I use The Chicago Manual of Style for books, articles, blogs, and Twitter. Okay, not always Twitter, because there’s no way to italicize a book title. Is it wrong for me to use one manual of style for everything? Oh yes. Let’s take a look at the different manuals of style and what each one is used for.
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Book Editing
The Chicago Manual of Style
The Chicago Manual of Style is the central manual for book publishing. It covers everything from period placement to foreign languages and is used exclusively for books. So, if you’re searching for a trustworthy companion to do a little self-editing, this manual is your best option.
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Now, while it may be the flag-ship book, more specialized manuals exist such as:
The Christian Writer’s Manual of Style
As the name implies, this manual of style is used for Christian books, and helps clarify capitalizing deity, proper abbreviation of books of the Bible, etc. The Chicago Manual of Style and The Christian Writer’s Manual of Style may overlap, but when in doubt for a religious term, use the Christian Manual of Style.
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The Elements of Style
Both manuals are much smaller, but just as helpful. The Elements of Style by Strunk and White is a writer’s pocket companion. Strunk and White pack a punch with this little guide.
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Newspaper Editing
Associated Press Style Guide
This style guide covers everything newspaper related. It differs in several key areas, such as comma placement, hyphenation, and forming possessives. A new edition is on the way, which will blend some formerly distinctive differences between the two editorial titans, so keep an eye out for the 2012 AP Style Guide.
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New York Manual of Style
Again, there are sub-style guides available for reference. For example, The New York Times created their own style guide, which is available from Amazon.com. Consistency is the key to writing, so if you’re going to choose a manual of style within a particular writing arena, use it consistently and don’t blend the styles.
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Blogging
Yahoo Style Guide
Yahoo put out their own style guide to help writers cope with booming online readership. They cover blogging, emails, HTML, coding, etc. If you’re writing non-newsy items, or on your own personal blog, use the Yahoo Style Guide.
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Bloggers, especially companies, create their own style guides using a mixture of the above main manuals of style. This works, as long as it’s consistent. If you’re interested in creating your own manual of style for your blog follow the lead of the main competitors, they know what works and what doesn’t work. In the end, make sure your style guide is professional and consistent.
Additional Resources
- A Guide to Today’s Top 5 Writing Style Guides
- Style Guides: A Free Icon Set for Writers
- Style Guides 2: A Free Icon Set for Writers and Editors
- AP Stylebook vs. The Chicago Manual of Style (Comic)
Summary
Okay, we’ve seen an overview of the main style guides, but here is a quick reference list for which manual of style works best for you:
- Books: The Chicago Manual of Style
- Newspaper: The AP Style Guide
- Blogging/Online Content: Yahoo Style Guide
I’d love to hear your feedback on the manual of style you choose and how you use it.