This glossary of book publishing terms is designed specifically for experts and thought leaders working with a professional publishing team.
A book is one of the most powerful authority-building tools available to an expert, executive, coach or thought leader. It opens doors, establishes credibility, and gives you something tangible to put in the hands of prospects, media and audiences.
But even when you’re working with a professional publishing team – and letting them handle the heavy lifting – understanding the language of publishing makes you a better collaborator. It helps you know what’s being done on your behalf, what you’re approving, and how each decision connects to your bigger goals: building your reputation, growing your business, and getting your ideas into the world in a way that reflects your expertise.
This glossary explains the key terms you are likely to encounter throughout the publishing process. You don’t need to master all of this – you just need enough to have informed conversations, make confident decisions, and get the most out of working with your publishing team.
Drawn from The Self-Publisher’s Amazon Playbook by Jane Tabachnick.
Algorithm
Amazon’s search algorithm determines which books appear in search results – and in what order – when someone searches on Amazon. Think of it as Amazon’s version of Google. A professionally optimized book listing is built to work with the algorithm, so your book gets in front of the right readers without you having to do anything extra.
A+ Content
Amazon A+ Content is an enhanced section of your book’s Amazon listing that goes beyond the standard description. It can include additional images, pull quotes, and formatted text – essentially a mini landing page within Amazon. For thought leaders and executives, it’s a valuable space to reinforce your credentials, communicate your book’s impact, and convert browsers into buyers.
ARC (Advance Review Copy)
An Advance Review Copy is an early version of your book distributed to reviewers, colleagues, endorsers, and influencers before your official publication date. The goal is to have reviews and endorsements ready the moment your book launches. For authority-driven authors, ARCs sent to respected peers and industry figures generate the kind of social proof that signals your book is worth reading before a single stranger weighs in.
Author Central
Amazon Author Central is the platform where your author presence on Amazon is managed. It’s where your Author Page lives, and it gives your publishing team the ability to add editorial reviews, update your biography, and access sales insights. Consider it your author headquarters on the world’s largest bookstore.
Author Page / Author Profile
Your Author Page on Amazon brings together your biography, photo, and all of your published books in one place. For experts and executives, a well-crafted Author Page reinforces your positioning and makes it easy for anyone who discovers one of your books to learn more about you and explore your broader body of work.
Best Seller Rank (BSR)
The Amazon Best Sellers Rank is a real-time indicator of how well your book is selling compared to others in the same category. Reaching #1 in a well-chosen category – even briefly – earns your book an official “Best Seller” badge that can be used in your marketing, on your website, in your speaker bio, and across your promotional materials. It’s a meaningful and recognizable credibility marker.
BISAC Codes
BISAC codes are the standardized subject categories the publishing industry uses to classify books – the system that determines where your book is shelved on Amazon and in libraries and bookstores. Your publishing team selects the codes that best match your content and audience, ensuring your book reaches the readers most likely to benefit from it.
Book Description
Your book description is the sales copy on your Amazon listing – the text that convinces a potential reader to buy. For an authority-driven book, it needs to go beyond summarizing content: it should speak to your ideal reader’s challenge or aspiration, establish your credibility quickly, and make a compelling case for why your perspective matters. Your publishing team will craft this to work both for readers and for Amazon’s search algorithm.
Book Layout Design
Book layout design is the interior formatting of your book – how text, headings, images, and spacing are arranged on the page. For executives and thought leaders, this matters more than people realize: a beautifully designed interior is one of the clearest visual signals of a professionally produced book. It’s the difference between something that reads like a polished business title and something that reads like it was assembled at home.
Book Listing Page
Your book listing page – also called your product detail page – is your book’s home on Amazon. Every element of this page works together to build trust and drive purchases: your cover, title, description, reviews, A+ Content, and author information. A professionally managed listing treats this page as the sales and credibility asset it truly is.
