Bookish Terms

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ARC: Advanced Reader Copy:  a copy of the book that publishers or authors provide to reviewers before the publication date. eARC and DRC (Digital Review Copy) both refer to electronic copies of a book.

Auto-Buy Author: An author that you love so much you will automatically buy-and read-anything they write. 

Backlist:   A book that was released before the current new release they are advertising.

BBW:  big, beautiful woman

BDSM: Bondage, Discipline/Dominance, Submission/Sadism and Masochism

Bechdel Test: Refers to the way that women are represented in a book. A book is generally said to have “passed” if the book has at least two female characters who talk to each other about something other than men.

BFF/BGF: Book Boyfriend/Girlfriend: The fictional boy or girl you only wish could be your real-life love.

Binge-Read:  Reading all (or many) of the books in a series in a row.

Blurb: The synopsis on the back of the book and on sites like Amazon and Goodreads.

Bookish: ANYTHING related to reading, writing, quotes, beautiful covers, and I mean ANYTHING relating to books and reading

Book Hangover: When a book leaves you emotionally drained and still highly involved in the characters; typically, reading no other book will satisfy

Book Haul: a collection of newly purchased books

Book Spine Poetry: Creating a poem from the titles of your books. Often done using a pictures of all the books stacked up 

Bookstagram:  Instagram feeds that are dedicated to books, authors, and readers

BROTP/Bromance: A friendship (between guys) that you adore

Buddy Read/Readalong Book Club: When a group of two or more people read a book at the same time so they can discuss it as they go.

BWWM:  Black woman, white man

CH/Cliffie:  Cliff hanger; A cliffhanger is a plot device where a story ends abruptly at a dramatic or suspenseful moment, leaving the reader eager to know what happens next. 

CJ:  Clam Jammer (like a cock blocker but the female version)

Contemp:  Contemporary fiction, meaning that it takes place in modern day and generally has cell phones, internet, etc. Does not contain magic or fantasy elements

Cover Reveal: An organized reveal of the cover for an upcoming book   where the cover is featured on blogs and in social media.

CR: Cinnamon Roll: A really sweet and lovable character.

CW/TW: Content warning/Trigger Warning; this is a list of things you will encounter in a book which the author provides so you can choose whether or not to read it based on your mental health

Daphne: A   female character who has to be rescued all the time (in reference to Daphne   from Scooby Doo)

DNF: Did not finish. (A book you started to read but couldn’t get through.)

DR/DROM:   Dark romance (Romance with dark and undertones and/or trauma. Usually spicy.)

EW:  Edelweiss (another site that provides digital review copies)

Fan Fiction/FF: Fiction written by fans of a particular work, such as a book, movie, or TV show. It involves using existing characters, settings, or other intellectual properties from the original creator(s) as a basis for new stories. Fanfiction authors often create original stories, alternate universes, or explore different aspects of the original work. They cannot, however, sell these written works.

Fan Girling: Going crazy when you meet your favorite author in person, chat with them online, or when they reply to a comment you made. 

FB:  Facebook

FF: Female Female

Finished Copy/FC: The book in its final, published form.

FM: Fated Mates (the couple that’s fated for each other)

FMC: Female Main Character

FWB:  Friends with Benefits

GR:   Goodreads (a site where you can post reviews and more!).

Grumpy/Sunshine: A pairing of a generally grumpy character with a sweet, happy character.

GSF:   Gas Lamp Fantasy;  a subgenre of fantasy that blends historical fiction, typically set in the Victorian or Edwardian era, with magical or supernatural elements. It often evokes the atmosphere of gaslit streets, mysterious societies, and hidden worlds. While steampunk focuses on technology and innovation, gas lamp fantasy emphasizes magic and the occult, creating a unique blend of historical and fantastical elements. 

HC:  Hardcover

HEA/HFN:  Happily Ever After/Happy for Now

Indie Author: someone who writes, designs, and publishes their entire work without a traditional publishing house (i.e. Random House, Penguin Books, etc.)

Indie/Small-Press:  Published by a small independent publisher.

Info-Dump:  When the author gives you lots of background information all at once via narration or dialogue.

Insta-love/Insta-lust: The phenomenon that happens all too often in books when the couple meets and instantly falls in love (or, sometimes, lust).

IR:  Interracial romance

ISBN:  International Standard Book Number. A unique number that identifies a published book.

J/P:   Jealous/Possessive

Kickstarter: A crowd funding campaign where you can support authors directly and pledge for special editions of books and swag

KU:  Kindle Unlimited

LGBTQ:   Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning

Love Corner: When the MC (main character) has two love interests and can't decide between them

Love Triangle: When one character likes another, but that character likes another, and then that character likes the first one

Magical Realism/Contemporary Fantasy: A book that is set in the real world with a magical or fantastical twist

Manic Pixie Dream Girl: A type of female character depicted as vivacious and   appealingly quirky, whose main purpose within the narrative is to inspire a   greater appreciation for life in a male protagonist.

MC/FMC/MMC:  Main character (book is told from their POV). FMC refers to the female main   character and MMC refers to male.

MFM:  Male, Female, Male (males don’t interact with each other)

MG:  Middle Grade (typically geared toward ages 8-12).

