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. Through comparative evaluations performed on a gold. A back ofthe book indexer with over 20 years of experience, i have indexed hundreds of books on a wide variety of topics see selected titles and always look forward to working on each title with the goal of creating the most effective and readerfriendly index possible, delivered on time and with careful attention to detail. Yet at 300 books a year, for 50 years, that is only 15,000 books. As a stateoftheart method for abstractive summarization, the pointergenerator. Databases, online materials, and websites also need indexes, and there is software available for this kind of indexing also. The sublime joy of making a book index without bullshit. University of michigan press guidelines for indexing the university. The idea of automatic indexing is different from the computerassisted indexing that professional back ofthe book indexers use. Oct 18, 20 professional indexer and successful selfpublished novelist joanne phillips provides an easytofollow guide to compiling an index for a selfpublished nonfiction book. Getting started in ebook indexing for indexers digital. But the index in the back of the book gets even more specific, telling you exactly which page you should turn to for a given subject. Because of the technology involved, ebook indexing is not the same as print book indexing.
There is a wealth of information on indexing, including books, workshops, webinars and training courses. Back of book indexing may seem to be a matter of picking out a few keywords from the text and shoving them into an index. Back of book indexes and table of contents have been the two most important means for accessing specific information in books. Smith indexing services bend and eugene, or sherry l smith, a professional indexer, offers indexing classes and workshops, as well as selfpaced individual tutorials. Linguistically motivated features for enhanced backofthebook. The idea of automatic indexing is different from the computerassisted indexing that professional back of the book indexers use. Switch back and forth between reading the kindle book and listening to the audible book with whispersync for voice. I used an excel spreadsheet as my notecards with topic heading in the first column and subheadings in the second column and the location of the reference in columns. The business also has its own url twinoaksindexing. The faq frequently asked questions has been compiled to provide basic information on indexing as a freelance career, and indicate some resources for further research. Investigations in unsupervised backofthebook indexing. People remember maybe 4% of what they read in a book one week after they read it.
Just yesterday i finished preparing the index for my forthcoming first book. Backofthebook index generation needs to identify the exact contextspages of a term to ensure its informative or valuable enough for indexing. This fourweek, asynchronous online course provides an introduction to, and handson practice in, the indexing process for a closedsystem text as opposed to periodicals or databases. Introduction to book indexing, library juice academy. The meaning of the book indexing hasnt changed compared to the. If you are not familiar with what an ebook index looks like, please see my post on, how to use an ebook index. However, automatic back of indexing has not been used for amharic books. Automatic procedures have been in use for the generation of back of book indexes. How to contract with a book indexer word for word book services. Introduction a back of the book index is a collection of words or phrases, often alphabetically arranged to allow users to locate information in a given book. Indexing for ebooks means creating a traditional back of the book style index familiar to all readers, where locators traditionally page numbers, are hyperlinked to their referenced passages within the ebook. W w ith textract you create the back of book index for the printed and ebook editions of your book in three steps, using a unique combination of automated and manual indexing just drop a pdf proof version of your book onto textract.
I love to index books, because it requires intense thinking thats like writing in reverse. When you index you help connect families by typing up historical documents so they can be published online. Each of us owns an equal part of the business, so all of us take great care to make every project exemplary of our highest professionalism. 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. Some systems can be adequate for a specific implementation. Backofthebook index, book index, term informativeness 1. Sep 17, 2010 how to index a book manuscript posted on september 17, 2010 by ctb 2 comments just yesterday i finished preparing the index for my forthcoming first book. Ebook indexing is a brand new field with few practitioners. Writing means thinking of an idea and creating content for it. If after reading parts 1 and 2 of this series youve decided that a computer isnt competent to index your book and that hiring a. Search the worlds most comprehensive index of fulltext books.
Then, to add to the discussion, at that same conference apple revealed that their next help engine will include synonym rings and will add a form of indexing back into their display. Dec 19, 2017 he read a book a day for about 50 years, five days a week. However, one difficulty the software has is finding terms that are not in the document. The index is always the last part of the book to be put together, and submission of. Front matter, back matter glossary, bibliography, appendixes, notes, etc. The type of index we mean here is the classic back of book index that shows page numbers on which topics and subtopics occur within the book.
Back of the book index, book index, term informativeness 1. Using a book index turn to the very back of the book, where the index lives, and look up the topic youre interested in. Based on your original post, it sounds to me like genscriber in its wine wrapped. The essays in had i known cover four decades in ehrenreichs varied career, and reveal that one. When you index a book, you see the underground structure that is deeper than the table of contents. Email to request more information for your particular project. There are programs that are sometimes called indexing software, but they may in reality be search engines, or concordance builders, or text mining software. Selective professional indexing, of course, is possible.
