INDEXING

Is your nonfiction book naked?

It is if it doesn't have a professionally prepared index. The value of a professional index to a nonfiction book cannot be overstated. Have you ever picked up a reference book to use it for a research project, or just to find the answer to some curious little question, nonly to find there is no index in the back of the book? The book is virtually useless for anything other than reading.

So...how is an index created?

An index is more than a repeat of the Table of Contents placed at the back of the book. A professional indexer will carefully read the manuscript then select the main headings and sub headings that are appropriate for, and important to, anyone searching for topical information. Once the headings have been identified, the indexer must determine if a heading must be double-posted - in other words, will one person look for "automobile: Ford" while another will look directly for "Ford".

While reading the manuscript, the indexer must also identify terms that have the same meaning, and cross reference them for additional locations. If the manuscript discusses "China" in some instances and "People's Republic of China" in others, the indexer must cross reference these topics in order to provide the reader with the greatest number of locations to find their information.

The professional indexer must put him/herself in the mind of the reader, and prepare the most accurate, understandable index possible.