Write Well: On finding success, acronyms, and evoking emotion

#5

Word of the Week: podium (PODE-ee-um).

From the Latin pod, meaning foot (arthropod, pseudopod, podiatrist, etc). So a podium is the platform you stand on, not the wooden stand where you’ve placed your notes. That’s a lectern or perhaps a pulpit.

Writer’s Words of the Week: Acronyms

Writers employ a host of acronyms, so use them with aplomb.

WIP: the work in progress

RUE: Resist the urge to explain, usually written by an editor in fiction

TBR: the to-be-read stack of books on your desk or nightstand

ARC: advance reading copy, the (costly!) pre-publication copies your publisher may distribute to reviewers.

TOC: the table of contents

OP or OOP: Out of print, meaning that the publisher will no longer print paper copies. This is different from out of stock, which indicates that the book is being reprinted, not retired.

ISBN: International Standard Book Number. Each book, and each edition of that title (paper, hardcover, ebook), must have a unique ISBN. These numbers are purchased by publishers and noted in each book. In the U.S., they are sold by Bowker.com.

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Q&A

Question: Is there any way to predict a book’s success before it is published?