The Importance Of A Good Index 

 A Cautionary Tale For Authors

Picture the scene: You've managed to secure publishing for your non-fiction masterpiece and finally - finally! - your dream is on its way to realisation. You spent months - if not years - writing the thing, and soon readers everywhere will be able to absorb your words of wisdom.

Your publisher asks you to provide a back-of-the-book index. You get a quote for a professional index...

'How much?' you shriek in horror. Just to put together a list of words?

There's nothing wrong with authors compiling their own indexes - many do a fine job. But many, many more are simply too close to the work to be able to step back and view the text from an index user's point of view. The job of an indexer is to think backwards - what might a reader search for, and which words might they use, particularly if they are unfamiliar with the subject. Expert authors often find it difficult to be this detached.

A bad index is a disaster for any book. Readers are frustrated, annoyed, disappointed and confused - and they will blame the author every time. It is up to you to make your work as accessible as possible, not only to satisfy your readers, but also to encourage repeat sales of this and future books.

And don't for a second imagine a computer can do any better. Computers are wonderful things, but they do not yet understand the subtleties of language necessary to sift and shape a great index.

Put your text in the hands of an expert and concentrate on what you do best - writing books. As for that so-called exorbitant fee - think of it as a guarantee against loss of future sales. A great index is a joy to use - your readers will certainly think it was real value for money.