If you are writing a non-fiction book, you may be wondering about having an index. This blog post will look at what the point of an index is, why you would have one and how it can improve your book. Having an index is an important part of your book and it helps to ensure that it looks the part, so it is vital that you include one if necessary and hire a professional indexer to ensure it is done properly.
What is an Index?
An index acts as a sort of map of your book, helping readers to find the exact place that they need. This means that they can locate any data or information that they are looking for easily, without having to guess which chapter it might appear in and whether it could be mentioned in multiple places. Primarily, it can be thought of as a tool to help the reader and make your book more accessible.
I’m sure you have already seen multiple indexes, so you know what they look like! They are an alphabetical list of terms and topics that appear in the book, followed by the numbers of the pages on which they appear. There may be some slight differences in style, but ranges of pages are typically indicated by an en dash “–”, whereas each different entry is separated by a comma.
You will also notice that each heading may have multiple sub-headings below it, further narrowing down the topics. There may also be some cross-references, where one heading redirects the reader to look under another one, such as “kittens, see cats”. Alternatively, it may be a “see also”, letting the reader know where they could find more information, such as “proofreading, 21, see also editing”.
There may be some terms that are synonymous and lead to the same information but are double-posted to make things easier for the reader. For example, you might find entries for both “ocean” and “sea” that list the same page numbers. A good indexer will know the terms that readers are likely to look up and include these double-posts if necessary.
Do I Need an Index?
There are a number of reasons why you need an index. One of the more obvious ones is for all the reasons highlighted above – they add functionality to your book, allowing your readers to easily find the particular part that they are looking for. This is especially important in a non-fiction book, where it is supposed to be a practical reference material.
They also allow potential buyers to have a glance at your book and decide whether the topic is something that interests them. Rather than having to flip through individual chapters, they can instead just turn to the back of the book looking for relevant index terms. If your book is only available as an ebook, samples on Amazon often include a few pages from the back so they could take a look here, or you can make the index available on your own or the book’s website.
Another advantage of having an index is for experts in your topic to use. They can learn a lot from a glance as with all readers, but the difference here is that they can then make an informed decision on whether your book will be useful to them as an expert. They will know from the index how much your book includes, whether there is anything missing and how competent you are in the topic. Having an expert interested in your book means that they may tell others in their field about it and you can gain some extra sales that way.
A researcher using your book will also need an index. This is not just so that they can find the relevant information in your book, although this is important. An index with all of its cross-references can also help them to find new, related topics that will help them in their research.
The other way your book will benefit from having an index is by making it more marketable. It is expected that non-fiction books will have an index and your book may well suffer for not having one. For example, many libraries will not stock books that do not have an index.
Why Should I Use a Professional Indexer?
The main reason for using a professional indexer is that they are specifically trained in this skill. They will also have more experience and know exactly what your index should and shouldn’t include. They will be able to read through your book deciding what is important and how readers would be likely to search for it.
There are a few reasons you shouldn’t do your own indexing work. Firstly, you will already be too familiar with your book – it is difficult to decide what to include in an index when you know the whole book inside out and backwards. Secondly, you are an expert in the topic of your book, but an indexer is an expert in how readers think and what word or phrase they would use to look something up in an index.
Wrapping Up
I hope that you now know more about what indexes are and when you would need one, as well as why you would use a professional indexer. Next time, we will be looking at interior formatting, so come back in two weeks for that!
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