Indexing

Indexing: How to do it

Author Learning Center — Thu, 10 May 2018 16:41:18 GMT

Current Revision posted to Indexing by Author Learning Center on 5/10/2018 4:41:18 PM

There are a number of software programs designed to assist with the indexing process, including Cindex, Macrex, PDF Index Generator, SkyIndex and TExtract. Most word processing software, such as Microsoft Word, also includes an indexing tool. However, as discussed in other articles on the topic (here on the Author Learning Center), no matter what software you use, the actual entries that will go into the index should be carefully considered and selected by the author. Below are some frequently asked questions about indexing.

HOW you index will depend on the software that you use. We’ll use Microsoft Word as our example. Here’s an overview of the process:
1. Ensure the book is well organized to begin with.
2. Identify the word or phrase you’d like to index and select it with your mouse
3. Click the option to “mark” the item as an indexed item. The location of this option will vary by the version of Microsoft Word that you are using. For example, in Microsoft Office 2007, there is a “Reference” tab in which you can find an “Index” section. The “Mark Entry” option is in that section. You just highlight your word and click “Mark Entry”.
a. Confirm the main entry
b. Note any cross references
c. Indicate if you are indexing the item as part of this page or as part of a range of pages
d. Note if you’d like the page reference to display in bold or italics
e. Click “Mark” and you’ll see that the Word application adds {XE} to the word you marked. This does not show up in the printed version of the book. It is used by the software to build the actual index later.
4. Continue through the book, marking all entries.
5. When complete, move your cursor to the location in your book where you’ll insert the index. Choose the “Reference” tab and in the “Index” section, click “Insert Index”.

A common question is whether you should mark words for indexing during writing or at the end. I would recommend against indexing while you write because you might be wasting time. We often edit out a great deal of a book. Why bother indexing content that may not make the final cut? Also, the arrangement of that content may change during editing and if you index page ranges but then move some of the content out of those pages, your item won’t be included in the indexed item. It’s better to get your book to the final version before you add the index so that you aren’t doing unnecessary work. What you CAN do during the writing process is keep a list of topics, names, places, etc… that you think should be in the index. Then, when the manuscript is finished, you can search for instances of that item and your index marking will move along a little faster. Ultimately you’ll need to read the entire manuscript and mark as you go (searching isn’t enough) but having a list of what you want to index can be a big help in the process.

Tags: article, fiction, Nonfiction

Indexing: Best Practice

Author Learning Center — Thu, 10 May 2018 16:33:03 GMT

Current Revision posted to Indexing by Author Learning Center on 5/10/2018 4:33:03 PM

Like anything else, indexing has a set of best practices. A good index adds value to your book. The key to compiling a good index is to remember that every pertinent topic and name mentioned in the book should be included. Another way to approach indexing is to consider what NOT to index. Here are some things that should NOT be indexed:

• Authors cited in the bibliography
• Illustrations, if the book already contains a list of these
• Unimportant subjects (of course, this is subjective, and is invariably a matter of the indexer’s perspective)
• Incidental names of people, topics and places that are not mentioned beyond being used as examples

So what should be included? Remember that the index is a reference tool designed to help the reader quickly locate instances of certain key topics in your book. With that in mind, you know best what is or is not relevant to your readers. So use your judgment about what is pertinent. Do you want to make it easy for the reader to locate the information about pineapples you included in your book on healthy fruits? Then index should cover relevant mentions of the topic but not instances where it’s mentioned in passing. For instance, include the chart describing the variety of pineapples, the reference to where they are commonly grown, the best place to buy them, and the tips list on how to pick a good pineapple.

Be sure that your index clearly separates different perspectives on the information. For example, you wouldn’t want to list “Pineapples: pp. 1, 4, 6, 29, 65, 99”. “Pineapples” is a pretty broad topic and doesn’t help the reader narrow down the information they are trying to locate. Instead, you might index it as “Pineapples; varieties: p. 99”; “Pineapples; commonly grown areas: p. 101”; “Pineapples; best place to buy: p. 102”; and “Pineapples; how to pick: p. 103”. Also, don’t forget to cross reference with other topics. If you are indexing “Tropical Fruits” you will want an entry for all items mentioned, including mangos, durians, papayas, and yes… pineapples.

There are a number of software programs designed to assist with the indexing process, including Cindex, Macrex, PDF Index Generator, SkyIndex and TExtract. Also, most word processing software, such as Microsoft Word, includes an indexing tool. However, the key to a good index is the proper selection of which items to include in it. This is a manual effort by which you select each word that you want to index and ‘mark’ it as part of the index. It requires that the book be well structured to begin with, and that the indexer be familiar with the content.

See other articles here on the author Learning Center about who should do the indexing and how to do it.