MM:  Male/Male

MMF:   Male, Male, Female (Males do interact with one   another)

Mood Reader/Free-Range Reader: Someone who typically picks up a book based on their current mood or just picks up whatever they feel like in the moment. 

Morally Gray: A character who straddles the line between being likable and unlikable, or villainous and heroic. This person often has more bad qualities than good, but the reader can see the positives peeking through.

MS:  Manuscript (the copy of the book that’s actually written by the author).

MT:  Magitech, a combination of magic and new technologies for the world it is written in

NA: New   Adult (typically geared toward college age or just out of college—or features   main characters in that age range).

New Release: A book that has been released recently (usually in the current calendar year).

NG:  Net Galley (a site that provides digital review copies).

NOTP:  (Pronounced No-TP) Basically the opposite of an OTP. You do not want this couple together!

NSFW: Not Safe For Work; usually a sexual topic or graphic image

OmegaVerse:  a subgenre of speculative erotic fiction. In Omegaverse, humans are divided into three societal ranks with different mental and physical attributes, and a dominance hierarchy determines how people interact with each other in romantic, erotic, and sexual contexts. Three categories are Alphas: Dominant, Betas: Neutral, and Omegas: Submissive   

OM/OW: Other man, other woman

OMYM/OWYM: Older man, younger woman/Older woman, younger man

ONS: One Night Stand

OOP: Out of print. This book is no longer being published, so you’ll have to get a used copy!

OP: Original Post

OT/PT/ST: Original Trilogy/Prequal Trilogy/Sequel Trilogy

OTP: One True Pairing (that couple that you will root for till the end of time)

PB:  Paperback/Picture Book

Physical Copy: A physical copy of a book like a paperback or hardback

POC/BIPOC: People of color/Black, Indigenous, and people of color

POC:  Person of Color

POD:  Print on Demand

POV:  Point of View (first person, third person) or the perspective in which the book is narrated from

PR/PNR: Paranormal Romance (book genre)

Pre-order Incentive/Campaign: A special offer where the author or publisher sends out special gifts to people who have pre-ordered a particular book.

PWF:  Paranormal Women’s Fiction

Reading Slump: Feeling uninspired to read because you are still emotionally involved in the characters from the last book you read. 

RH/WC:  Reverse Harem/Why Choose (where the girl has more than one guy)

RTC:  Review to come

SA:  Stand Alone (not part of a series)

Self-Published:  Published by the author (often via Amazon).

SF/SFF:   Sci-Fi or Fantasy.

SFR: Sci-Fi Romance

Shelfie: A mixture of “shelf” and “selfie”—basically a picture of your bookshelves or a play on words.

Ship: If you ship a couple, it means that you want them to get together (comes from the word “relationship”).

Slash Fiction: A type of fan fiction where two same-sex characters are paired together (often guys). Sometimes slash can just refer to the imagined pairing of two same-sex characters (not necessarily within fan fiction).

Social Media Blitz: A tour that is organized to be featured on social media on multiple outlets all at once.

SP:  Steampunk;  a subgenre of science fiction that combines elements of the Victorian era with futuristic technology, often powered by steam. It envisions a world where steam-powered machines and advanced inventions coexist, creating a unique blend of historical and futuristic aesthetics. Think of it as a world where airships soar the skies, clockwork automatons walk the streets, and Victorian fashion meets futuristic gadgets. 

Spoiler:  Anything in your review/discussion that reveals important details from a book.

Street Teams: A team of bloggers and/or readers who enthusiastically promote an author or a series. Sometimes street team members  get special perks from the author like first dibs on ARCs.

StS:  Stacking the Shelves – Books that have been newly acquired.

Tag/Hashtag:  Usually a post with a list of quick categories around a theme.   The post puts tags or hashtags (#) that helps it reach the right people

TBR: To-Be-Read.   The books that you plan to read, sometimes imminently (or sometimes just all   of the random books you’ve ever wanted to read). Often refers to the shelf on   Goodreads

TBW:  To-Be-Written; the books that authors have on the list to write

The Feels: This means that you were overwhelmed with emotion   when reading the book often meaning that lots of different emotions were   involved. It’s high praise to say that a book gave you all the feels!

Trad Pub Author: someone who writes but has a contract with a   traditional publishing house like Random House, Penguin Books, etc.

Traditionally Published: Published by one of the major publishing houses.

TSTL:  (Too stupid to live) A hero or heroine who keeps making really bad decisions,   almost gets killed, and doesn’t learn from their mistakes.

Twist: An unexpected event in a book—typically one that changes the direction of the plot or characters dramatically.

TW/CW: Trigger warning/Content warning; this is a list of things you will encounter in a book which the author provides so you can choose whether or not to read it based on your mental health

UF/Paranormal:  Urban Fantasy is, again, typically used to describe adult titles. YA and under is more often referred to as paranormal (or contemporary fantasy).

Unreliable Narrator: A narrator whose POV is not trustworthy (could be due to lying, misinformation on the part of the MC, etc.).

Verse Novel: A novel that is written in verse (poems). Must have a complete narrative arc (so, not a poetry collection but an actual story written in verse).

WIP:  Work in progress (a book that the author is currently working on).

YA:  Young Adult (typically geared toward high school-aged readers—or features  main characters in that age range).