Countersignature

You've finally written that novel that you’ve been talking about for 12 years. It’s part spy thriller and part self-help book. Your protagonist is a stay-at-home dad, just like you.

You get a writing contract from CarperHollins in New York. Not HarperCollins. Another, smaller publisher with nowhere near as much prestige. But that’s okay, because you’ll take what you can get.

They send you a contract in the mail. There are two signature spaces. The first is for your signature. The second is for the publisher. You sign the contract and send it back.

Then the publisher signs it. This is a countersignature: a second signature on a document that has already been signed. It confirms the terms of the agreement for your book to be published.