Best British Style Guide?

Am I correct that the University of Oxford Style Guide is the best (or, perhaps, closest) British equivalent of the Chicago Manual of Style in America, as a guide for published fiction in countries that follow British style? Does anyone here use it? Or recommend it? Or is there another style guide that's better?

There is no British style guide that has the authority that the Chicago one has in the US.

I use the latest update of Sir Ernest Gowers Complete Plain Words.

Neither the Chicago guide nor Gowers are really aimed at fiction writers.

Yes, the Chicago Manual of Style is good for fiction (in U.S. Style). I have edited for two British publishers--Oxford Press and Continuum. Both wanted the books I was editing in U.S. style and specified the use of Chicago, so I didn't have to get into distinctive British style. I think British style relies most heavily currently on the 2016 New Oxford Style Manual. But I haven't bought a copy of that or had to use it, so I don't know for sure.

KeithD said:

Yes, the Chicago Manual of Style is good for fiction (in U.S. Style). I have edited for two British publishers--Oxford Press and Continuum. Both wanted the books I was editing in U.S. style and specified the use of Chicago, so I didn't have to get into distinctive British style. I think British style relies most heavily currently on the 2016 New Oxford Style Manual. But I haven't bought a copy of that or had to use it, so I don't know for sure.

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UK publishers tend to set their own house style...

oggbashan said:

UK publishers tend to set their own house style...

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U.S. publishers have individualized add-on house style sheets too, but I don't think any professional publisher takes the effort to provide an individualistic ground-up style. I have worked for over twenty-five mainstream and academic book publishers, both nonfiction and fiction. Every one of them has used Chicago as the style base. Where their style sheets show an individualistic style, it's always been identified in terms of what Chicago has said (or not said) about the issue.

Publishers simply do not buy into "whatever each writer wants to do" that some writers here push--and they invariably drop or don't pick up writers who insist on such individuality who haven't arrived with a big buying fan club. They are focused on reader/buyer standard comprehension. They welcome Chicago's call on issues to save themselves time and effort.

One of my publishers (non-fiction) tends to lean towards the Economist Style Guide. It takes a slightly mid-Atlantic approach.

SamScribble said:

One of my publishers (non-fiction) tends to lean towards the Economist Style Guide. It takes a slightly mid-Atlantic approach.

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pdf of one version:

https://bordeure.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/the-economist-style-guide.pdf

Plain Words:

https://www.scribd.com/doc/217456602/Complete-Plain-Words-Sir-Ernest-Gowers-pdf

https://dlscrib.com/download/complete-plain-words-sir-ernest-gowers-pdf_5904612ddc0d609270959eeb_pdf

You might find these worth of examination:-

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Times-Style-Guide-Ian-Brunskill/dp/0008146179

SamScribble said:

One of my publishers (non-fiction) tends to lean towards the Economist Style Guide. It takes a slightly mid-Atlantic approach.

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I've freelanced for an academic paper editing service, and for a well-known academic publisher producing full-length books. I don't have formal editing quals, but in these areas, "good high-school English and strong technical background" beats vice-versa.

The paper editing service was very particular about minor points of English. Since each author was aiming for a particular journal, we had to follow the journal's house style, but on top of that we also had an 80-page style guide from the editing service.

The academic publisher, OTOH, is much more relaxed. The only style guide I've seen from them was half a page long, and they're happy to leave many things to author discretion as long as each book is internally consistent. Sounds like this is very different to fiction editing!

They also pay well and on time, which is a small miracle in the world of freelancing.

Bramblethorn said:

The academic publisher, OTOH, is much more relaxed. The only style guide I've seen from them was half a page long, and they're happy to leave many things to author discretion as long as each book is internally consistent.

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Funnily enough, my first non-fiction book had it's formal conception with my editor and I sharing a few glasses of wine, and the editor saying something like: 'Who knows what's right and what's wrong? Just make sure you use standard English. And make sure that your punctuation is consistent - from the first page to the last.'

For various complicated reasons, I only did one book with that publisher. But the editor and I became good friends.

SamScribble said:

Funnily enough, my first non-fiction book had it's formal conception with my editor and I sharing a few glasses of wine, and the editor saying something like: 'Who knows what's right and what's wrong? Just make sure you use standard English. And make sure that your punctuation is consistent - from the first page to the last.'

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Nothing strange about that. If you had a legitimate publisher, you weren't going to be the editor for the book. It wasn't your job to put it in the publishing house's style.

KeithD said:

Nothing strange about that. If you had a legitimate publisher, you weren't going to be the editor for the book. It wasn't your job to put it in the publishing house's style.

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Yes. You are right.