However, it produces a reasonable return for the time required. Jul 14, 2017 maria sosnowski has been a freelance indexer for over ten years. It is very helpful for an indexer to have as much of the book as possible. There are typically no specific degree requirements for indexers, although since most of the work is typically freelance, you will want a college degree to be competitive with other applicants for the job. You study and learn, become proficient, and youre ready to go. Make it easy for an experienced indexer to say yes to some form of mentoring. Become an elder, i had the vague idea that the book would need an index, maybe. An index takes the form of specific arrangements entries intended to help readers find information within a book.
In this article, she explains that hiring an indexer to create a professional index is something that many authors neglect. I read a book about indexing years and years ago, and the author said an. A good indexer can index books they dont understand thoroughly. Be eligible to join our email and online chat forums, and benefit from the collective experience of our fellow members. Nearly 300 published indexes for academic and general titles. If you love books and reading, have a fairly analytical mind, would love to be a business owner, and are looking for a career change or a parttime career opportunity, indexing might be just the thing for you. The indexer may be the author, the editor, or a professional indexer working as a third party. Although a degree is often not specifically required, it can help you become more competitive in the indexing world, especially if you freelance. Look in the book for the name of the indexer and contact him. Professional book indexer book indexing services since 1992, ferreira indexing inc. Gain familiarity with the process of term selection and writing an index.
Because authors and publishers rarely create the indexes themselves, this job must be completed by a. The purpose of an indexers job is to compile indexes so people can find. This fivestep process is what every indexer does, in one form or another, to write an index that your readers will return to to make full use of your book. Apr 30, 2016 the system volume information folder is a hidden system folder that the system restore tool uses to store its information and restore points. So you want to be an indexer american society for indexing.
Meet other indexers at regional gettogethers and our annual conference. I do believe that it is possible for anyone to learn. Get into the book indexing service business from the entrepreneur list of business services business ideas. Indexing vacancies at the national library of medicine are filled competitively. If youre looking for something a little more niche, perhaps turn to torrents or irc. Mainstream books can simply be found in most indexers. This is a combination of online tutorials, assignments and assessments. There are many types of indexers, but the primary types include book indexer, data indexer, and medical indexer. Taking some type of course is essential, assuming you get to create indexes and have someone critique them. Oct 18, 20 professional indexer and successful selfpublished novelist joanne phillips provides an easytofollow guide to compiling an index for a selfpublished nonfiction book. Develop a plan for learning the art of indexing, and get feedback on initial work. Book indexing is not a getrichquick scheme, nor is it a way to passive income. A career in indexing indexing offers the flexibility of working from home. My job as an indexer is to intuitively read through the text to become intimately familiar with the contents and themes of the book, which requires a continuum of thought and mental activity.
A good index will ultimately make your book more useful, easier to navigate, and will ensure that your readers refer back to your book time and time again. If your nonfiction book has been pushed back for any reason, please think about your indexer for a moment. Indexing courses and workshops american society for indexing. If you have already contracted an indexer please let them know about the delay and keep them updated as you get news from your publisher. You may have noticed from the alphabetical ordering. Learn to become a freelance indexer with a 3cassette video or 1day workshop. A book index is an alphabetized list of words and phrases showing the page numbers on which text on the subjects listed can be found. The course is designed for those interested in becoming freelance indexers for. Indexers are scarce and their skills are in demand. Society for technical communication publishes a book called inhouse. So you want to be an indexer frequently asked questions. The indexer is the international journal of indexing, published by the society of indexers on behalf of indexing societies around the world. Indexer job description, career as a indexer, salary, employment. Becoming an indexer takes moderate education, persistence and a strong desire to work independently.
Become familiar with index structure, format, and specification options. With thanks to william shakespeares king lear, i acknowledge that it takes a special mindset to become a book indexer. The general functions of these jobs are similar, but your specific duties in each of these careers may vary. You might need to gain access to this folder for troubleshooting purposes. Institutional members can send more than one person to the societys annual conference.
Freelance indexer welcome to indexingenious, a book indexing service owned by gary kirby. If hes not listed as is usually the casewhy is that. There is the opportunity to become an accredited indexer, which adds to. If youre serious about indexing, youll want to start by learning the trade. There are an incredible number of books about indexing, but you might want to start with the books. For a full list of my published indexes visit the books indexed page. Fivestep process for writing a book index the writing. While not needed in novels or short books, an index is required for most textbooks, technical manuals and other books that contain factual information. A good indexer sees connections in the text, and can guide readers to content in a straightforward and logical way. The indexer is given the pdf files of the book pages as single pages, not spreads. An index is an alphabetized list of subjects and terms used and discussed in the book with their corresponding page numbers and is great to use in nonfiction books.
The course takes around 45 to 50 hours of study and is recognised by the chartered institute of library and information professionals. Preparing book indexes and other kinds of indexes is a viable career option. Jan 12, 2009 as a first time author, my book workingtitled, elders rock. Thats the part of the book that helps a reader or researcher find the information in the text of the book. Enclose an excellent sample index if you are truly interested in working. Find an indexer in your subject area for your project.
