I’ve recently discovered that not everyone is fluent in the language of book nerds. This mainly occurred to me when I was talking to one of my friends and started throwing around words like “ARC“ and “TBR.” I could see the blatant confusion in her eyes as she nodded along. I figured a guide might be useful to those who aren’t familiar with this specific brand of shorthand, so I decided to make one. That, and the fact that I will definitely be using most, if not all, of these words in future blog posts as I have no desire to explain it every time, so here it is:
ARC— Advanced Reader Copy, an advanced copy of a book set to come out at a later date usually distributed to bloggers or reviewers for promotional purposes.
TBR— To Be Read, a cumulative list of books you plan to read.
Reading Slump— When the dreaded reading slump hits you find yourself unable to read or with no desire to, a true tragedy for most book lovers.
Canon— It refers to something that physically happens in the book or can be supported by blatant textual evidence.
Head-canon— A version of the plot which can’t be supported by textual evidence but reflects how you perceived it or what you wanted to/want to happen.
Ship/Shipping— The act of wanting two characters to be in a relationship with one another (can be canon or non-canon).
OTP— One True Pairing, essentially your ultimate ship (usually canon but doesn’t have to be).
Fanfic— Short for Fan Fiction, a fan written account based on any fictional world or plot. Can be about anything or at any time but the characters and setting have all been preconceived by an author.
AU— Alternate Universe, a fanfic in which the characters are already existing but the setting or world has changed.
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