How do I pass on my technical writing firm’s client style guides to a new owner?

A style guide records what a client expects: terms, tone, formatting and the traps writers fall into. In a technical writing firm, these guides are part of what clients pay for. Begin by finding all of them. Some are issued by the client, some were built by your firm and some exist only as habits of one editor.

Sort them by client. Mark which are current, which are drafts and which have been superseded. Ask, with the client, who owns each one. A guide the client wrote may need permission before it is shared with a buyer. Your lawyer can tell you what your agreements say.

For the guides that live in people’s heads, write short notes: terminology, approval chain, review habits and past corrections. Keep a record of recurring client comments, because they show what matters to that client. Then walk the new owner through them with the lead writers and editors. Pick two or three active clients and trace a document from brief to final approval. Finally, name who maintains the guides after the sale, and how updates are tracked so the knowledge does not erode over time as writers come and go.

Key takeaways

• Gather every guide and mark which are current, draft or outdated.
• Check who owns each guide and whether the client must agree before it is shared.
• Capture unwritten preferences in short notes and name who maintains the guides.