Why I recommend a 2012-or-later-edition AP Stylebook

Here's a page from my workbook on AP style for tech PR. It describes why I like stylebooks that are 2012 or later (I used to say, "Earlier editions are fine.") There's good information here for citizen journalists, as well as PR types.

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What’s new, if you’re old   ;-)  

In 2009, the AP began making noteworthy stylebook changes that reflect the digital age. For the West Coast and Silicon Valley in particular, that felt like nine years too late.

Internally, members of the AP’s worldwide nonprofit co-op (newspapers, radio and TV stations) were getting updates via the AP’s own satellite-based wire services, but outsiders – including PR agencies – were still seeing the ink-on-paper stylebook.

The 2012 edition brought the entire citizenry up to date and went beyond the usual nitty-gritty. New sections include explicit advice on how to vet information, which is especially meaningful for citizen journalists (bloggers, Facebookers) who are filling in gaps as professional news outlets reduce the depth and breadth of their coverage.

Previously, I advised writers that, as long as they used this handout, it would be no problem if their stylebook was a few years old. Not anymore. It’s time to buy a new one. The 2012 version represented the most complete and thoughtful overhaul in my professional lifetime.

If you’ve been a student of AP style for more than 10 years, the following entries may be among those that are different from what you originally learned:

• Now OK on first reference: CEO, MBA and U.S. as a noun (not just as an adjective)
• Lowercase, one word, no hyphen: website (2010 revision) and email (2011)
• The apostrophe was moved to a more intuitive place in do’s and don’ts
• Yahoo doesn’t get a punctuation mark in its name, even though it wants one
• Hopefully is acceptable for “it’s hoped” or “we hope” (Whew! We all talk that way, right?!)

Notice that’s not a lot of differences. One of the dynamics that makes the AP Stylebook a reliable and enduring resource is its editors’ refusal to flip-flop with the times.

The 2012 edition doesn’t flip-flop, either. But it better explains exceptions, simplifies controversial guidance and includes a lot of really helpful new information. This edition coincides with a branding overhaul, complete with a new logo unveiled in February 2012.

Amazingly, while newspapers reduced staff or folded, annual sales of AP stylebooks doubled between 2004 and 2008, from 30,000 to 60,000 (Poynter Institute, 2009).  

And since then, the AP has continued to modernize its delivery mechanisms and continue its ubiquity. You probably know about the new auto-correct software for Microsoft Word (2011), mobile apps (2008), online stylebook and Ask the Editor blog.

You can find AP style on Twitter at @apstylebook and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/apstylebook. 

Quotes for titles? AP style on TV shows, video games, apps

Photo from http://blog.ap.org/

If you write PR coverage reports, this post is for you.

The following example uses correct AP style:

In an article titled “The Big Picture: Megapixel Race at Milestone 8” in Dante Holly’s Feb. 24 State of the Game column in the New York Times, CEO Jaden Gilbert said he loves playing "Farmville" on Facebook.

Notice:

• quotation marks on article titles and computer game titles but not on column names or publication names 
• titled, not entitled
• abbreviate month when it's with a date
• no italics
• no underlines

More examples:

a)  Software names such as Word and Excel 

b)  ... in his Digital Tools column in Top Dollar magazine.

c)  TV shows such as ABC-TV’s “Dancing With the Stars” 

d)  ... in a New York Times article titled "Don't Try This at Home."

e)  ... the video game “World of Warcraft.”

f)  ... the computer game app "Farmville" on Facebook.

g)   ... websites and apps like Facebook and Foursquare.

h)  The dictionary is my bible.

i)  He left his Bible on the chair.

j) … the book titled “And the Mountains Echoed" by Khaled Hosseini.

   
I offer explanations below. But for many of you, examples are easier than rules, so this would be a good place to stop reading if you've already got what you need.

(BTW, app is acceptable on first reference.)

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  If you want more, check out the explanations below. I put "no quotes" explanations in forest green and "yes quotes" explanations in brick red, to give you some extra reinforcement in a visual manner.

Here's a fake-logic "rule" to help you remember which items don't get quotation marks. If a name recurs every day/week/month -- as in a newspaper name, magazine name, software name, website name or app name -- think of it as a proper noun (a name) like John Smith or Spain. No matter which day you happen to pick up a periodical and look at it, the name is the same.

But if the "name" changes -- that is, if the specific title of an article that appears on that day and no other -- think of it as a title or, as the AP Stylebook says, a "composition title." Other examples of "compositions" in AP-speak are poems, lectures and songs. They all get quotes.

My fake-logic rule (Asking, "Does it recur?") is helpful but not consistent. It falls apart for TV show names, which take quotation marks, even though "Dancing With the Stars" is always called "Dancing With the Stars." In fake-logic, think of it this way: Broadcast is different from print. 

What gets quotes? Think of artistry, entertainment and a plot line. By plot line, I mean a sequence of events in which characters overcome obstacles. A play, a novel, a movie, an opera and even a video game usually have plot lines, and their purpose is usually entertainment. Once you think about plays, novels and video games, it's not a big leap to also add other artistic items to the list: poem titles and song titles. These all get quotes.

AP's omission

The AP Stylebook does not specifically state that column names in periodicals are uppercase without quotation marks. However, at one point in time, I looked at the style used in Associated Press stories and saw that this was the case in actual use.

The Chicago Manual of Style, however, (which differs from AP style in some instances) specifically states that column names in periodicals are uppercase, without quotes and not in italics (as in the example I gave you at the beginning).

It used to be that you couldn't look up "software titles" in the A-Z section of the AP Stylebook. Instead, you had to look at "composition titles," which is an archaic term. Nowadays, you can find "software titles" under S as well as under "composition titles."

