This article is part of a series available on this Children’s Book Writing site. Each article offers an annotated glossary of terms specific to a particular aspect of the publishing industry and writing. For clarity and context, some terms may appear in more than one glossary.
The entire glossary encompassing all the terms listed in the combined articles, but without extended annotations, is also available on this site. ________________________________________________________________________________
BASIC PUBLISHING TERMS - Abbreviations & Shorthand
Please note
Some of these terms may vary from publisher to publisher, especially those that are codes for the status of ordered books. These refer to where books are in the system, in terms of availability & despatch from the warehouse.
- bk or bks - book or books
- chn - children
- FS - firm sale. Books supplied to a bookseller on these terms cannot be returned
- hi-lo - high interest level, low reading level books for reluctant readers or students with reading difficulties
- lib - library
- ms - manuscript
- NR - new release. This may also stand for no rights, when a publisher is unable to suppy a book because they another publisher has the rights for that book
- OBO - on backorder
- OP - out of print
- OS - out of stock
- SO - standing order. A customer with an SO for a particular author or series, automatically receives that book when it is released. This is particularly common with schools and libraries
- P&A - price & availability
- SASE - self addressed stamped envelope sent with a query letter or manuscript, to ensure its return
- SRO - school rights only. A publisher with SRO for a specific book can supply it to schools only, as opposed to bookstores, or libraries. This may suplied either directly through sales reps, mail order, websites or through book fairs.
- TOS - temporarily out of stock
- tchr or tchrs - teacher or teachers
- t/l - teacher librarian
- YA - young adult fiction
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