Turn the Page

Sure, you've probably read a few, but how much do you really know about books? Below, a few lesser-known facts:

--Books are always in multiples of 16 pages, including the blanks. Each unit of 16 pages is called a signature, and this is how books are printed.

--The page listing an author's previous titles is called a card page

--How much it costs to produce a book is dependent on many factors, including the size (called the trim size), the format (hardcover, trade paperback, or mass-market paperback), the genre, whether or not there is art or inserts, whether the inserts are color or black and white, and whether or not there is foil and/or embossing on the cover. Ignore the whole "you can't judge a book buy its cover" thing--if a publishing house was willing to spend a lot on the book, it means they think it's decent.

--Every book has a little logo on its spine that tells you which publishing company did the book, but for all the different names and pictures, nearly every book you read is only coming from one of four publishing houses--Random House, Penguin, HarperCollins, and Simon & Schuster. The different logos, like Vintage, Avon, Washington Square Press, Atria William Morrow, Berkeley, etc. are called imprints--sub-divisions within each publishing house, each with their own editorial director and some sort of theme, e.g. one may be the house's "paperback" imprint, or their "non-fiction" imprint.

--Like a book that just came out in hardcover but want it in trade paperback instead? You'll be waiting about 11-13 months. (Although occasionally, the title will be released in Canada as a simultanous publication, but in paperback, so use your Canadian contacts--they may be good for something after all!)

--A book's price may depend on its page count; for example, a book that is 384 pages (a standard romance novel) can't cost more than $6.99

--It is nearly impossible to get a book published by a major house without a literary agent. Even celebrities have them, although some politicians use a lawyer instead.