Tags: article, fiction, Nonfiction

Indexing: When Should You Include an Index?

Author Learning Center — Thu, 10 May 2018 16:28:42 GMT

Current Revision posted to Indexing by Author Learning Center on 5/10/2018 4:28:42 PM

An index is an alphabetical list of topics or names mentioned in a printed work that gives each item the page number where it may be found within the text. For example, in a history book about the Civil War there may be a chapter on weapons, but in order to find where a particular weapon (for example the Gatling gun) is mentioned in the book, the researcher would turn to the index. There may be chapters on Abraham Lincoln, Robert E. Lee, Ulysses Grant and Jefferson Davis, but if you want to see what the author has to say about Stonewall Jackson, you would consult the index. So, an index is a way for a reader to quickly find a specific item, topic or name in a book.

Not every book requires or is enhanced by including an index. You won’t find an index in your favorite novel, for instance. That’s because a novel is a story. Its purpose is to engage and entertain, not to instruct. Granted, some novels purport to be instructional, but for the most part they are undocumented, and their version of the truth requires no authentication. The take-home lesson: Indices add value to scholarly, scientific or “how-to” books, but are not necessary for works of fiction.

Whether an index is required is not determined by the format of the book itself. An eBook can utilize an index as readily as a printed work. In fact, eBooks not only owe their existence to the digital revolution; they also reap certain benefits when it comes to indexing. An eBook can include an embedded index. This means that certain words can be hyperlinked to point out where that word can be found in the text. Depending on the sophistication of the eBook software, word searches can also serve as an effective index.

If you’re trying to figure out whether an index makes sense for your book, think about the type of book you’ve written. An index is advisable when if you want to provide the reader a source for quick reference. Textbooks, “how-to” books, biographies and scientific and scholarly works are some of the types of books wherein an index adds value. Novels are not. And, whether you’ve published a traditional, printed book or a digital eBook does not determine if an index is needed. It’s the content and the purpose of the book that drives this decision.

See other articles here on the author Learning Center about who should do the indexing, some best practices, and how to do it.

Tags: article, fiction, Nonfiction

Indexing: Who Does it?

Author Learning Center — Fri, 20 Apr 2018 16:12:06 GMT

Current Revision posted to Indexing by Author Learning Center on 4/20/2018 4:12:06 PM

If you are find a traditional publisher for your book, odds are that doing the indexing will be part of the deal. When deciding whether to index your book yourself or to allow your publisher to do it, remember: A poorly done index is worse than no index at all. You should make sure the publisher’s index will be up to your standards before allowing them to handle this important task. On one hand, if a publisher offers to publish your book, but requires you to include an index, that creates extra work for you. Still, you might want to think twice before telling them to get lost; the publisher has access to the indexing software that fits the types of books they publish, which is great for format and consistency. But, they also use freelancers to do the work, freelancers who may be less than familiar with your book and could miss some key terms. In any event, deciding who will handle your index is a step that should not be taken lightly.

As for eBooks, so many companies offer this format that you should research each company’s individual policies on indexing. In an eBook, the index can be embedded (nested behind hyperlinks), so the issue may be to simply supply the words you want to be indexed. However, if you are technophobic there are a number of freelance eBook formatters out there. If need be, find one who will include the creation of an index for your eBook.

Once you’ve decided who will handle your index, the real issue becomes deciding what said index will contain. Who knows better than the author the words, names and topics that should be indexed? This is a strong reason for the author to do it him/herself, or at least have final say over the completed index. Remember, an index is valuable, and could easily become a deciding criteria of purchase for a reader. A book lacking an index can easily end up back on the shelf in favor of one with a reliable index.

If someone is going to publish your book, they have the option of doing an index themselves or leaving it to you (or even requiring you to do it.) In the eBook format, the industry is evolving so rapidly that anything written here could be obsolete by the time you read it. Translation: Do your research. Whether you go the traditional of the eBook route, you need to find the balance between the amount of work you are willing to do and the value of having a well done index.

See other articles here on the author Learning Center about which books require indexing, some best practices, and how to do it.

Tags: article, fiction, Nonfiction

What is Self-Indexing?

Author Learning Center — Fri, 20 Apr 2018 13:58:01 GMT

Current Revision posted to Indexing by Author Learning Center on 4/20/2018 1:58:01 PM

While many authors opt to hire professional indexers to produce a book’s index, you may feel like tackling the process yourself. That’s great! Self-indexing is complex, but if you’re curious about the process, feel you know your book better than anyone else, and believe yourself to have the language skills and attention to detail necessary to do it well, then self-indexing may be the best option for you.