An indexer creates an index, which is a methodical arrangement of records designed to enable users to locate information quickly. For many it is part of a portfolio career encompassing other paid employment or freelance activities such as editorial work, or provides a means of income which fits round other commitments. Indexervolumeguidwhat the heck is it microsoft community. Join asi and become active in the regional chapter. You should focus your education on english or writing for a book or copy editor indexing, or on computer sciences for data indexing. Indexers generally are classified as technical information specialists, in the gs1412 job series. Apr 15, 2019 indexing a book does require a certain amount of time, knowledge, and skill. Become an indexer read about our distance learning. Book indexing service business ideas start your business.
There is a system volume information folder on every partition on your computer. What is a good online course to learn book indexing. Indexers build up lists of searchable terms for things like books, magazines, reports, websites and photographic collections. Trend where telecommuters often take their own computing devices when they go into the office. It serves as a key or map for finding specific topics in lengthier books. I have been an accredited freelance indexer for 10 years and to date have provided nearly 300 indexes for publishers and editors.
Sep 09, 2019 interview on nonfiction book indexing with virginia c. Consider on a sliding scale where the book falls between a onetime read and a reference book, and provide less or more detail accordingly. Indexing is new york times bestselling author seanan mcguires new urban fantasy where everything you thought you knew about fairy tales gets turned on its head. For this reason they might not hire the best indexer for your book, and you may not get the kind of index you want. This book was initially released in episodes as a kindle serial. Quality indexing of books, manuals, and online help. Jul 06, 2018 if youre considering engaging an indexer for your nonfiction book, heres an excellent article by book indexer clive pyne, who compiled a 12 step guide to book indexing, which shines a light on the art of indexing. Making an index in word for very complex projects, it is best to hire a professional indexer, but if youre selfpublishing your book on a budget, you can definitely do it yourself. Whether your goal is simply to be a published author in a certain niche or you want to publish a book to promote your overall freelance writing business, your book might need an index. A book indexer blog and website of nicola king msocindadv. This step may seem obvious, but i think it is worth repeating that while it is possible to. The index is typically placed at the end of a book.
How to make money from home by indexing books toughnickel. Most people here who are seeking digital content are looking for comparatively huge files in a timely manner due to dcma concerns. The table of contents gives the indexer a good overview of the book, as does the preface. It is addressed to practitioners and scholars, to indexers and users of indexes, with articles on indexing in the digital age, usability, specialist indexing projects, professional development, software. Then take a look at our best practices and a history of. The qualifications needed to become an indexer typically start with a college degree. If you have written the book yourself, its quite difficult to distance yourself from the text and think how to construct an index in a way that will be most helpful for the reader. Backofbook indexes are often produced by freelance indexers. Indexing is one of the most important parts of publishing a book. Professional book indexer joanne phillips shows its done. I am a professional book indexer the yawning chasm.
Maybe one thats in your field and really has all the bases covered. System where instructors set up webbased training sites for students to check their progress in a course and take practice tests. Book indexes are created for publishers by freelancers who work at home. Indexing books as a career canvas network free online courses. Have you ever considered writing a nonfiction book. Which type of disc is a type of storage media that consists of a flat, round, portable metal disc made of metal, plastic. All episodes are now available for immediate download as a complete book. In a traditional backofthe book index, the headings will include names of people, places, events, and concepts selected by the indexer as being relevant and of interest to a possible reader of the book.
We invite you to find an indexer for your project, read our publications, discover our conferences, events, and resources for indexers, find out about membership, and learn about the society. He needs to know if the book is going to be marketed to a different audience than its readership i. Once a book is in final form and all laid out, the editorial changes have been made, all the graphics and illustrations are in place, and it is almost ready to go to the printer, the book is ready for an indexer to create the index that appears at the back of the book. Even where the author is an indexer herself, she may choose to employ someone else to index her book, as pat booth did for indexing. This course is not meant to be a substitute for a comprehensive indexing course but does provide a detailed introduction to the process of indexing and working as an indexer. While internalizing the content, i also focus on the perspective of the reader and index user to make clear what is being said in the book by identifying. However, even if you have a publisher, like a selfpublisher, you are the one who will ultimately pay for your index the cost is taken out before you receive any of your royalties, and so you may hire anyone you like to index. The indexing books as a career mooc is intended for individuals interested in exploring a possible indexing career as well as for authors and editors who work with indexers. A good book index is a map of a book, as sam leith says, a. The society that represents and trains professional book indexers. We specialize in creating accurate and reliable indexes that meet our clients specifications and are delivered on time. An index takes the form of specific arrangements entries. It is addressed to practitioners and scholars, to indexers and users of indexes, with articles on indexing in the digital age, usability, specialist indexing projects, professional development, software designed to help the indexer.