Publishing Terms, Defined.
The words authors, readers, and the trade use when a book is written, made, and sold, defined plainly, with how Mashman Publishing uses each one. A few come from Personal Branding: A Manifesto on Fame and Influence, because the imprint publishes books that build their authors' personal brands.
A
- Advance Reader Copy (ARC)
A copy of a book released before publication to reviewers, booksellers, and the press, so that reviews and endorsements are ready when the book goes on sale. It is usually made from final or near-final pages, but it is not the finished book, and it is often marked as uncorrected.
Related: Galley, Blurb, Proofreading
- ASIN
The Amazon Standard Identification Number: Amazon's own ten-character identifier for every product it sells, books included. A printed book on Amazon is matched to its ISBN, while an ebook sold only on Kindle is identified by its ASIN. The ASIN is Amazon's alone; other retailers use the ISBN.
Related: ISBN, Book Metadata, Ebook
- Audiobook
A recorded reading of a book, sold or lent as a download or a stream. It is a format of its own, with its own identifiers, production, and retail channels. Mashman Publishing plans every title's audiobook from the start, alongside the print and ebook editions.
Related: Audiobook Narration, Format, Distribution
- Audiobook Narration
The performance of a book's text for its audiobook, by the author, a professional narrator, or a synthetic voice. Many nonfiction authors narrate their own work because the voice is part of the brand. Mashman Publishing uses AI narration and voice cloning openly, including a voice modeled on the author's own with the author's consent, to bring audiobooks out sooner.
Related: Audiobook, Personal Brand
B
- Back Matter
Everything that follows the main text of a book: an afterword, acknowledgments, an about the author page, an about the publisher page, references, and an index. The Manifesto's back matter includes an afterword setting out what the Third Edition will add, its referenced works, and an index.
Related: Front Matter, Edition
- BISAC Subject Code
A standard code that tells retailers, libraries, and distributors what a book is about, chosen from a list maintained by the Book Industry Study Group (BISG). A book can carry more than one, and the codes decide where it is shelved and how it is found in online categories. A well-chosen code is part of good metadata.
Related: Book Metadata, Distribution, ISBN
- Blurb
A short endorsement of a book, printed on its cover or used in its marketing, usually from a recognized name in the field. Blurbs borrow the credibility of the person who gives them, which is why they are collected before a book launches.
Related: Advance Reader Copy (ARC), Credibility, Foreword
- Book Metadata
The facts about a book that the trade reads: title, subtitle, author, publisher, ISBN, format, page count, price, publication date, description, and subject codes. Retailers and search engines depend on it, so a book with incomplete metadata is harder to find, whatever its quality.
Related: ISBN, BISAC Subject Code, Distribution
C
- Client Imprint
Mashman Publishing's track for books by clients of Mashman Consulting Group with an established consulting relationship, considered case by case. There is no separate application: a client's MCG consultant brings the book to the imprint when the fit is right for both. Raw Cutlery: Perform at the Best Version of You by Isaac J. Hall is the first.
Related: Imprint, Hybrid Publishing, Personal Brand
- Copyediting
The editing pass that corrects grammar, spelling, punctuation, consistency, and style line by line, after the structure and the sentences are settled. It follows developmental and line editing and comes before proofreading.
Related: Developmental Editing, Line Editing, Proofreading
- Copyright Page
The page near the front of a book, usually on the back of the title page, that records the copyright notice, the publisher of record, the edition, the ISBNs, and the credits. On a Mashman Publishing title it names the publisher in its full form: Mashman Publishing, a DBA of Mashman Consulting Group LLC.
Related: Publisher of Record, ISBN, DBA (Doing Business As)
- Cover Art
The design and artwork on a book's cover, the first thing a reader judges. Covers are made to read at the size of a thumbnail on a retail page as well as on a shelf. Alexander Stephens created the cover art for the Manifesto's Second Edition.
