by Bobbie Christmas
Q: I want to ask about the ™ symbol you use after your Find & Refine Method in your book Write In Style. How do I get this symbol smaller and high up in the copy? In Word, when I add this to my copy, the ™ symbol hits in the middle of the last letter of what I’m trying to indicate is trademarked, not at the top of the letter, like yours. I’m not computer savvy, so I can’t figure it out.
A: I have several answers. On my Mac I have to go to “insert symbol” and select ™, and it automatically is raised on the line when it appears. On my PC in Word, I type (TM), and when I type the second parenthesis, the computer automatically deletes the parentheses and changes the ™ into the smaller superscript mark. I myself was shocked when it did it the first time. Yet another way on a PC is to type TM, highlight it, right click on it, go to Font, and choose Superscript. There may be other ways to format the trademark symbol as well.
Q: When I first started on a novel in 1995, publishers wanted italicized words to be underlined, even though we had the capability of changing the font on our computers. Is this still the case? Can we now use the appropriate font, or must we inquire from each publisher? I have visions of having two manuscripts, one with and one without italics.
A: It’s always best to check with the publisher, but The Chicago Manual of Style says to use italics. When a designer flows the contents of a Word document into most design programs for layout, italics are usually maintained, and no one has to go back to look for underlines and change each one to italics, a tedious process.
If you do use underlines in your manuscript, though, be sure to tell the publisher and/or designer that underlined items are to be set in italics in the printed version.
Q: How do you format the name of a book or movie in text messages or emails when they should be italicized?
A: Most text programs and some email programs don’t support italics, so your question is valid. Such messages, however, aren’t formal manuscripts and don’t have formatting standards we must follow. For that reason, text messages and emails don’t have to be perfect.
Although no standards are set for text messages, emails, newsletters, and blogs, I have suggestions, but no absolutes.
- Some people add an underline before and after a boat, book, or album title or other things that would ordinarily be set in italics, as in the following: _Gone With the Wind_ was a bestseller and a blockbuster movie.
- Other writers may use quotation marks, like this: “Gone With the Wind” was a bestseller and a blockbuster movie.
- Some people simply capitalize the title and trust the reader will understand, like this: Gone With the Wind was a bestseller and a blockbuster movie.
Until a widely accepted style book is written about how to format plain text, writers are left to do the best they can.
Until a formatting standard is set for these types of electronic communications, choose a style that helps readers understand the content, and then be consistent. As for me, in text messages I simply capitalize titles that would be in italics, but in my ezine I put an underline before and after the title.
Bobbie Christmas, book editor, author of Write In Style: Use Your Computer to Improve Your Writing, and owner of Zebra Communications, will answer your questions, too. Send them to Bobbie@zebraeditor.com. Read more Ask the Book Doctor questions and answers at www.zebraeditor.com.
