Once you’ve finished your book, it’s usually time to dive into the realms of editing. Whether you’re working with a professional editor, or working through self-edits, this post explains what a style sheet is and how it can benefit your work.
What is a Style Sheet?
Generally speaking, a style sheet is a document produced by an editor (or author) to help record your changes and choices made in a document, often related to style.
These choices can relate to punctuation, spelling, character descriptions, places, and timeline details. And much, much more!
A style sheet may be used in addition to a style guide (a document that relates to a brand or publishing house’s style across all projects). The main thing is that it relates specifically to your book and highlights instances where choices have been made that may be different from the generally accepted rule, or style guide preference.
There are typically a few sections on a style sheet. Generally, these can cover things like:
- Linguistic Preferences: spelling and grammar. This section focuses on frequently repeated issues here. Individual words and spellings are often in their own section. In this section, we’re thinking about things like dialect, how to write numbers or dates and other mechanical information. As well as punctuation preferences – how do we feel about the Oxford comma in this project?
- Dialogue Preferences: for example, the type of quotation marks used (single or double?). It’s also useful to specify how internal dialogue might be rendered (Roman text, italics, a combination?)
- Formatting and Layout Preferences: what fonts are used? how are particular parts of the text (for example text messages) intended to be laid out. Information on the formatting of headings and other style information.
- Character names: noting the character’s name spelling, as well as key information regarding their appearance helps ensure the way they’re described is consistent and logical.
- Timeline: especially in books with multiple timelines, it can be useful to have details regarding what happens when. This helps you to spot inconsistencies (it’s morning, but they’re on their way to after-dinner drinks?) and shore up any plot points contingent on time and location.
- Spelling and Vocabulary preferences: In my experience, for some genres (such as fantasy or sci-fi) this can be the most extensive part of the style sheet. By noting how words—especially those made up for your story—are spelled it makes spotting typos faster and more efficient.
Why is a Style Sheet Useful?
Across the course of writing a book, and then editing that book, many many choices are made that could otherwise be forgotten. A style sheet is a tool for consistency.
Creating a style sheet when you’re writing or self-editing can help to organise your process and ensure that between editing or writing sessions, your quality-control remains high.
Once created, it’s a great tool especially when working across a series of books. I highly encourage writers of series to create and develop notes that allow them to maintain consistency across the course of the books.
While it may not seem like a big deal, small changes in consistency (such as how a fantasy land’s name is spelled) can cause a reader to feel pulled out of the story, or even lead to confusion.
If you’ve worked with an editor who has provided you with a style sheet, or you’ve made your own, it is an excellent resource to share with other people who will be working on your book.
Who uses Style Sheets?
Style sheets are often used by publishing professionals to ensure consistency across a project. Whether that’s an editor, or a proofreader, style sheets ensure that consistency is maintained across a book.
It can also cut down on the number of editorial questions needing to be asked of the author (how are we rendering internal thoughts?) Because once that decision has been made, it’s been noted down. That way, everyone is on the same page (pun intended) about the style of the book and is therefore more easily able to spot errors and inconsistencies.
Typesetters may also use style sheets in order to gain a quick snapshot of the book, the level of work completed and what formatting needs the book has. Ideally, this cuts down the number of repeated conversations necessary, making the publishing process more efficient and consistent.
Authors use style sheets in order to organise and apply a greater level of quality control when self-editing. If you’re pursuing self-publishing, creating a style sheet for your book will be a great benefit not just to your craft, but to aid you in communicating efficiently and professionally with those you hire to help you on the path to publication.
Do you need a Style Sheet?
Technically… no.
But they’re a really great idea! Most pro-editors and publishing houses will use style sheets internally when communicating with each other about your book. Depending on their processes, you may or may not see this document. For authors looking to present a manuscript that has a higher level of consistency, or who may want to hire publishing professionals, I’d highly recommend a style sheet.
If you’re working with a freelance editor, ask if they prepare and provide a style sheet as a part of working on your project. Not all do, but it’s worth asking, as it can be a sign of an editor who is well-organised and has systems in place to ensure the consistency and quality of their work.
For some editors, provision of this style sheet to you may be a part of their service (such as for all my editing packages). For others, it may be a document which is just for their own internal working processes, rather than something they provide to their clients.
Once you have a style sheet, you can use it to help control your project’s quality. Provide it to your proofreader, or cross-reference it for your self-edits.
Style sheets are a valuable tool for publishing professionals and authors to elevate the consistency and quality of their work.
If you have any more questions, either about style sheets or another aspect of the editing process, please leave me a question in the comments below!
Steph Huddleston 