One of my goals for 2026 is to read more books, so today I’d like to share some vocabulary for talking about books in English. In Part 1, we will cover vocabulary for people who are involved with books and types of books.

People who are involved with books

A person who writes a book is called a writer or an author. An author who writes many books is a prolific writer, and one whose books are popular and sell many copies is a best-selling author. For example, Stephen King is considered one of the most prolific and best-selling authors in North America, and many movies have been adaptedfrom / based on his novels.

A person who edits a book (correcting or modifying it) is called an editor. Editors proofread (check carefully for errors) manuscripts (authors’ texts that have not yet been published).

A person who illustrates the cover or interior of a book is called an illustrator, and a person who designs a book’s layout is, in general, called a graphic designer (though this job title has various other names as well, such as page layout designer, book designer, or layout artist).

A person or company that prepares and issues a book for sale is called a publisher.

Finally, a person who reads a book is, of course, called a reader! Readers are often categorized by age, such as young (adult) readers (12-18) or adult readers (18+), or by type, such as casual readers, avid readers, binge readers, or even escapist readers (people who read to escape from daily life). What type of reader are you?

Types of books

Books come in two main types - fiction (about imaginary things)and non-fiction (about factual things). Of course, there are several genres of books within those two categories!

Common fiction genres include fantasy, sci-fi, romance, mystery / thriller, historical fiction (books that mix fictional stories with real historical settings and events), horror, and graphic novels (fully-illustrated stories - these are a little different from comics).

Common non-fiction genres include biography / memoir (books about real people’s lives), self-help / personal development (books designed to help people solve problems, achieve goals, and improve their lives), history, and cookbooks or other guides (books which explain how to do things or improve one’s skills).

Books can also come in several formats, such as paperback / softcover, hardcover, audiobook, and e-book. Which format do you prefer? Personally, I’m a fan of the classic paperback!

That’s all for now! In Part 2, we will cover vocabulary for parts of a book as well as talking about actually reading books and making progress.