@CarlaJDouglas
Do you adapt your book for a global audience? Do you need to? In the past, this would have meant possibly changing words like “jumper” and “chips” to “sweater” and “French fries” if you’re in North America, and it would also mean adapting spelling and punctuation. These considerations may have been important in the past, but many audience-specific conventions are changing.
A brief history of spelling.
Spelling and punctuation have been bugbears for the international English language market. In the English-speaking world, different countries conform to different spelling styles. And while there may be noticeable differences, we all seem to be able to communicate. The differences are historical, and mostly stem back to Noah Webster and his desire to assert America’s “cultural independence.” Grammar Girl provides a nice summary of the subject here.
It used to be that when a book was released by an international author, different editions of the book would be published and printed in different countries. So that the new Iain Banks might arrive in everyone’s hands with the spelling and punctuation they were accustomed to — no colours or honours for Americans, no outside-the-box punctuation for Canadians. A seamless and transparent reading experience for all.
This is still often the case in the US — many foreign books in English for the US market receive a second copyedit and printing to conform with US standard style. But many are also left with their Canadian and British spelling. This difference seems to depend on the publisher. (It might depend on the author, too — apparently Alice Munro got to keep her labours and neighbours in the US edition of Dear Life.)
Elsewhere, though, we read what we receive. Books by US authors purchased in Canada have US spelling and punctuation; the same goes for books by UK authors.
Spelling variations.
Some of the typical American vs. British styles you’ll encounter are
- organize / organise (and other ize/ise words)
- color / colour (and other “our” words)
- traveling / travelling (adding ing to words ending with l)
- theater / theatre (and other words ending with er / re)
For readers in Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and other English-speaking countries — and for those of you who write in English regardless of where you live — British and American are the two camps of English. For all of us who speak and write in English, we are generally more like one than the other.
Punctuation is a similarly two-camp way of thinking, but the differences between the two occur only where quotations are concerned. Double quotes for American style vs. single quotes for British, and end punctuation tucked in or left out. Again, the differences are noticeable but certainly not insurmountable.
What should you do?
In Canada, we spell (mostly) like the British, punctuate like the Americans, and sound (we hope), like ourselves.
We could give you complicated steps for deciding what style to conform to and a list of instructions about how to handle changing the style from British to American, or American to British. Or, we could tell you something simple: pick a style and stick to it. If you are American, then use the American style you’re accustomed to. Same if you’re British or Australian or Canadian. But use it consistently.
Readers are adaptable. Be yourself.
We suggest you use the spelling, vocabulary, and punctuation you're familiar with because we think readers will know what you mean. No, we’re certain that readers will know what you mean. The world is flattening out. Indeed, many editors agree that it has already flattened out, and that American style will eventually be the universal English default. (Cue Noah Webster waving his flag from beyond the grave.)
Be consistent.
Until then, pick a style, and use it consistently. Consistency is the mark of the professional. As we have said a few times already, and will continue to say, consistency is king: it is better to be consistently wrong than to be inconsistent.
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The "style" decisions listed in this post are those that traditional publishers wrestle with each day. Do you want to know more about how to produce a professional book that will rival that of the pros? Stay tuned for our upcoming book You've Got Style: A Self-Publishing Author's Guide to Ebook Style, due out in March 2014. We'll be posting more details on this blog soon.
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Thank you! As a Canadian who seems to sell 99% of her books in the U.S. and has an American editor, I ponder this daily. My personal bugaboos are "skeptical" and "focussed." What I generally adopt is using the spelling that the narrator would use, and since most of my narrators are Canadian, it's easy.
ReplyDeleteMy clientele is global, and I've learned to adapt to whatever version of English they're accustomed to or that suits their audience best. For example, a Canadian author may hope to penetrate the much larger US market, so might want their manuscript edited in American English. Same with a British author. On the other hand, a Canadian author may have a lot of Canadian content in her manuscript, and therefore wants her English to be proudly Canadian. I always discuss the intended reading audience with the author before deciding which version of English would be best.
ReplyDeleteThoughtful post. I'm open to whatever a writer thinks will gain market advantage. However, sometimes word choice is integral to the story. And as for conventions of punctuation, I'm not convinced many people actually recognize them when they see them. Be consistent — as you say — and those elements won't upstage your message.
ReplyDeleteAnother purpose for reading is to expand one's horizons. Don't be afraid to introduce readers to your own way of speaking, to words and turns of phrase as you know them. Don't underestimate your audience's ability to adapt.