The main objective is to provide the student with a beginning skill set in producing a traditional back ofthe book index. Introduction a backofthebook index is a collection of words or phrases, often alphabetically arranged to allow users to locate information in a given book. You see the unsuspected connections, surprising references, and themes threaded throughout the text. In books, indexes are usually placed near the end this is commonly known as bob or backofbook indexing. The term book index itself derives from latin indicare, meaning to point or indicate. Nov 04, 20 interview on nonfiction book indexing with virginia c.
All episodes are now available for immediate download as a complete book. He also underlined them and made notations of key ideas and page numbers in the back. The author admits that the web has become so large and complex that it is beyond the scope of any single book to explain all of its components. A comprehensive look at how to create an index for a book in adobe indesign including settings for 1, 2, and 3level indexes.
This indexing method has the virtue that you can regenerate the index as many times as you want until the results are perfect. The pros and cons a surprisingly interesting discussion of whether it is necessary to create an index for a book one writesedits, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of creating the index oneself, hiring someone else to do it, or creating it with software, and how creating an index can be a feminist act. The main objective is to provide the student with a beginning skill set in producing a traditional back of the book index. To answer this need, the american society for indexing has focused on educating and creating standards for indexes in ebooks. We show you step by step how to index in a safe and.
Twin oaks indexing is a collective of individuals trained to create a clean and thorough back of book index within your budget, time, and space limitations. Moreover, it is the best method to use if suddenly the pagination of your book is to be changed. Nonfiction and scholarly ebooks lose value without indexes, and it isnt difficult to provide indexes for them. They address the basics of ump indexing style and formatting. But at the writersua march conference, microsofts longhorn features session declared that longhorns help system will not contain an index, because no one uses it. We provide continuous and reliable resources to keep up with your changing world. A computer can assist the project, however, by accurately locating and alphabetizing the entries. In a traditional back of the 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. Hiring other people to work for you is the smart thing to do. Owen 1994 and weinberg 1996 are two writers who have advocated professional indexing on a selective basis. Extensive information about the indexing business can be found here a separate associated website. Investigations in unsupervised backofthebook indexing andras csomai. This essay was published in 2 parts in keywords, the jounal of the american society of indexers asi. Are you a nonfiction author tasked with creating an index for your soontobe published book.
Also known as backofthebookindex, indexing is found at the end of the book and mostly sorted in alphabetical order. Frequently asked questions american society for indexing. It is available now from a bookstore or eretailer near you. For some reason, maybe because its my first book, i felt like i needed to do the index. December, 2017 3 comments what is an index in a book. In general, indexing refers to the organization of data according to a specific schema or plan. Index in a print document index in an onlinehelp system left panel roughdrafting an index. In the classes, you will learn about the basics of back ofthe book indexing with an emphasis on text analysis.
In order to decide whether to index under a prefix or a following element, one has to know which element is a prefix. In the classes, you will learn about the basics of back of the book indexing with an emphasis on text analysis. The amount of crossreferencing needed for your book is a significant consideration for the indexer when determining the cost of doing an index for a book. Indexing books, second edition chicago guides to writing. Weinberg specifically recommended back ofthe book type of indexing and this kind of indexing could certainly be applied to individual. One of the biggest differences between an index and a concordance is the organization of terms which allows the index to cover the books information in its entirety by a structured arrangement of interconnected headings, subheadings, and crossreferences. The indexer may be the author, the editor, or a professional indexer working as a third party. To create an index, you mark the index entries by providing the name of the main entry and the crossreference in your document, and then you build the index. An index lists the terms and topics that are discussed in a document, along with the pages that they appear on. Indexingonline, cindex, for instance only slightly rely on the analysis of the document content. Creating an index for a non ction book is the responsibility of the author, but most authors do not actually do it. Since back of book indexes solve some difficult for machines realworld language problems, it should not be a surprise that indexing paradigms can be useful in solving language problems other than creating indexes themselves.
Easy book to read and then find your way back to some topic as you actually start to do the indexing. Linguistically motivated features for enhanced backofthebook indexing. Semiautomatic indexing for qualityconscious indexers and authors semiautomatic book indexing. Can backofthebook indexes be automatically created. Professional integrity in partnership potomac indexing, llc. Aug 19, 2016 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. Fairy tales replay themselves time and time again over the centuries, without the assistance of the ati management bureau the effects could be devastating to society. In it, the term has various similar uses including, among other things, making information more presentable and accessible. In the end, i guess im glad i did it, though i dont think i will do it again in the future. As a part of the back matter, the index is found in the end pages of a book, and it can be a resourceful tool for readers who may be using the book in their research, or for readers who just want to read up on a certain subject. I may request to see the book or representative portions of the book before making my quote firm. This list of five faqs, kindly provided by professional indexer amron gravett, who is currently indexing allis guidebook, will help you understand the goal of an index, how to produce an index, and why an index is an essential part of your nonfiction book.
