What does back-list title front-list title mean in publishing industry terms?

Answer

"Frontlist" means a book that has just been published. It usually refers to a title that is less than one year old. "Backlist" means a book that has been in print for at least a year and that is still selling well enough to be stocked in bookstores. These terms originate from the practice of publishers issuing catalogs featuring their books. The catalogs, which are typically issued twice a year, usually feature a photo of the cover art for the book together with press material describing the book and its author. Book catalogs are divided into a front section, which lists new books, and a back section, which lists older books still in print. A best-seller like "The Da Vinci Code" is now considered a backlist title because it is more than a year old and it is still selling well. Publishers rely on backlist titles to make a significant portion of their income. Even less-well-known titles, such as "The Art of Kissing" by William Cane, which has been continuously in print for more than seventeen years, is referred to as a backlist title because it continues to sell. One of the most famous, and most profitable, backlist titles is "The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger, which sells about 200,000 copies a year, more than fifty years after its initial publication. For more information about writing visit www.hiwrite.com and discover how you can write a frontlist title yourself.

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