faqs2

up but that don't actually appear in the text and adds these synonyms to the
index with appropriate cross-references. They will also create entries for names,
places, definitions and other important terms.

Next, indexers find all related information that may have been scattered through-
out the text and gather it together under an appropriate heading. Finally, the
indexer will edit the main headings, subheadings, double-postings, and cross-
references and, in general, organize the ideas of the book into a systematic and
useful directory.

How long does it take?

In general, a trade book of average complexity requires one week for every 150-
200 pages of text. However, factors such as the complexity of the subject matter,
the density of the text, and the number of indexes required, may affect the
delivery time.

For further information see the FAQ page at The American Society for Indexing.

Can't a computer generate an index?

Not exactly. What a computer can do is generate a
concordance, which is an alphabetical list of all the principal
words in a book and the pages on which they appear. Back-
of-the-book indexing is much more complex and intuitive.

So how is it done?

The indexing process begins with the receipt of the final
page proofs. The indexer thoroughly reads and analyzes the
text and determines all the significant concepts that need to
be included, being careful to mark the page ranges of each
discussion. They also read between the lines, looking for
any general concepts or abstract ideas that may not be
stated explicitly.

Once all the major concepts have been established, the
indexer then thinks of other terms that a reader might look