Mar 11, 2010 this indexing method has the virtue that you can regenerate the index as many times as you want until the results are perfect. Crossreferences are an important part of terminology control in your book. This selection of books and articles about indexing will be of interest to indexers and those thinking of becoming indexers. Saving time and assuring quality products in indexing, taxonomy, and information architecture. Front and back matter, which i request for background, are not considered indexable unless you request that they be indexed. An indexable page is any page in the body of the book. Advice is plentiful via the many names indexing resources and throughout this book. Some indexers specialize in specific formats, such as scholarly books, microforms, web indexing the application of a backofbookstyle index to a website or intranet, search engine indexing, database indexing the application of a predefined controlled vocabulary such as mesh to articles for inclusion in a database, and periodical indexing indexing of newspapers, journals. No matter what your content strategy and information access needs may be, potomac indexing can pull everything together for you. Indexing for ebooks means creating a traditional back ofthe book style index familiar to all readers, where locators traditionally page numbers, are hyperlinked to their referenced passages within the ebook. If after reading parts 1 and 2 of this series youve decided that a computer isnt competent to index your book and that hiring a professional isnt an option, and if youve never written an index. Some indexers specialize in specific formats, such as scholarly books, microforms, web indexing the application of a backofbookstyle index to a website or intranet, search engine indexing, database indexing the application of a predefined controlled vocabulary such as mesh to articles for inclusion in a database, and periodical indexing indexing of newspapers, journals, magazines. Heres why at his website, which happens to be an example of a very nicely done professional website. The best, most thorough, index must be created by a human, rather than a computer, as only a human has the cognitive skills to decode the meanings of the words enough to properly place them in an index.
An online index is much the same except that you supply hypertext links rather than page numbers. Bs 1749 alphabetical arrangement and the filing order of numerals and symbols. 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. If after reading parts 1 and 2 of this series youve decided that a computer isnt competent to index your book and that hiring a professional isnt an option, and if youve never written an index before, you might appreciate some advice. Its the most practical and straightforward guide to the process of composing index entries and compiling a working index. Indexing was initially released in episodes as a kindle serial. How to create an index for your book in adobe indesign. How to contract with a book indexer word for word book. Praise for handbook of indexing techniques, 5th edition i welcome this fifth edition. Books of the times barbara ehrenreich contains multitudes. Have you ever considered writing a nonfiction book. While the glossary defines specific words found in a book, the index merely tells you where to find them. As a part of the back matter, the index is found in the end pages of a book, and it can be a resourceful tool for readers who may be using the book in their research, or for readers who just want to read up on a.
The index is typically placed at the end of a book. An index should also capture any comparisons of one concept with another in your book. I grabbed indexing because it was a recommended book that i should enjoy and enjoy it i did. Reflections for her to love me, she had to be willing to kill me. May 21, 20 tria yes, there is a sequel scheduled, and itll be on the same sort of model released chapter by chapter for kindle, since indexing was originallymore yes, there is a sequel scheduled, and itll be on the same sort of model released chapter by chapter for kindle, since indexing was originally commissioned for the kindle serials program, and is due for release bit by bit sometime this. To make an index you must ask, for every passage in a book, if i were looking for this, what words would describe what i was looking for. Why dont we just use searches to find what we want in books or ebooks. This book was initially released in episodes as a kindle serial. Interview on nonfiction book indexing with virginia c. Its not unusual for publishers and editors who have not come from a scholarly background, or who have worked mainly with fiction, to have an incomplete understanding of what an index is, its purpose, and how it works. Pdf conceptual framework for abstractive text summarization.
If you are an author or editor needing to prepare an index to your book or other publication, you may wish to consult our indexer locator, which lists professional indexers, their areas of expertise, and full contact information. Getting started in ebook indexing for indexers indexes in ebooks are startlingly unused at this point in ebook development. As a general rule, only the body of the text is indexed. With over 100 projects from all over the world, you can find a project that helps you and others. How to index a selfpublished nonfiction book a beginners. Providing an index gives your nonfiction book a professional edge, and compiling one is as easy as abc once youve mastered the basic rules.