Q. Hi, CMOS: I work in India, and we’ve been going back and forth over whether or not to hyphenate “ebook” for the US version of some marketing material. The British version does not hyphenate it, but Merriam-Webster does. Wired magazine, interestingly, has it both ways, and the CNET website hyphenates. Do you have a recommendation as to how to make an editorial decision when there is no fixed house style and when there’s really no clear consensus on how to proceed?
A. Flip a coin? If authorities disagree, that’s where your editorial judgment and aesthetic preferences come into play. Just decide what you like best and note it in your style guide.