical space between lines of text. The correct leading improves readability. If lines are spaced too much or too little, it makes the page hard on the eyes. No matter what leading your book designer uses, 28–32 lines per page is the sweet spot for readability.
10. Orphan
A short line or word sitting alone at the bottom of a page or column. Like widows, orphans are distracting and considered poor form in professional typesetting.
11. Recto and Verso
Recto is the right-hand page of an open book. Verso is the left-hand page. Odd numbers go on recto pages. This matters when planning where new chapters or major sections begin. You might have heard that chapters have to start on recto pages. A few years back, every client I had was convinced the publishing gods required that. It’s not true. The first page of a book needs to start on a right-facing page, but where the chapter begins is a personal preference.
12. Runt
A single word or partial word left dangling at the end of a paragraph. While not tied to page breaks like widows and orphans, runts break rhythm and look awkward.
13. Serif vs. Sans-serif
Serif typefaces have decorative strokes at the ends of letters (Times New Roman or Jenson). Sans-serif fonts lack those strokes (Arial or Gothic). Serif fonts are traditionally thought to be easier to read in long passages, while sans serif fonts shine in headings and digital formats. My philosophy is that the type and style of the book should dictate the typeface. And yes, there is a difference between typefaces and fonts. A typeface is the design family (like Garamond or Helvetica), while a font is a specific weight, style, and size within that family (like Garamond Italic 12 pt).
14. Trim Size
The final physical dimensions of your book after printing and cutting. Trade paperbacks often measure 6 × 9 inches, while smaller works might be 5.5 × 8.5 inches.
15. Widow
A single word or very short line left stranded at the top of a page or column. Widows disrupt the visual flow and are usually fixed in layout adjustments.
Why This Vocabulary Matters
You don’t have to know everything about printing or book design to publish successfully. But you do need to know enough to recognize when something sounds off. This vocabulary protects you from being bamboozled by jargon and empowers you to ask the right questions. Publishing is full of specialized processes, and the people doing them may throw around terms casually. When you understand the basics, you can call BS if needed and make sure your book gets the professional treatment it deserves.
Your words matter. Knowing how they’re presented matters just as much.
To find out more about what I do, visit or follow me at:
