In traditional publishing, a publisher pays you an advance, covers editing and production costs, and pays royalties on sales. In self-publishing, you fund the production yourself, keep full creative control.

A manuscript assessment — sometimes called a manuscript evaluation or reader's report — is a professional appraisal of your work as a whole. An experienced editor or reader reads your manuscript in full and provides a detailed written report on its strengths, weaknesses, and potential.

The publishing process is the journey a manuscript takes from completion to publication, encompassing every stage of editorial, production, legal, and commercial activity required to turn a piece of writing into a finished, distributed publication.

An advance reader copy — commonly known as an ARC, and sometimes called a review copy or galley — is an early, pre-publication version of a book distributed to reviewers, booksellers, librarians, journalists, and influential readers before the official release date.

A book proposal is a formal document submitted to a literary agent or publisher that makes the case for a non-fiction book before it is written. Unlike fiction, where authors are typically expected to complete the manuscript before submitting, most traditional non-fiction is acquired on the basis of a proposal alone .

A commissioning editor — sometimes called an acquisitions editor, particularly in academic and American publishing contexts — is the person at a publishing house responsible for identifying, acquiring, and developing new titles.

A literary agent is a professional who represents authors and their work to publishers. They are the primary gateway into traditional publishing for most fiction and non-fiction authors — the majority of major publishers do not accept unsolicited submissions directly from authors, which means securing agent representation is the essential first step toward a traditional publishing deal.