Uncovering the Mysteries of Indexing
By Tom & Johnna Dinse, Editorial Freelancers
“Can your software index this book for me?” “Do you have to read the whole book to index it?” “This 1,000-page book needs an index; can I have the finished index in a week?” These are some common (and not unreasonable) questions any professional indexer has heard, likely many times.
As serious readers, we know what an index is and how to use it, but have you ever thought about how one is created? As we delve here into what it takes, maybe you’ll even be inspired to join us in this craft.
Like most jobs in publishing, indexing is hard work. And like most creative jobs, it requires judgment, evaluation, and attention to detail. And thick skin. As The Chicago Manual of Style says, indexing is “painstaking intellectual labor.”
The most common question about indexing from those interested in starting their own business or who want to work from home (or on a pontoon boat on the reservoir) is regarding how much of the process is automated. The answer is, not much.
To make an index you must read the whole book and decide the best way to make the content accessible. It’s far more than listing the “things” or keywords in the text. You will need to parse concepts, make connections between ideas, and generally use your judgment to create a tool that helps readers find the exact information they need—and also information they might not know they needed.
Decades ago, indexers wrote on index cards, organized them in a shoebox, and typed the index using a typewriter. Today you have software tools, including those that enable you to embed indexing tags or hyperlinks in a text document, such as in Microsoft Word or Adobe InDesign.
For this type of indexing, you read the pages of the book before or during the page composition process and enter the “codes” (index entries) into the manuscript as you go. The page the index entry points to is updated automatically, since the entries “float” with the page content as pages reflow. The advantage to the publisher is not having to wait until all layout is final before indexing can begin.
Another option is to use dedicated indexing software like CINDEX™ or Macrex. With these, you create the index by reading the final laid-out pages and type your entries into a separate document managed by the software. Then you edit or clean up your index using the software’s tools. The advantage is that you can view your index as it’s being built. You can sort by page number, by the order entries were entered, by date entered, or by using the robust search features. Multiple changes can be made with a few keystrokes, including for shifting page numbers if the manuscript reflows.
So, now that you know how indexing is done, what does it take to be a good indexer? The answer is as varied as the backgrounds and interests good indexers have—which is to say, indexing requires a lively curiosity and eclectic interests. It requires that you love to read nearly anything and that you are detail-oriented and enjoy categorizing and applying structure and organization to your “collections” (books, tools, photos, music, or whatever form those take).
Indexing also requires (as do all publishing jobs) gracefully accepting collaboration and someone else having a say in the final product. Since you’re reading this, you likely know that you won’t always have the final say about the finished product in professional publishing. If you go in understanding that indexing includes a fair amount of customer service and cheerfulness in the face of adversity, you’ll be much happier.
If you have an inner indexer dying to come out, it can be a good source of extra income, and there are those who are even able to make it work full-time. We recommend you start by looking over The American Society for Indexing’s Information About Indexing.
The result of this challenging work is certainly worthwhile. Your index will open up a text for exploration in a way that a table of contents or even a powerful search engine cannot.