Book Reviews
Reader reviews are one of the most visible signals of a book’s credibility and quality on Amazon. For authority-driven authors, reviews aren’t just nice to have – they’re part of your professional reputation on the platform. A thoughtful pre-launch strategy, including ARCs and outreach to your network, builds the review foundation that supports both visibility and your broader promotional goals.
Categories
Amazon categories are the subject sections where your book is listed – the digital equivalent of bookstore shelves. Strategic category selection is one of the highest-leverage decisions in publishing: the right categories position your book to earn a Best Seller ranking, reach readers actively browsing your topic, and lend your listing a badge that travels well in marketing materials.
Cover Design
Your book cover is your most visible marketing asset. It’s the first thing people see on Amazon, at a speaking event, on your website, or in a media feature. For thought leaders and executives, a professional cover communicates authority and expertise at a glance – at thumbnail size on a screen and at full size in someone’s hands. A great cover signals that the content inside deserves attention.
Customer Reviews
Customer reviews are the star ratings and written feedback readers leave on your Amazon listing. They influence both potential buyers and Amazon’s algorithm. Building a genuine, positive review base – through strategic pre-launch outreach and ongoing reader engagement – is a core part of any professional book promotion strategy.
eBook
An eBook is the digital version of your book, readable on Kindle devices or the free Kindle app on any phone, tablet, or computer. For thought leaders, publishing an eBook alongside your print edition significantly extends your reach — it’s instantly available worldwide, easy to share, and enables promotional strategies like limited-time price reductions that can spike visibility and introduce your ideas to new audiences.
Editorial Reviews
The Editorial Reviews section of your Amazon listing is prime real estate for authority-building. Unlike customer reviews, you control this content entirely – it’s where you display endorsements from industry leaders, media mentions, and blurbs from respected figures in your field. For executives and thought leaders, a strong editorial review section signals that your work has been recognized beyond readers alone, which resonates with prospective clients, speaking bureaus, journalists, and collaborators.
Great on Kindle
Great on Kindle is an Amazon program that highlights high-quality nonfiction eBooks with enhanced reading features. Selection signals quality and provides additional visibility within Amazon – particularly relevant for nonfiction thought leadership books written by experts who want their ideas to reach as wide an audience as possible.
HTML for Amazon (Hypertext Markup Language)
Amazon allows specific formatting code in your book description and editorial reviews – bold text, bullet points, italics, line breaks, and more. Properly formatted listing copy is easier to read, more visually compelling, and more likely to hold a reader’s attention long enough to convert to a sale. Your publishing team handles this behind the scenes, but it’s one of the small details that adds up to a polished, professional listing.
Indexing
When your book is indexed on Amazon for a keyword, it means your book appears in search results when someone types that term. For example, if your book is indexed for “executive leadership” or “business growth strategy,” it surfaces in front of readers actively searching for books on those subjects. Indexing is shaped by your keywords, categories, title, and description – all elements your publishing team optimizes deliberately on your behalf.
ISBN (International Standard Book Number)
An ISBN is the unique 13-digit identifier assigned to your book – its official fingerprint in the publishing world. It’s required for distribution beyond Amazon, including bookstores, libraries, and wholesalers. For executives and thought leaders who want their name listed as the publisher, your team can register a custom ISBN through Bowker. It’s a small detail that affects how your book is perceived across the industry.
KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing)
Kindle Direct Publishing is Amazon’s publishing platform – the infrastructure through which your book is published, distributed, and sold on Amazon. Your publishing team works within KDP to upload your book, manage pricing, set categories and keywords, and handle the technical details of getting your book live and optimized. You don’t need to touch it directly; understanding it exists helps you follow what’s happening at each stage of the process.
KDP Select / Kindle Unlimited
KDP Select is an optional program that places your eBook in Kindle Unlimited – Amazon’s subscription reading service — in exchange for Amazon exclusivity during 90-day enrollment periods. It can increase readership and discoverability, particularly for nonfiction. Your publishing team will discuss whether this aligns with your distribution goals, especially if wide availability across multiple platforms is part of your strategy.
