Bookish Acronyms for Beginners

Are you new to the publishing scene? Let’s be real, the writing and publishing world can be intimidating. That’s where we come in. Being founded by two self-published authors, we are well aware how overwhelming things can be.

With that in mind, let us offer some beginner guidance to the writing world. Some of these may seem pretty simple and straight-forward, and if so, then that’s great! That means you might already be beyond the beginner classification. And if you don’t already know some of these, then that’s exactly what this is for!

ARC (Advanced Reader’s Copy) – A pre-release copy of a book. Typically, an electronic version, sent to select readers who have agreed to leave an honest review of the book online. This helps the author generate buzz surrounding the release, and provides insight for other readers about the quality of the book.

DNF (Did Not Finish) – When a reader is unable to complete a book, it would be classified as DNF. This is not a good sign for the overall quality of the book.

HC (Hardcover) – This one is self-explanatory. It’s simply a hardcover copy of a book.

ISBN (International Standard Book Number) – This is the number associated with the barcode to uniquely identify each book/product.

MC (Main Character) – Often referred to as the hero of the story, the MC is who the plot of a book centers around.

MS (Manuscript) – The first completed version of a story. Not the first draft, a manuscript is a finished story, before it goes to press to become an actual book.

NA (New Adult) – Sometimes referred to as a genre of books, but more accurately a description of the target audience; typically geared toward college aged readers or the main characters fall in that age range.

PB (Paperback) – This one is self-explanatory. It’s simply a paperback, or softcover, copy of a book.

POV (Point Of View) – This describes who is telling the story in a book. A first-person narrator puts the reader in the MC’s shoes, providing only information that the MC would know, whereas a third-person narrator has knowledge of multiple characters and storylines at the same time.

TBR (To Be Read) – This is in reference to that giant stack of books that all readers have that somehow just continues to grow with every trip to the library and/or bookstore. Use a hashtag in front of this on social media to expand your audience. TBR list and TBR pile are also common forms of this term.

WIP (Work in Progress) – What are you currently working on? Regardless of your progress, genre, style, or any other qualifier, the answer to this question is simple: your WIP!

YA (Young Adult) – Similar to New Adult, this sometimes refers to a genre of books, but more accurately it is a description of the target audience; typically geared toward high school aged readers or the main characters fall in that age range.

These are some of the most common, basic acronyms used in the reading, writing, and publishing communities. Do you think we left some out? We probably did, so feel free to drop them in the comments below!