As I write about my journey as a writer, I find myself referring to nonfiction with and without a hyphen. I must have grown up hyphenating non-fiction, but I see it presented both ways.
Here are a few ways to find a definitive answer to whether there should be a hyphen in nonfiction:
Does Amazon hyphenate nonfiction?
No. See Amazon’s Most Read/Most Sold Nonfiction Charts.
Does Barnes & Noble hyphenate nonfiction?
No. See Barnes & Noble’s nonfiction bestsellers list.
Does the New York Times hyphenate nonfiction?
No. See the New York Times Nonfiction Best Sellers List.
(Note: Amazon and NYT break “bestsellers” into two words unlike B&N.)
What do style guides say?
The Chicago Manual of Style represents it as nonfiction with no hyphen.
Conclusion:
Do not hyphenate nonfiction!
Time to break bad habits!