Self-indexing is almost like writing your book in reverse. While you’re writing, you’re combining unique ideas and presenting them as one simple theme or concept. When you’re self-indexing, you are taking those concepts apart again and thinking about what separate ideas people might be looking for.

Think about it like this: When an author is creating a cookbook, he/she is putting ingredients together to create a unique dish. Many readers will flip through the cookbook, see the dish, and decide to make it. Others, however, may be looking specifically for a recipe that contains chicken. Instead of flipping through the entire cookbook to find the recipes that contain chicken, it would be much easier for them to look at the index and find the exact page numbers of recipes that include the ingredient they are looking for.

Being able to identify and understand the key concepts of your book is essential for self-indexing—which possibly makes you, the author, one of the best people to do it. However, it does require you to step into many readers’ shoes to imagine what they may be looking for.

So let’s start at the beginning.

What is an Index?

In its simplest form, an index is an alphabetical list of names or topics that appear throughout a book, alongside the page numbers for where a reader can locate that information. Many things can have an index—websites, books, e-books, and periodicals, to name a few—but they all exist for the same purpose: to help readers quickly and easily find what they’re looking for.

Think about walking into a bookstore. If you’re looking for a travel book on Mexico, you know to go to the travel book section and look alphabetically under “M”. Indexing is a similar concept. Just like a bookstore, your book may be full of great information. But a reader may be looking for one specific thing. If you provide them a guide to find it, they find what they need, and the process is as easy as it can be—they’re much more likely to come back in the future.

An index should include every part of a book, including the introduction and any footnotes or endnotes that elaborate on topics covered in the main text. However, there are a few exceptions. Front matter such as your title page, dedications, table of contents, and acknowledgements do not get indexed. The same goes for glossaries, bibliographies, and citations or references throughout the text. Prefaces, footnotes, or endnotes also don’t need to be included unless they contain information not found elsewhere in the book.

Should I Include an Index?

Not every book requires an index. In fact, most books probably don’t. But it’s ultimately up to you to decide whether or not an index would actually enhance the reader’s experience with your book. Can you imagine a reader coming to your book to look for something specific rather than reading it cover to cover? If so, you’re right to consider an index. Putting together an index—especially self-indexing—can be tough work, so make sure it’s worth the effort before you dive in.

In order to decide if an index makes sense for your book, think about the purpose of your book. Are you writing a book that’s written more to entertain than to provide information? Does your book cover one topic that’s not incredibly complex and is simple to navigate on its own? Then you probably don’t need to worry about self-indexing.

Is the primary purpose of your book to instruct or provide in-depth information on complicated topics? Do you cover many different subjects throughout your book? Do you frequently reference people, places, or themes in more places than one? If so, your book would probably benefit from including an index.

How Do I Self-Index?

Self-indexing can be a complex process. Doing all the work yourself—especially if it’s your first time—can be a difficult feat. But you also know your book better than anyone else, so if you’re up for the challenge, you’re the best person to do the work.

You probably don’t need to worry about self-indexing until your book is fully written and edited. This is because so much of your book gets altered and removed during this process. You don’t want to take the time to self-index just to have to re-do it again at the end. However, if you’re still writing, feel free to take the extra step and write down any names or topics you think may be important to include later.

There are many great programs and software for self-indexing, each slightly different, that can help ease the process. However, none of them can do the work for you. Just like writing, indexing is not mechanical—it’s an art. It requires you to make constant value judgments on what to include and what to leave out.

The self-indexing process as a whole can be broken down into 5 basic steps:

1. If you know your book is going to have an index before you begin writing, keep a running list of any names or topics you may want to include in the index as you go along. If your book is already written, take it line by line. Write down every name, term, or concept that may be important. It’s better to start off with too much than too little.

2. Keep your list of terms in an alphabetized document and include the page number. Don’t worry about organizing them yet—just get them down.

3. Combine terms by checking the document for duplicates. Make sure every duplicate actually refers to the same person or concept. For example, ensure two people with the same name are not combined into one.

4. Go through your terms and try to think of any variants—is there another way this term could be phrased? If someone were to go looking for this, what exactly might they look for?

5. Repeat the process until you feel confident you’ve done all the self-indexing you can.

Self-indexing can be difficult because it requires a lot of decisions and assumptions about who your audience will be and what they will find important. Every judgment about what is and isn’t important is up to you. Not to mention, there is little opportunity for feedback, so it’s hard to know whether or not your efforts are successful until it’s too late. However, with the right focus and attention to detail, self-indexing ensures your index is up to your standards—and will be a great skill to add to your writing toolbox.

Tags: article, fiction, Nonfiction

Indexing

Author Learning Center — Fri, 20 Apr 2018 13:28:12 GMT

Current Revision posted to Indexing by Author Learning Center on 4/20/2018 1:28:12 PM