Related: Trim Size, Format, Seamless Branding
- Credibility
How much people trust a person, and one of The Five Personal Brand Pillars. The Manifesto describes it as built through the consistent exchange of influence, and through actions that demand attention, publishing a book on industry subject matters among them (5.4). A published book is one of the most lasting forms of credibility a person can hold.
Related: Personal Brand, Blurb, Foreword
D
- DBA (Doing Business As)
A registered business name used by an existing company, also called a fictitious business name. A DBA is not a separate legal entity. Mashman Publishing is a DBA of Mashman Consulting Group: the consultancy publishing under a name of its own.
Related: Imprint, Publisher of Record
- Developmental Editing
The first and largest editing pass, on the shape of the book rather than its sentences: structure, argument, pacing, and what is missing or repeated. It can move or cut whole chapters. Every Mashman Publishing title goes through it before line editing.
Related: Line Editing, Copyediting, Manuscript
- Distribution
How a book reaches the places readers buy and borrow it: online retailers, bookstores, libraries, and audio and ebook platforms. In the Manifesto, distribution is the step that makes sure work is seen at all, and it argues for omnipresence over exclusivity nearly every time (6.11). Mashman Publishing distributes through standard trade and retail channels.
Related: Distributor, Omnipresence, Book Metadata
- Distributor
The company that makes a publisher's books available to retailers and libraries, handling the listings, orders, and fulfillment. Mashman Publishing works through an ongoing relationship with the distributor behind Isaac Mashman's own book, so each new title starts from an established channel.
Related: Distribution, Print on Demand, Royalties
E
- Ebook
A digital edition of a book, read on a phone, tablet, or e-reader. It carries its own ISBN, and on Kindle an ASIN as well. The Manifesto's ebook is sold at Kobo and Everand, among others.
- Edition
A version of a book that differs materially from earlier ones, by revision or expansion, as opposed to a simple reprint. A new edition receives new ISBNs. The Manifesto's First Edition (2021) ran 55 pages; the Second Edition (2025) is a complete revision of 376 pages, and the author has said a Third Edition is intended.
Related: ISBN, Format, Back Matter
F
- Foreword
A short opening piece written by someone other than the author, usually a person whose name lends the book credibility. It is different from a preface or introduction, which the author writes. Eric Chow wrote the foreword to the Manifesto's Second Edition.
Related: Front Matter, Blurb, Credibility
- Format
The physical or digital form a book is sold in: paperback, hardcover, ebook, or audiobook. Each format is a separate product with its own ISBN. Mashman Publishing plans every title as the full suite of formats from the first page.
- Front Matter
Everything before the main text of a book: the title page, copyright page, dedication, table of contents, foreword, and preface. The Manifesto's front matter includes Eric Chow's foreword and a note from the author on the Second Edition.
Related: Back Matter, Copyright Page, Foreword
G
- Galley
An early typeset version of a book, used for final checks and for early readers. The word is often used interchangeably with advance reader copy, though strictly a galley comes earlier and is less finished.
Related: Advance Reader Copy (ARC), Proofreading
H
- Hardcover
A book bound between rigid boards, usually with a dust jacket or a printed case. It is often the format readers keep on a shelf or give as a gift. The Manifesto's Second Edition hardcover carries ISBN 979-8-9924591-1-1.
- Hybrid Publishing
A model between traditional publishing and self-publishing, in which a publisher produces and distributes a book to professional standards while the author keeps more of the rights or the return. Reputable hybrid publishers are selective; vanity presses publish anything for a fee.
Related: Traditional Publishing, Self-Publishing, Vanity Press
I
- Imprint
A brand name under which a publisher issues books, often for a particular kind of title. Mashman Publishing is the imprint of Mashman Consulting Group, publishing house, circle, and select client titles by invitation, each to the same standard as its flagship.
Related: Publisher of Record, DBA (Doing Business As), Client Imprint
- ISBN
The International Standard Book Number, which identifies the publisher and the specific title, edition, and format of a book. Since 2007 every ISBN has 13 digits, and each format needs its own. The Manifesto's Second Edition paperback is 979-8-9924591-5-9.