Keywords
Keywords are the search terms your publishing team enters when setting up your book – the bridge between what readers are searching for and your book appearing in those results. For thought leadership books, the right keywords connect your expertise directly to the problems your ideal audience is actively researching. They’re invisible to readers but essential to making sure the right people find your book.
Kindle
Kindle is both Amazon’s e-reader device and the format for digital books on Amazon. A Kindle edition of your book is immediately available to millions of readers worldwide – no shipping, no waiting. For thought leaders whose book is as much a business tool as a product, the Kindle edition is often the version that travels furthest and fastest.
Metadata
Metadata is the complete set of information that identifies and describes your book: title, subtitle, author name, publisher, publication date, ISBN, categories, keywords, and description. Think of it as your book’s digital identity. Well-crafted metadata is how Amazon – and the entire book industry – understands what your book is, who it’s for, and where it belongs. Your publishing team builds and optimizes this deliberately, because it shapes everything from search visibility to how your book is distributed across platforms.
Optimization
Book listing optimization is the process of ensuring every element of your Amazon listing is working as hard as possible – for discoverability, for credibility, and for conversion. For thought leaders and executives, an optimized listing also reflects your professional brand: it looks polished, communicates authority, and gives every potential reader, client, or media contact who lands on it immediate confidence that this is a serious, well-produced book.
Print on Demand (POD)
Print on demand means physical copies of your book are printed only when someone orders one – no warehouse, no upfront inventory investment, no boxes of unsold books. For executives and thought leaders, POD also means your publishing team can order author copies at cost in bulk for speaking events, client gifts, media outreach, and promotional use – always on demand, always available.
Professional Book Reviews
Professional book reviews come from credentialed reviewers at recognized publications, literary services, or media organizations. They carry a different weight than reader reviews – they indicate your book has been evaluated by the industry. For thought leaders pursuing media coverage, speaking opportunities, or positioning as a subject matter authority, professional reviews are a meaningful addition to your book’s promotional profile.
Publisher
When you work with a professional self-publishing service, your book is published under your name – you retain ownership and creative control, while your publishing partner manages the process. You are the publisher. The answer to “who published your book?” is you – with expert support. That model is increasingly the choice of executives and thought leaders who want the quality of traditional publishing with the control and speed of independent publishing.
Royalties
Royalties are the earnings you receive from each sale of your book. On KDP, eBook royalties can reach 70% of the list price, and print royalties are based on your price minus production costs. For most thought leaders and executives, the direct revenue from book sales is secondary to what the book generates indirectly – new clients, higher speaking fees, media opportunities, and a level of credibility that opens doors no business card ever could.
Subtitle
Your subtitle is the line beneath your title on your Amazon listing – and one of the most powerful authority and discoverability tools in publishing. A strong subtitle tells your ideal reader exactly what the book will do for them, while embedding the search terms most likely to connect your expertise with the people looking for it. For executives and thought leaders, a well-crafted subtitle also functions as a positioning statement – it defines your niche and your promise in a single line that appears everywhere your book does.
Trim Size
Trim size is the physical dimensions of your printed book – its width and height when closed. Standard sizes carry genre and market expectations: a 6×9″ trim reads as a serious business or professional title; a smaller size feels more personal. Your publishing team will recommend a trim size that fits both your content and how you want your book to be perceived on a shelf, in a speaker’s hands, or in a client’s office.
Your book is one of the smartest investments you can make in your brand. For experts, executives, coaches, and thought leaders, a professionally published book doesn’t just generate sales – it opens doors, elevates your speaking profile, attracts ideal clients, and establishes you as the go-to authority in your field.
Understanding these book publishing terms means you can engage confidently with your publishing team, make informed decisions at every stage, and recognize all the ways your book is working for you long after launch day.
Ready to publish your book with the support of a professional team? Let’s talk.
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