What’s a Style Sheet; and Do I Really Need One? 

What a style sheet actually does 

A style sheet helps you:

• keep spelling, punctuation, and formatting consistent

• avoid “quiet” errors that make a book feel unfinished

• save time when you edit (and when anyone else edits later)

• stay calm, because you stop second-guessing tiny choices

What to include 

You don’t need a complicated template. Start with headings like these:

Spelling and word choices 

UK or US spelling; preferred spellings of key terms; names and place names.

Capitalisation 

Do you use Chapter or chapter? Book Title or book title? One approach is fine; consistency is the goal.

Hyphenation 

Self-edit or self edit? Step-by-step or step by step? Decide once, then stick to it.

Numbers and dates 

Do you write ten or 10? How do you format dates, percentages, ranges, and units?

Terms and formatting habits 

Any recurring terms, headings, lists, italicisation rules, and your preferred style for quotes or emphasis.

Do you really need one?

If you’re writing a book-length manuscript, yes. Even a basic style sheet prevents small inconsistencies from multiplying across chapters. Readers may not point to the exact inconsistency; they will feel the “wobble.”

The easiest way to start (two minutes)

Open a document called Style Sheet.
As you edit, add entries like:

• Self-edit (hyphenated)

• ebook (lowercase)

• Chapter (capitalised in headings only)
  That’s it. It grows as you go.

A gentle next step 

Course 1: Editing Foundations includes practical tools and checklists for consistency, so you can build a clean manuscript without obsessing over small decisions.