INDEXING

Books with indexes are more likely to be purchased by libraries, schools, and the public. But an index is not just a concordance or a list of keywords, like Microsoft Windows’s indexing function creates. Automated software cannot provide thoughtful, relevant cross-referencing.

Here’s a tongue-in-cheek comparison to show how a computer generated list doesn’t work as well as an index.

chocolate chip cookies, 20, 21, 23, 24, 26, 27, 29

            chocolate, 20, 21, 23, 24, 26, 27, 29

            chocolate chips, 20, 21, 23, 24, 26, 27, 29

            cookies, 20, 21, 23, 24, 26, 27, 29

vs.

chocolate chip cookies, 20–24, 26–27, 29

            dough, 29

            oven temperature, 20

            freezing, 29

            hiding, 29

            variations of, 20, 27

            See also cavities; childhood; chocolate chips; comfort food

            See also under baking; cookies

Professional indexers are readers’ subject-matter guides, pointing the way to useful information, including cross-references to synonyms and related concepts, while avoiding passing mentions. On dedicated software, they write and rework thousands of entries before settling on a final version. Creating indexes takes time to read the text and then write, edit, and proofread the entries. This is why engaging indexers should not be done at the last minute.