…an editorial service I’m very excited about—a thing of beauty, and a great utility. While indexers use indexing software, there is no replacement for human decisions in choosing what is included in an index and how it is articulated and organized.
[This blog post written by Judy Gordon;Writer, Editor, Indexer; Denver, CO; http://judygordon.biz/]
Perhaps you may be pretty savvy about the full range of editorial services, but I find that when I tell people I do indexing, they ask me “what’s that?”
And that it is exactly what I asked my friend Susan a couple of years ago, when she said that she thought I would be very good at (and enjoy) indexing. I was curious enough to find out what indexing was and now I am passionate about it.
You remember your student days, when you were writing papers about new topics and went to the library (I’m dating myself here!) to use reference books. You immediately went to the index at the back of the book to find just what you needed.
The Nonfiction Writing Growth Spurt
Nonfiction writing has just mushroomed in the last ten years. With all that new information, indexes have become even more important to us users. How can we manage all the information we want and need without having an index in the resources we use, whether they be hard copy or online? I’ve heard from so many readers who bemoan the fact that an author (or publisher) has not included an index – or worse yet, has included a poor index. They feel adrift. The book is difficult to process and to refer to after the initial read.
The joy I get from indexing comes from knowing that I have the power to help readers truly enjoy and utilize (and re-utilize) the author’s content. It’s like a logic problem – I anticipate what readers will be looking for; I take what the author has written about; and I create a user-friendly road map with which readers can access the content. I think an index is a thing of beauty, as well as a great utility.
Who Creates Indexes?
You may think that indexes are created by authors, but in fact the vast majority of indexes are created by professional indexers (and we have a trade association, The American Society for Indexing in the United States, with similar associations world-wide). You may also think that computers are capable of creating indexes. While indexers use designated indexing software, there is no replacement for human decisions in choosing what is included in an index and how it is articulated and organized.
So next time you pick up a nonfiction book, thumb through the index before buying it. You can get an excellent idea about what’s in the book and you’ll know whether or not it is a book that will be worth your investment. And when you find a good index, think of the professional indexer who gave his or her all to make your reading experience a gratifying one!
For more information on Judy Gordon and her writing, editing, and indexing, visit http://judygordon.biz/.
