June 23, 2005: Issue 95
Remember, BHGStylebook.com has lists of frequently used photographers, field editors, and illustrators so you can double-check their credits. And we’ve added a list of writers, too. Find them all in the Credits section. Please let us know if you see errors or glaring omissions.
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June 9, 2005: Issue 93
When you use oh-so as part of a compound modifier before a noun, hyphenate the whole modifier. In other uses, set off the oh with a comma.
correct: these oh-so-easy projects
correct: an oh-so-comfortable couch
correct: Oh, so pretty!
In the stylebook
Wondering whether you have to include New York when you mention Albany? SIMStylebook.com has acomplete list of cities that can stand alone.
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June 1, 2005: Issue 92
Capitalize directions when:
• They are part of a proper name (North Carolina).
• They designate a specific region or a region widely known among your audience (Eastern Seaboard, South of France).
• They refer to residents of a specific region (Southerners).
Lowercase directions when:
• They designate compass points (heading south).
• They describe a section of a state or city (central Iowa). This rule has exceptions, such as Southern California. See Directions and Regions for more information.
When in doubt, use lowercase.
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May 12, 2005: Issue 91
When you italicize or boldface type in a Quark document, select an italic or boldface version of your font from the font menu (accessible from the measurements bar or the style menu). Don’t just apply the italic or boldface style; it won’t stick when the document is shipped to Service Bureau.
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May 4, 2005: Issue 90
That’s right. Hard-copy stylebooks are the past. Go to www.SIMstylebook.com to see the future.
SIMStylebook.com includes the complete content of the old stylebook, plus current and back issues of Style on the Go, a resources and tools page, an SIM calendar, and a news database. It’s always up-to-date, so you’ll never have to wonder when or whether a style rule changed. The site might load a bit slowly the first time you use it, but that’s temporary. Please bookmark the page and begin using it as your primary SIM style and grammar reference. (Want help getting the bookmark into your toolbar? Ask a friendly CE.) The blue binders will no longer be updated or maintained.
Suggestions? Please e-mail them to Doug Kouma.
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April 28, 2005: Issue 89
When a single prepositional phrase starts a sentence, setting it off with a comma is optional (although, because of the natural pause, we recommend the comma).
acceptable: At a yard sale she found the perfect table.
preferred: At a yard sale, she found the perfect table.
But when multiple prepositional phrases start a sentence, always use a comma after the last one.
incorrect: At a yard sale in her neighborhood on the north side of Chicago she found the perfect table.
correct: At a yard sale in her neighborhood on the north side of Chicago, she found the perfect table.
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April 21, 2005: Issue 88
Always start with the most recent template to create your masthead; don’t just copy from a previous issue.
These files (many with more than 100 names and titles) are updated at least once a month, so the masthead from even your most recent issue will be out of date. Copy editors will send back any masthead made from an outdated template.
These people provide masthead templates:
BRK: Ardis Summers
D&D: Sarah Bloesch
Garden: Heather Cottington
FFC title editors pull their own mastheads from the server (see me if you don’t know where to find them).
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April 7, 2005: Issue 86
In general, when you list a toll-call phone number, list the city so people know where they’re calling. (You don’t need the city if the number is toll-free, and you never need to put a 1 before the number.)
For more information, see the Telephone Numbers section of BHGStylebook.com.
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March 31, 2005: Issue 85
Use one space between sentences, never two. Debate over this issue rages on message boards, so we’re not going to make any value judgments. We’re just going to reiterate that the single space is SIM style. We never use multiple spaces except to position display type.
(A little context: Many of us learned to use a double space in the days of typewriters, which used monospace fonts—every character took up the same amount of space. Most computer fonts, however, are proportionally spaced and automatically adjust for space between sentences.)
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December 4, 2003: Issue 72
SIM STYLE: The way you do the things you do
I know many of us went into this profession to avoid numbers, but if you’ll indulge me for a moment, I’d like to highlight a few.
• SIM copy editors read 49,000+ magazine pages in one year.
• SIM editors, designers, and CEs route stories 25,000+ times in one year.
• More than 100 times every day, someone in SIM initials a routing slip (or forgets to!).
With this constant current of copy circulating through SIM’s arteries, our established routing procedures keep our collective pulse steady and our blood pressure down. But when someone skips a beat—even if it seems insignificant at the time—the resulting chain of events can slow, or even bring to a halt, the whole system.
So for the next few issues, the SIM Style section of Style on the Go will focus on routing procedures. Ever wondered why or how we do what we do when it comes to routing slips, story folders, tracking documents, and the CE in box? Send your questions my way, and I’ll make sure they get addressed in an upcoming issue.
THIS WEEK: Routing slips
• A routing slip is not complete without the “Due to Art” and “Due to Service Bureau” dates filled in.
Why it matters: When looking through a stack of stories in the in box, CEs prioritize their work in part by these dates. Every week, on average, two magazines hit their art dates and two more close. The simple act of filling in these dates helps ensure your magazine’s deadlines are met.
• A routing slip is also not complete without all lines under “File Info” filled in. This info should be updated as file names change.
Why it matters: Anyone should be able to locate a file on the server at any time with this information. Incomplete or outdated file info forces users to spend time searching through story folders.
For more information, see Issue 73, 74.
GRAMMAR: Although sounds better, though
Except when context specifically calls for the word “though,” (“as though,” “even though,” or as a synonym for “however”), “although” and “though” are interchangeable. “Although” often sounds better, even in conversational writing, but you can’t go wrong with either.
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