Frontlist

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The set of newly released books a publishing house is promoting in the current season, as opposed to older titles
2. The collection of recently published works that a publisher is currently launching and marketing to readers
3. The group of fresh titles a publishing company is featuring this season, distinct from its established backlist of older books

Etymology: "Frontlist" is a compound formed simply from "front" and "list," with no hidden history behind it. "Front" comes from Latin "frons," meaning forehead, which passed into English through Old French and gave the sense of the part of something that faces forward. "List" is a border or line, here used in the sense of a roll or register of names or items. Combined, the term describes a list placed at the front of something, most often the leading titles or entries that a publisher, bookseller or catalogue highlights for attention. Because the word is a transparent compound, its meaning can be worked out directly from its two parts, and it has no separate origin story of its own.

Synonyms: new releases