Sallie Dawkins

Why Every Author Should Create an Editorial Style Sheet

When the editor and proofreader I’d worked with consistently since 2020 recently retired, I found myself back in interview mode. As I talked with potential replacements, I started taking notes about the things I needed to explain: my preferred Bible translation, capitalization of pronouns referring to God, tone, paragraph style, punctuation preferences, theological considerations, and the way I wanted my author voice handled.

Then I had one of those obvious-in-hindsight moments. Oh yeah. This is what a style sheet is for. So now I have a new one.

One of the things I’ve learned through writing and publishing multiple books is that every author develops preferences, whether we realize it or not. We may prefer certain punctuation, paragraph length, Bible translations, capitalization, tone, formatting, or even particular words. We may also have theological, historical, denominational, or stylistic considerations that matter deeply to the way we communicate.

When you work with the same editor for years, many of those preferences become understood without needing to be explained every time. A new editor, however, can’t be expected to know them. That’s where an editorial style sheet becomes incredibly useful.

What Is an Editorial Style Sheet?

An editorial style sheet is simply a reference document that records the choices you want applied consistently throughout your writing. Editors often create style sheets while working through a manuscript, but authors can benefit from creating their own, especially if they plan to write more than one book or work with multiple editors and proofreaders.

Your style sheet doesn’t have to be complicated. It can begin with a single page and grow over time as you discover what matters to you. It can also save a lot of repeated explanation.

A Sample from My Own Style Sheet

Your preferences may look completely different from mine, but here are a few examples from my current style sheet:

• Use The Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) as the governing style.

• Preserve my author voice rather than rewriting unnecessarily.

• Prefer warm, reflective, teaching-conversational tone, so contractions are okay.

• Trim repetition rather than expanding an idea unnecessarily.

• Watch for words I may overuse, especially those that can creep in through speech-to-text, such as maybe, sometimes, still, and so.

• Use italics for direct internal thoughts.

• Use the World English Bible (WEB) as my primary Scripture translation (public domain) unless another translation is intentionally selected.

• Capitalize pronouns referring to God: He, Him, His, You, Your, Mine.

• Spell out numbered Bible books, such as First Peter rather than 1 Peter, which also helps with audiobook production.

• Preserve theological nuance rather than simplifying spiritual concepts too aggressively.

• Maintain strict continuity in fiction and allegory.

I also prefer sourcing Scripture quotations through BibleGateway.com, although BibleHub.com is another useful resource.

For faith-based writing, I think it’s especially important to note theological or denominational considerations. From my first book, I knew I needed an editor with a strong theological background whose beliefs were reasonably consistent with mine. I don’t have a degree in theology, and I wanted another knowledgeable set of eyes on biblical applications, historical references, and denominational beliefs.

That first editor was a rare gem, and after years of working together, many of my preferences were simply understood. Starting over with new editors reminded me how much of that information had never been written down in one place. Now it is.

Other Things You Might Include

Depending on what you write, your style sheet might also include preferred spelling and capitalization, citation style, use of numbers, chapter-title format, dialogue conventions, handling of internal thoughts, preferred terminology, audience assumptions, sensitive-language considerations, character descriptions, timelines, recurring locations, or special formatting rules.

For fiction, continuity notes can be especially valuable. Character names, ages, relationships, physical descriptions, locations, chronology, and recurring objects are easy to lose track of across a long manuscript.

For nonfiction, you may want to document terminology, source preferences, tone, audience level, citation methods, and how much explanation you want included.

For Christian writing, you may also want to include preferred Bible translations, Scripture-reference formatting, capitalization of divine pronouns, theological terminology, and denominational considerations.

Your Style Sheet Can Grow With You

One of the best things about a style sheet is that it doesn’t have to be complete before you begin writing. Mine has developed because I’ve learned what matters to me through the editing process. Every project has taught me something new about the way I write, what I tend to repeat, what I want preserved, and what I want handled consistently.

If you plan to write more than one book, creating a style sheet early may save you and your future editors a lot of unnecessary conversations. It can also help preserve a consistent author voice from one project to the next.

If You’re Learning the Self-Publishing Process

I talk about many of these publishing considerations in my books Self-Publishing Simplified and The Complete Beginner’s Guide to Self-Publishing for Christians.

Self-Publishing Simplified offers broader guidance for anyone interested in learning how to self-publish. The Complete Beginner’s Guide to Self-Publishing for Christians is written specifically for authors creating faith-based books, devotionals, Bible studies, and other Christian works. It includes additional considerations for writers who want to invite God into the writing process, quote Scripture responsibly, and market primarily to Christian readers. Both books use the same proven, step-by-step self-publishing framework I follow for my own books. I intentionally simplified the process so that even a low-tech person like me could figure it out, repeat it, and keep moving from one project to the next.

Book number 20 is currently pending, and I’m still learning ways to make the process clearer, more consistent, and easier the next time around.

Creating a current editorial style sheet is one of them.