But you still can't find "video game titles" under V or any reference at all to column names. So I offer the above list and these examples for quick reference.

Lauren's tips & the 2012 edition

I hope this helps. Some of my AP style tips and tricks are original (sometimes involving what I call "fake logic"). They were created to fill in gaps in the guidance given by the AP itself, which never intended to become the de facto standard for industries outside of the news business. The AP Stylebook originally wasn't meant for the masses. 

However, it has since become the de facto standard for the PR industry and lately also other industries. And as of the 2012 edition, the stylebook is more reader-friendly, seemingly in recognition of its increasing popularity. Bravo, AP! 

If you don't have a 2012 or 2013 edition, I suggest you buy one now. I used to advise that a several-years-old stylebook is fine because very little changes from one year to the next. But the 2012 edition has a thousand and one improvements throughout, plus new sections that offer really great counsel to citizen journalists. I highly recommend you read the new "The Statement of News Values" and "Social Media Guidelines" sections.

The 2013 edition is similar to the 2012. Both are good.

What Katy Perry can teach technology PR writers

Punchy writing includes a seldom-taught ingredient called assonance. Technology PR writers who make themselves aware of this subtlety are more likely to get compliments such as “She makes copy sparkle” and “His copy really sings.”

The usual reasons for compliments like these are shorter and more five-senses-oriented words, sentence lengths that average 16 words, and audience-centric content that surprises or helps with decision-making.

But assonance -- which includes “vowel rhyme” and is greatly helped by parallel structure -- is another reason, though it’s rarely taught.

Katy Perry uses assonance in “Roar,” as do many artists on your favorite pop channel. For example, notice that the highlighted words don’t rhyme but do share the same vowel sound. (This placement of assonance at the end of the sentence is called “vowel rhyme.”)

I used to bite my tongue and hold my breath
Scared to rock the boat and make a mess
So I sat quietly, agreed politely
I guess that I forgot I had a choice
I let you push me past the breaking point

Here’s a similar example you might find on a website:

“…makes our job more enjoyable and your company more profitable.”

First, notice that both sides of the “and” are parallel in structure:

pronoun + noun + adverb + adjective

our/your + jobs/companies + more/more + enjoyable/profitable

Then, notice the vowel sounds. In addition to the “uhl” sound that ends each phrase, notice the many “O” sounds. This is assonance.

The following sentence is not as easy on the ear because the two phrases aren’t parallel or assonant.

“… makes tasks fun and our clients look great.”

noun + adjective (tasks fun – two syllables)

and

pronoun + noun + verb + adjective (our clients look great – five syllables)

The vowels are mixed: A, Uh and Ow, “I,” Eh, oo-uh, Eh.

Even the following sentence might be better (depending on the tone required for the situation) because each phrase at least begins with the same two parts of speech.

“… makes us smile and brings you success.”

verb pronoun verb

and

verb pronoun noun

Still more parallel: “… puts smiles on our faces and dollars in your pocket.” Both sides have these parts of speech in this order: noun, preposition, pronoun, noun.

Notice that “smiles” and “dollars” are both stressed on the first syllable, share an “uhl” sound, and are the first words on each side. (Notice that spelling doesn’t help you; it’s all in the ear.)

Katy Perry also uses parallel structure in “Roar.”

I stood for nothing, so I fell for everything – parallel contrast

Similarly, count the syllables in the second halves of the first two lines of her song, and notice they each start with the same structure: [and] [verb] …

“… and hold my breath.”

“… and make a mess.”

I’ve got more examples of assonance and parallel structure to share with you, if you like. But if you’ve got the gist, this would be a good place to stop reading. My bottom-line advice is: Listen to vowels and aim for parallel structure.

Caveat: Don't get carried away. It's nice if people say your copy really sings, but not if they say it's sing-song-y. ;-)

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Here’s an example of sounds that are at odds, albeit in a subtle way that an attuned ear can pick up but is otherwise denotatively fine.

“… mistakes activities for results.”

The writer’s goal was to contrast “activities” with “results,” but the vowels in the contrasting words are a bit too dissimilar to go down perfectly smoothly – different number of syllables, different sounds, different stress.

Activity versus results

 [xxx]-ih-ih-ee versus [xx]-uhl-[tz]

They fight each other. The sounds “ih” and “ee” don’t go well with “uh.”

Notice the following sentence is a bit better, even though it’s not perfectly parallel and doesn’t have really fabulous assonance.

“… change your business outcomes, not just raise your profile”

In poetry (not our goal in tech PR), vowels help create the mood, and the “ee” and “ih” sounds often help create a harsh mood.

"If I bleat when I speak it's because I just got . . . fleeced"

                    "Deadwood" by Al Swearengen

"Strips of tinfoil winking like people"

"The Bee Meeting" by Sylvia Plath

“Without me, without me, without me-ee-ee-ee-ee”

 “I Knew You Were Trouble” by Taylor Swift

You don’t necessarily need assonance. I don’t recommend that you aim for it every time you write a sentence. But raising your awareness may help you begin adding secret sauce to your writing.

Personally, I don’t strive for it, either. But I noticed recently that it serendipitously appears and sounds pretty good. Clients of mine seem to notice that something nice is going on, but they can’t put their finger on exactly what.

Even if you choose not to pursue assonance, I recommend you aim for parallel structure, especially in lists at the ends of sentences. For example:

“… tames chaos, speeds results and builds relationships.” 3x (verb + noun)

is better than

“… gives you faster results, tames chaos and fosters better relationships.” (verb, pronoun, adjective, noun; verb, noun; and verb, adjective, noun)

Or, at a minimum, consider moving the most non-parallel item to the end:

“… gives you faster results, fosters better relationships, and catches mistakes.”