HOW TO YBK

As a book publisher, you and your editors already know there are lots of spelling and grammar rules your staffers struggle with. (There’s always that one staffer who refuses to put the punctuation inside the quotes.)

You also know that much of the editing and proofreading process simply equates to finding a style you all agree to and sticking to it. For example, you can identify students as senior Jane Doe or Jane Doe, 12, and either method is OK, as long as you’re consistent. Most journalistic books study and apply AP Style. Most also write in past tense and follow the tense rules for captions. So how do you and your editors help to fight the staff’s demons of inconsistency?

Make an in-house style guide that addresses the specific problems you and your editors keep seeing again and again. Throw in some lighthearted example sentences and post it all around the room. Or choose a top five list of inconsistencies to tackle, and give proofreaders a point for every catch.