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What is a style sheet?

A Must-Have Tool for Authors and Editors

Your copy editor tells you that, in addition to the marked manuscript, you’ll be receiving a style sheet. A style—what? When you look it up, you discover there are style guides and style sheets. What’s the difference? And why are they important?

As a writer, before I became a copy editor, I had no idea that style sheets existed or how helpful they could be. After learning about them, I now find them indispensable when copy editing a book, including my own. Especially for a series, a master style sheet can save hours of time and be a lifesaving reference down the line!

First off, what is a style guide (versus style sheet)?

A style guide contains standards for writing and formatting a document. Popular guides include The Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS), the Modern Language Association (MLA) Handbook, the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA), and other published manuals.

Which style guide an editor uses depends on the country of origin and content of the document. A journalist will use the Associated Press Stylebook. A nonfiction book aimed at medical professionals may use the American Medical Association Manual of Style, while nonfiction book focused on social science may use the American Psychological Association Style Manual.

These style guides provide standardized rules for a manuscript. This includes when to switch from spelled-out numbers to numerals. If using CMOS, one to a hundred and whole numbers followed by hundred, thousand, and so on are spelled out. For both AP and APA, numbers one through nine are spelled out, while numbers ten and above are numerals.

In another example, AP and APA capitalize prepositions longer than three words. Chicago and MLA capitalize prepositions regardless of length.

There are hundreds of rules that a style guide covers. An editor should tell you what style guide will be used for your book. For most fiction writers, this will be The Chicago Manual of Style, 18th Edition.

How is a style sheet different?

Unlike a style guide, a published and widely available manual applied to whole categories of books, a style sheet is customized and specific to your book. It contains your style choices as the author. Especially if you write fiction, there’s flexibility in how rules are applied, and you, as the writer, are the ultimate authority.

Many rules aren’t black and white. As an example, The Chicago Manual of Style recommends using a serial comma, but it’s not mandatory. An author may decide against it. In that case, unless its absence causes confusion, that style decision—no serial comma—would be marked in the style sheet and consistency applied across the manuscript. It’s not right or wrong to use it, but it’s a style choice that should be consistent.

A style sheet will cover a multitude of style decisions:

1) Spelling—Choose one spelling for each word and be consistent.

  • American, British, Canadian, or Australian English spellings (colour vs. color)

  • Verb forms (leaped vs. leapt)

  • Interjections (aw vs. aww)

  • Variant spellings (advisor vs. adviser)

2) Typography—What is italicized, indented, written in all caps, styled with a different font, and so on.

  • Spoken, written, or telepathic communication

  • Flashbacks

  • Recalled dialogue

  • Constructed languages

3) Capitalization—Worldbuilding terms may need special attention.

  • Professional titles

  • Organizations

  • Species or new races

  • Deities

4) Grammar—What rules are followed and which ones are author preference

  • Possessive constructions

  • Opening adverbs

  • Dashes—spaced or unspaced

  • Hyphenation

Fiction-specific sections may also be covered:

1) Character list

2) Locations list

3) Timeline

4) Worldbuilding specifics (new races or species, magic system, technologies, and so on)

What’s the benefit of a style sheet?

A style sheet creates consistency throughout your book and across a series. This prevents reader confusion and distraction. It also avoids readers devaluing the storytelling because of its clumsy or inconsistent presentation.

A polished and consistent text creates legitimacy. It shows that you, as the writer, care about the reader’s experience down to the smallest detail. Your standards are as high as any traditionally published book on the shelf.

Even if you can’t afford a copy editor, I recommend creating a style sheet for your book while self-editing. Record your style decisions as a quick reference and use it to standardize how your book (and series) is presented. It will give your book the professional, polished consistency it deserves.