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# How to Find Your Book's Voice: The Style & Tone Guide

Every great book has a distinct voice. A self-help book needs to sound empathetic and encouraging, while a thriller needs to sound tense and fast-paced.
PublishFlow’s AI is incredibly powerful, but if you don't give it specific guidance, it will default to a standard, neutral tone. The **Style and Tone Guide** (found inside your Book Requirement Document) is how you banish the generic "AI voice" and give your manuscript a real soul.

## The Golden Rule: Style & Tone vs. Writing Instructions
Before we dive in, it is vital to understand the difference between this feature and your [Writing Instructions](https://publishflow.crisp.help/en/article/how-to-use-writing-instructions-inside-the-brd-as-effectivly-as-possibel-f0zzhh/):
* **Writing Instructions** dictate the *structure* of your book. They tell the AI *what* to write (e.g., how to interpret the outline, word counts, formatting, lists).
* **The Style & Tone Guide** dictates the *voice* of your book. It tells the AI *how* to write it (e.g., perspective, emotion, sentence structure, and vocabulary).

## 3 Ways to Create Your Style & Tone Guide
When you open the Style and Tone tab, you don't have to write the guide from scratch. PublishFlow gives you three ways to generate it:
1. **Auto-Generate:** Let PublishFlow automatically create a style guide based on the overall context of your book title and description.
2. **Write a Prompt:** Tell the AI exactly what you want. For example: *"Write in the style of an expert who is also a supportive coach. Use short, punchy sentences."*
3. **Use a Sample Text (Highly Recommended!):** This is our most powerful method. You can paste a sample text from your favorite author, and PublishFlow will analyze it. It won't copy the text, but it will extract the *essence* of the writing style and create a unique profile that imitates that exact vibe. ***Pro Tip:*** The sweet spot for a sample text is around **1,000 words**. Using much more or much less makes the extraction process inefficient.

## The Anatomy of Your Style Guide
Once generated, your Style and Tone Guide is broken down into two main sections:

### 1. Core Style Attributes
At the top, you will see four specific blocks that the AI has automatically filled out based on your prompt or sample text:
* **Tone:** The emotional register (e.g., *Inspirational, Authoritative, Encouraging*)
* **Voice:** The role the author is playing (e.g., *Mentor and Guide*)
* **Language:** The reading level (e.g., *Intermediate*)
* **POV (Point of View):** The perspective (e.g., *First Person, Third Person*)
Even though the AI fills these out, you are in full control. You can click into any of these boxes and manually change them at any time.

### 2. Style Instructions
Below the attributes is a detailed text box containing the actual instructions the AI writer will follow.
A good Style Instruction gets incredibly specific about sentence structure and flow. For example, it might say: *"Structure paragraphs to follow a 'problem-solution-encouragement' flow,"* or *"Avoid overly academic jargon; instead, use clear, accessible language."* ## Fine-Tuning Your Voice Your generated Style and Tone Guide is never locked in. You can always optimize it before you start writing your chapters:
* **Manual Edits:** You can click directly into the Style Instructions text box and type your own rules. Want to make sure the AI uses British English spelling? Just type *"Always use British English"* right into the box!
* **Use the AI Assistant:** If the generated style is close but not quite perfect, use the AI Assistant chat on the right side of your screen. Tell it, *"Make the tone a little more sarcastic and funny,"* and let the Assistant rewrite the guide for you.
* **Start Over:** If you completely dislike the generated style, just click the **Remove** button in the top right corner. This will wipe the slate clean so you can start fresh with a new sample text or prompt.

**A Quick Troubleshooting Tip:** If you ever notice your generated chapters starting or ending with the exact same repetitive phrases (like always summarizing the previous chapter), a strict rule hidden in your Style & Tone Guide or Writing Instructions might be the cause. Check out our guide on [Why do my chapters have a repetitive structure?](https://publishflow.crisp.help/en/article/why-do-my-chapters-have-a-repetitive-structure-9htyom/) to learn how to easily spot and fix this!