I grew up in a government family, so acronyms became words whose meanings I rarely understood. Some of them I even thought were just words being used wrong. My family would say something that sounded like “scissor” in a sentence where the word “scissor” had no place! I realize now it’s some sort of acronym, I still don’t know what it means though.

Then, I became an editor, in the medical field no less. And, there came even more acronyms. SPHT, CKD, AF, HF, ASCVD – it’s really endless. Don’t get me started in RR, which can mean a million different similar things!

So when I stepped into the world of publishing (see The Travelers), I realized I had to learn yet another set of terminology. As I swam through social media, tumbling through blogs, deciphering tweets, I started to amass a whole new alphabet soup vocabulary. Some I tried to figure out on my own, with hilarious results. And thanks to twitter the acronym dictionary has increased exponentially. If you’re new to the writing world or the social media world of books, or just interested in it, here are some acronyms you may want to know or ones that I just find funny.

Book/Reading-Related Social Media Terms

FF – Friday Follow (often used on Twitter)

TBR – To Be Read – Often used in blogs and social media to list the books someone plans to read

ARC – Advanced Reader Copy – This is when the publisher or author provides a pre-published draft copy to bloggers and reviewers to create buzz about the book before officially publication.

DNF – Did Not Finish (the book), either because didn’t like it or maybe no time. Used for different reasons by bloggers and reviewers.

RTC – Review To Come

GR  – Abbreviation for good reads

NG – NetGalley, a site where book reviewers and other professional readers can read books before they are published, in e-galley or digital galley form.

Publishing Terms

DRC – Digital Reader’s Copy

PB – Paperback

HC – Hardcover

MS – Manuscript

FC – Finished Copy

Book Genres/Descriptions

SF – Science Fiction or Speculative Fiction

SF/F – Science Fiction/Fantasy

UF – Urban Fantasy

PNR – Paranormal Romance

MG – Middle Grade

YA – Young Adult

NA –New Adult

PB – Picture Book