Abbreviations, Acronyms, and Terms Used by Writers

Writing Acronyms

Are you overwhelmed by the barrage of abbreviations, acronyms, and writing terms spouted by people in the publishing industry? No need. You’ll find many of the definitions in this post.

Why the Concern?

When you’re dealing with editors, publishers, beta readers, and critique partners, knowing their shorthand will enable you to react without needing to search online or scramble for a dictionary.

AGT
Agent: a person who acts on behalf of an author, negotiating with publishers and promoters.

Alpha reader
The first reader, usually a non-professional, who provides feedback on a writer’s work.

ANT
Antagonist: the adversary or competitor to the hero/protagonist of any story.

APS
Associated Press Stylebook: a writer’s and journalist’s reference manual for rules on grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization, abbreviations, and word and numeral usage.

ARC
Advance reader copy: free copy of a book given by a publisher to media, librarians, or other readers in advance of official publication.

ASIN
Amazon Standard Identification Number: Amazon’s unique identifier for each book they sell.

AU
Alternate universe: a fictional universe in which recognizable details are changed in order to create the story.

BBFD
BookBub Featured Deal

Beta reader
A reader, usually non-professional, who provides feedback on a book after a writer has made revisions inspired by alpha readers.

BG
Bad guy: the Freddy Krueger, Lord Voldemort, or Darth Vader of your narrative.

BS
Backstory: history or background that occurs before the current events of a story.

Character arc
The inner journey and transformation in personality of a character between the beginning and the end of a story.

CMOS
Chicago Manual of Style: a writer’s and editor’s reference manual for grammar usage, spelling, punctuation, capitalization, abbreviations, and word and numeral usage.

Cont
Contemporary (genre): a genre that, although fictional, depicts realistic events that could happen in today’s society. An example: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.

CP
Critique partner: a writer who provides feedback on a fellow writer’s work.

Drabble
One hundred words that tell a story. Drabbles, because of their brevity, demand strong verbs, zero redundancies, and minimal showing. They usually require more time to write than longer stories.

F & SF
Fantasy and science fiction (genre): make-believe worlds and characters combined with narrative that is based on scientific principles. Think Star Wars by George Lucas, etc.

FF
Flash fiction: very short fiction, usually containing fewer than 1000 words.

FMC
Female main character

FN/Fant
Fantasy (genre): stories about mythical worlds often populated by magical creatures. Example: Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling.

GMC
Goal, motivation, conflict: important elements for engaging stories.

GN
Graphic novel (genre): stories that are told using a combination of graphic panels and text. Although a graphic novel may be similar to a comic book in format, it usually encompasses an intriguing plot with character growth. Example: the Logan’s Run graphic novels by William F. Nolan.

HC
Hardcover

HEA
Happily ever after: the way many fairy tales end.

Hook
An element that is unique to a story. Always memorable, it may also be controversial.

HR
Horror (genre): frightening stories that often include elements of fantasy. Examples: Children of the Corn by Stephen King and The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe.

Indie
An independent writer who maintains creative control and who is not associated with a major publisher.

Juv
Juvenile (audience/genre): usually geared to children under twelve years of age. Example: Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White.

LI
Love interest

Logline
A brief summary, usually one sentence, that presents the main conflict or storyline, often combined with a hook to stimulate the interest of readers.

LOI
Letter of introduction

Find thousands of writing tips and word lists in
The Writer’s Lexicon series
and additional resources on my Facebook page.

Maid-and-butler dialogue
Dialogue revealing facts that characters and readers should already know; i.e., a sloppy and frowned-upon way to include backstory.

Mary Sue
Stereotypical perfect female character.

MC
Main character

MG
Middle grade (audience/genre): fiction intended for children in middle grade. Example: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle.

MMC
Male main character

MMPB
Mass-market paperback

MS or MSS
Manuscript

NA
New adult (audience/genre): fiction with protagonists between eighteen and thirty years of age. Example: Walking Disaster by Jamie McGuire.

NaNoWriMo
National Novel Writing Month. Participants begin on November 1 and try to produce the first draft of a 50,000-word novel by midnight on November 30.

NF
Non-fiction (genre): embracing everything that isn’t fiction. Example: What I Know For Sure by Oprah Winfrey.

