Here is an article I found interesting enough to share. :) Rita
The answer is: Probably
all of them.
How you handle book titles in your work is
a style choice not governed by grammarian law. The issue is addressed by the
top stylebooks, but the answers vary.
According to the Chicago Manual of
Style and the Modern Language Association, titles of books (and
other complete works, such as newspapers and magazines), should be italicized.
So if abiding by either of those guides, you’d italicize Stephen King’s The
Shining, just as you would Vanity Fair and The Miami Herald.
On the flip side, the AP Stylebook
suggests that you use quotation marks around the names of books (with the
exceptions of the Bible and catalogs of reference material, such as
dictionaries and almanacs, which should not be styled in any way). So if you’re
writing for a publication that adheres to AP guidelines, reference books with friendly quotation marks: “Eat, Pray,
Love,” “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows” and “Bossypants”
Some publications also
follow their own style guides.
So what does this mean for you? It means:
Don’t worry about it too much. Just pick one way and stick with it for
consistency purposes (for example, if you italicize the name of the book your
character is reading on page one of your novel, make sure you italicize it on
page 214, too). All publishers have their own style, so if you’re fortunate
enough to get the work in question published, an editor will edit your story to
fit her style preferences anyway. Your goal is to turn in a
professional-looking manuscript, and consistency in your style is one key way
to do that. - From Brian Klems
Nice to know. I've always just italizied titles without questioning it.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean, Emma. I do that, too. For the longest time I capitalized them . . . thought I was savvy when I changed to italicizing them. giggle :) I guess being consistent is the best thing. I'm italicizing them . . . that's my story and I'm sticking to it! :) Rita
DeleteIt can drive a writer batty trying to figure out how to handle titles in writing. One thing I would point out, in addition to your excellent point about consistency, is to follow the guidelines of the publishing company or publication you are writing for. Most publications follow the CMS rules, and so do many book publishers.
ReplyDeleteGreat point, Maryann . . . so very true. And what is so strange is everyone chooses their own preference. Can drive a writer batty!!
ReplyDelete