A Kill fee? Is that legal? What is a nut graf anyway? Is sounds like a surgical term or carpenter’s tool.
I need to learn magazine article jargon before I get myself in trouble.
Here are thirty important terms that we can learn together as we continue our journey into magazine article writing.
Advertorial: a newspaper or magazine advertisement in the form of editorial content. The term is a blend of the words “advertisement” and “editorial.”
Byline: a printed line of text accompanying a news story, article, or the like, giving the author’s name.
Charticle: A graphic image that includes information.
Clip: Examples of your work. Place them in your portfolio.
Consumer publication: These are the magazines and newspapers sold to the public.
Copywriting: Writing business and promotional copy for clients.
Creative brief: A short document that provides the creative team with an overview and important points to consider in the development of an advertising campaign.
Custom publication: This is created specifically for a company.
Dek: The second half of a headline, which often runs in italics just below the headline in newspapers.
Deliverable: This is the final project you will be providing.
Dummy copy: A representation of the final copy in which a different text is substituted for the final text. The different text is called Lorem ipsum and is there just for layout purposes.
FOB: Front of the book pieces. These short articles and blurbs usually appear in the front of a magazine.
FPO: For position only. This abbreviation is used when artwork or other materials are inserted as placeholders in an article or brochure to give all stakeholders a general idea of how the final piece will lay out.
Hed: An abbreviation for the headline.
Infographic: Information graphics is a visual image such as a chart or diagram used to represent information.
Kicker: The conclusion of an article designed to leave the reader with something to think on.
“Kill” fee: A negotiated payment the writer gets if the assigned article is canceled.
Lede: The lede, or lead, is an abbreviation for the opening sentences of your article.
Letter of introduction (LOI): This is a pitch letter or email to a potential client informing them of your talents.
Native ads: These are the online version of advertorials.
Nut graf: The paragraph that goes from the lede into the body of the article. The nut graf summarizes the article to entice readers to keep reading. You may also see “graf” used as an abbreviation for a paragraph.
Op-Ed: An opinion or editorial piece, in which the writer states their point of view on an issue. Letters to the editor are a prime example.
Query: An article pitch. Check out last month’s article for in-depth information. https://www.almostanauthor.com/query-letter-basics/
Red ink: A term used for the editor’s changes to your article.
Sidebar: A related short addition to an article.
Subhed: A journalistic abbreviation for a subhead.
Tagline: Author information that appears at the end of an article.
TK: An abbreviation for “to come.” You’ll see this used for photos, captions, sidebars — anything that is expected but hasn’t arrived yet
Trade publication: These regional or national publications target people in a specific field.
Work for hire: It means that you are giving the client or publication all of the rights to the piece you are writing.
Do you have a term that you would like to add to the list? Just include it in the comments section.
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