OP
Out of print

Pantser
A person who “flies by the seat of their pants,” writing without preparing a story outline.

PB
Paperback

PH
Plot hole

Pitch
Words used to persuade an agent to represent you, to convince an editor to publish your book, or to induce people to buy it.

Plantser
A combination plotter/pantser: someone who prepares a rudimentary outline before writing.

PLI
Primary love interest

Plotter
The opposite of a pantser. A plotter plans a detailed outline of a story or book before writing the first draft.

PNR
Paranormal romance (genre): a combination of romance and speculative fiction. Example: Twilight by Stephenie Meyer.

POD
Print on demand: books not printed by the publisher until a purchaser orders a copy.

POP
Pay on publication: publishers that pay when a short story, poem, or book is published.

POV
Point of view

pp
Pages (usually preceded by a number; for instance: 301 pp).

PRO
Protagonist: one of the main characters in a story.

Protag
Protagonist: one of the main characters in a story.

Query
A formal email or letter sent by a writer to a prospective publisher to propose a writing idea or plug a book.

R&R
Revise and resubmit

RI
Romantic interest. Juliet would be Romeo’s romantic interest and vice versa.

RO
Romance (genre): the primary focus of a romance novel is the romantic relationship of its protagonists, usually riddled with conflict, snags, and at least one rival. Readers expect a happy resolution. Example: The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough.

RRP
Recommended retail price

RWA
Romance Writers of America, a non-profit association for romance writers.

SASE
Self-addressed, stamped envelope

SC
Secondary character or supporting character

Self-publishing
The process whereby a writer publishes works directly rather than through a publisher.

SF
Science fiction (genre): stories, often set in the future, that rely on established or imagined scientific principles. Example: Dune by Frank Herbert.

SFR
Science fiction romance (genre): a combination of science fiction and romance genres. Example: Divergent by Veronica Roth.

Slush pile
The “pile” of unsolicited manuscripts received by an editor or publisher.

SP
Speculative fiction (genre): stories that encompass several genres such as fantasy, science fiction, horror, superhero fiction, and their combinations. Example: The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien.

SQ
Status query: a query about the disposition of a manuscript previously submitted to an editor or publisher.

Susp
Suspense/thriller (genre): stories that keep readers in suspense, horrified, or anxious, often until the last chapter of a book. Example: The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins.

Synopsis
Brief summary of a story, written in present tense, usually a couple of paragraphs in length.

TH
Thriller (genre): [see Susp].

ToC
Table of contents

TPB
Trade paperback: a paperback book that is larger than mass-market pocketbooks.

Trad-pub
A work published through a traditional publisher.

UF
Urban fantasy (genre): fantasy based in an urban setting. Example: Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman.

UR
Urban (genre): fiction based in an urban setting. Example: Street Players by Donald Goines.

WC
Word count

WIP
Work in progress

XO
Crossover: works, intended for children or young adults, that also appeal to an adult audience.

YA
Young adult (audience/genre): fiction that appeals to readers from twelve years of age to those in their early twenties. Example: The Giver by Lois Lowry.

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Find thousands of writing tips and word lists in
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and additional resources on my Facebook page.

8 thoughts on “Abbreviations, Acronyms, and Terms Used by Writers

  1. I posted this article on a couple of Facebook writing groups recently and it’s been gratefully received. However, people are commenting on the fact that BS usually stands for something a lot ruder than Back Story! I’ve seen a lot of abbreviations used on writing sites, Twitter and Facebook, but never that one…

  2. Hi, Kathy. I love your blog. I’m wondering this. My novel is a political thriller, so I
    talk about the United States a lot. Do I write: US or U.S.? Does it matter?

    • Thanks, Nancy.

      If it were my novel, I’d stick with USA. It’s less likely to be misinterpreted by readers. In some cases, US might be interpreted as us capitalized. For the sake of consistency, USA everywhere would solve the problem. Most sources don’t recommend U.S. or U.S.A.

  3. Thanks Kathy
    I will be sharing this with the Twin Lakes Writers in Mountain Home Arkansas. Valuable stuff for those of us who care. chuck

  4. Hi Kathy, Thank you. Most useful. Have made a note for my writers/publishing group Writers’ Ink (here in Spain.) Best wishes.

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