Are you interested in learning about my indexing approach?
Read on for my A-Z guide on how I complete an indexing project from the initial approach from the editor or author to submitting the index to them.
A
Aboutness
What is the book about? If you are looking for an indexer and you approach me about indexing your book, I will agree to index it if I am available during your time schedule and if the book is about a subject that is in my area of expertise.
B
Brief
Keep it brief. When I receive your files for indexing. I check the brief you supply which would include the budget, deadline and house style. I check the proofs are downloaded successfully and that I can read them. I then confirm with you that I have received the proofs.
C
Checklist
Time to check. I fill in the book details in a form for my records. I note author, book title, ISBN, deadline, fee, etc. I check I have a house style to follow and if you have any special requests for the index.
D
Double posting
Depending on the density of index required, I can double post entries for example for acronyms/abbreviations, depending on your preference, if you want both entries or if you only want the entry with initials first or the spelled-out version.
Here is an example of double posting an acronym:
IDA (International Development Association)
…
International Development Association (IDA)
E
Errors
I will keep you informed of any errors I find in the text, such as missing pages or duplicate pages, or if the file is corrupt and I cannot download the file.
F
Figures/tables/illustrations/notes/plates
Depending on the project, let me know if you would like figures, tables, illustrations notes and plates indexed and your style for the page numbers, such as italics for figures, bold for tables (23f or 23; 23t or 23).
G
Glossary
If your book has a glossary which contains definitions of terms, you might like them indexed. They can be in plain roman or in bold font.
H
Header letters
You might like to have header letters such as ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’ before each group of letters and this is something you can specify in your brief.
I
Indented style versus run-on
Indexes can have indented or run-on sub-headings.
Here are examples of indented and run-in subheadings from Indexing Books (Mulvany 1994, p.184):
Indented style:
dogs
breed clubs 242–48
breeding of 180–95
herding group 135–42
Run-in style:
dogs: breed clubs 242–48; breeding of 180–95; herding group 135–42
You can let me know which style you prefer for your book. Run-on subheadings are used for journal indexes or when space for the index is restricted.
J
Job satisfaction
Indexing can be challenging at times, and I get real job satisfaction when I produce an index which you, the author, will be happy to have in your book to help future readers find information.
K
Knowledge
I have specialised knowledge in science and education, and I am happy to index books on those topics. I do index books on other subjects if they are trade books geared towards general readers.
L
Locators/page numbers
I can style the locators or page numbers in different ways such as in full (23–25 ) or elided (23–5) and writing the teens in full (12-13). You can specify your preference in your initial brief.
M
Measurement of an index
I will need guidance on the amount of space you have for the index. A book might only have a few pages for an index and other books might have no space restrictions. Some books might have one indexable entry per page and others might have fifty! The index should reflect the size and content of the book. Some publishers reckon an index should be 3-5 % of the total size of the book. You can specify in your brief how many pages are available for the index.
N
Names
Inconsistencies in the spellings of names of people and places show up in an index. These spelling variations can be missed by proofreaders because sometimes the book is proofread and indexed at the same time. I will send you a list of the inconsistent names to check which is the preferred spelling and we can correct the index and/or the text.
O
Output file of index
When I complete the index my indexing program, Sky, can make a Word RTF file or a Word .Doc file, please specify which type of output file you prefer to receive.
P
Punctuation
Some publishing house styles prefer to have a comma between the heading and the page numbers, for example
dogs, 23
Others prefer no comma and opt for one space or two spaces between the heading and the page number, for example
dogs 23
If you have preferences, please let your indexer know. My personal preference is the double space, but I follow a client’s house style as both approaches are correct.
Q
Queries
While I am working through the index, I keep a list of queries to check with you. An example of a query can be finding out if two people with the same name are two different people (example family members in different generations) or the same person with a spelling variation (example Smith, John/Smith, J.).
R
Resources
My resources if I need to confirm where to sort entries are my indexing books – Indexing Books, Nancy Mulvany and Indexing: The manual of good practice, Pat Booth. I also look up Google to check facts and use Amazon look inside feature occasionally to see how other indexes deal with certain issues.
S
Strings of page numbers
Indexers try to avoid long strings of page numbers after main headings, so I try to add subentries to limit the number of page numbers to perhaps seven, but it all depends on the book if a subentry is appropriate. Let me know if you have preferences on the number of page numbers after headings and if you like them broken down with subheadings. One book I indexed had every term had a subheading and another book the author did not want subheadings at all.
T
‘The’ and ‘A’ and ‘An’
Some headings beginning with ‘The’, ‘A’ and ‘An’ can be dealt with in three ways. An example in Nancy Mulvany’s book shows that the book A Tale of Two Cities can appear in the index under ‘T’ as
Tale of Two Cities, A – the ‘A’ is inverted and appears at the end
A Tale of Two Cities – The ‘A’ is ignored and filed under ‘T’
Tale of Two Cities - The ‘A’ is dropped from the entry
You can let me know which you prefer for your book.
U
User-friendly
My goal when indexing is to produce an index that readers will find user-friendly and that will enable them to find what they are looking for easily and quickly.
V
Value of an index
I believe that indexes add value to books, and I am disappointed when I see books published without them. So, tell your friends that it is not computers who index books but humans and to hire a professional indexer if they are writing a book and need it indexed and cannot face indexing it themselves.
W
Word-by-word vs letter-by-letter alphabetisation
Before returning the finished index, I double-check if you prefer word-by-word or letter-by-letter alphabetisation. A word-by-word index sorts the letters up to the end of the first word and stops whereas a letter-by-letter sorts strictly on the letters and numbers and ignores other characters.
Example of word-by-word and letter-by-letter alphabetisation (Anderson 1971, p.10):
Word-by-word
Red Cross
Red Ensign
Red Sea
Redcar
Redemptorists
Redesdale, Lord
Redmond, John
Letter-by-letter
Redcar
Red Cross
Redemptorists
Red Ensign
Redesdale, Lord
Redmond, John
Red Sea
X
X-refs/cross-references
When inputting the entries, I add see or see also cross-references, when appropriate. Before I send the index to you, I run an error check in my SKY indexing software to check for circular references (example cats see felines / felines see cats) and other errors. If you have any preferences on cross-references let me know. The cross-reference can be after the heading, or it can be the last subheading.
Y
Yse or yze spellings
I also check if you prefer American or British English spellings, and if you prefer -yse or -yze spellings. I tend to follow the spellings used in the book, however, in multi-authored books inconsistencies might occur and I may need to check the preferred spellings with you.
Z
Zzz
When I am happy with the index and the deadline arrives, I will dispatch the index to you. I now have time to relax and have a good night’s sleep because sometimes when I am working on an index and get very engrossed in a book I dream about lists of words and try to sort them in my sleep.
Anderson, M. (1971). Book indexing, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Booth, P. (2001), Indexing: The manual of good practice, München, K G Saur.
Mulvany, N. (1994). Indexing books, Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.