“Let me hear no more of him, Sir. That is the fellow who made the Index to my RAMBLERS and set down the name of Milton thus: Milton, Mr. John.”
Samuel Johnson (1709–1784)
In life, we often take the little things for granted. Book indexes are one of those things, and I’m here to tell you of the fascinating, if not misunderstood, life of the indexer.
What is an index for?
An index is like a literary roadmap. Some travelers just travel the open highway without a plan, but most people like, at the very least, to look at a map before they head out, so they can pinpoint their destinations. This is what an index is for: to pinpoint crucial information in a book or manual for quick reference when the need arises.
Because the index is generally the last item that is produced in the book or manual prior to final publication, the indexer is often under a tight deadline to deliver the final product to the editor. The indexer will read the page proofs again and again, compiling keywords and the pages to form the index. The whole process should take two or more weeks, depending on the length of the book.
What software do indexers use?
In the past few years, computer programs such as Cindex have helped the indexer by streamlining the process of keeping track of the indexed data. Before this innovation, the indexer wrote down all of the entries on index cards.
What kind of person makes a good indexer?
Indexers run the gamut of personality types, but to be a successful indexer, you have to have a love for words and their meanings.
Indexers are people who aren’t satisfied with just looking at a map. They obsess for several months on calculating the exact mileage of the trip, how long it’s going to take to get there, and comparing several hotels to find the one with the best wireless Internet access.
What kind of training is available?
We are fortunate in British Columbia. One of the best indexing courses in North America, Indexing: An Essential Art and Science, is offered through Simon Fraser University’s Writing and Publishing Program. In six weeks, you will learn the basics of book indexing by working on challenging assignments and receiving valuable feedback from the instructor.
If you are interested in correspondence courses, the oldest and most popular is The Graduate School indexing course offered by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). You can work at your own pace, but the average student takes a year to complete the course.
What are the working conditions?
Most indexing work is done on a freelance basis, in your own home. This doesn’t mean that you can loaf around in your PJs and watch Dr. Phil. Well, actually you can, but to be successful, you also have to be a businessperson. That means making contact with potential clients and doing paperwork (which you can hire a bookkeeper to do, if you want to splurge).
What is the future of indexing as a career?
Over the past few years, more and more people are eschewing the rat race and deciding to work at home. This has caused an explosion in the number of people wanting to become indexers. Fortunately, the marketplace demand for indexers has kept up with the increase in new indexers. As technology has made publishing easier, more books and manuals are in the marketplace than ever before. Self-publishing is becoming more of an affordable option, and, yes, those authors’ manuscripts need indexes, too.
If you love words and like having the flexibility of working at home, then consider the interesting and challenging career of book indexing.