Related: ASIN, Book Metadata, Edition
L
- Line Editing
The editing pass on sentences and paragraphs: clarity, rhythm, word choice, and voice. It comes after the structure is settled in developmental editing and before copyediting.
Related: Developmental Editing, Copyediting
M
- Manuscript
The author's text of a book before it is edited, designed, and produced. At Mashman Publishing every format, print, ebook, and audio, is produced from one approved manuscript.
Related: Developmental Editing, Format
O
- Omnipresence
Being visible and discoverable whenever and wherever possible, the first of The Five Personal Brand Pillars. For a book it means being in every store and format a reader might use rather than exclusive to one; the Manifesto puts it plainly: choosing to remain exclusive to one online retailer means your book will never be on a local bookstore's shelf (6.11).
Related: Distribution, Seamless Branding, Personal Brand
P
- Paperback
A book bound in a flexible card cover. Trade paperbacks are the common format for nonfiction and usually the most widely stocked. The Manifesto's Second Edition paperback was a #1 New Release in Public Relations on Amazon.
- Personal Brand
In the Manifesto's words, in its truest, most holistic form it is you: who you are, what people know you for, and the combination of characteristics only you possess (1.1). It is distinct from a company brand. A book is one of the few parts of a personal brand that people can hold.
Related: Credibility, Seamless Branding, Omnipresence
- Print on Demand
Printing a copy of a book only when it is ordered, rather than in a large print run kept in a warehouse. It keeps titles permanently available without inventory, and it is how many books reach online retailers today.
Related: Distributor, Trim Size, Paperback
- Proofreading
The final check of a book's typeset pages for errors that survived editing or were introduced in layout: typos, missing words, bad breaks, and wrong page numbers. It is the last pass before a book is printed.
Related: Copyediting, Galley
- Publisher of Record
The company named as the publisher of a book on its copyright page and in its ISBN records. Mashman Publishing is the publisher of record for the Manifesto's Second Edition; the First Edition, published in 2021, was published by Mashman Ventures LLC.
Related: Copyright Page, Imprint, ISBN
R
- Rights
The permissions an author grants a publisher, and the further rights a book can license: translation, foreign editions, audio, film, and excerpts. Rights inquiries for Mashman Publishing titles go to contact@mashmanpublishing.com, with the title, the territory or format, and the organization.
Related: Royalties, Publisher of Record
- Royalties
The share of a book's sales paid to its author, usually a percentage of the list price or of the publisher's receipts. The Manifesto is candid that a business professional who writes a book is not going to make a lot of money directly from it: the return comes in how the book is leveraged (8.3).
Related: Rights, Personal Brand
S
- Seamless Branding
The consistent and maintained portrayal of yourself across every place people meet you, one of The Five Personal Brand Pillars (4.16). For an author it means the book, its cover, the author's profiles, and the author's speaking all tell the same story.
Related: Personal Brand, Omnipresence, Cover Art
- Self-Publishing
Publishing a book without a publisher: the author handles or hires out editing, design, identifiers, and distribution. The barrier to entry is low, which the Manifesto notes cuts both ways: anyone can become a published author in under a week, so the quality of the book carries the credibility (7.6).
Related: Traditional Publishing, Hybrid Publishing, Vanity Press
T
- Traditional Publishing
The model in which a publisher acquires a book's rights, pays the author an advance against royalties, and carries the cost of editing, production, and distribution. It brings editorial standards and trade reach, usually through a literary agent and a long timeline.
Related: Self-Publishing, Hybrid Publishing, Royalties
V
- Vanity Press
A company that publishes any manuscript for a fee, without editorial selection, and usually earns from the author rather than from readers. It is the opposite of a selective imprint. Mashman Publishing is invitation-only and never runs an open call.
Related: Hybrid Publishing, Self-Publishing, Imprint
Why a Book Builds a Personal Brand
Several of these terms come from Personal Branding: A Manifesto on Fame and Influence. The article on why a book is a cornerstone of a personal brand puts them together, with the Manifesto's own story.