> I can say with some assurance that indexing i...

2009-02-26T08:30:00.000-08:00

> I can say with some assurance that indexing is quite a different task than proofreading, and a profession in its own right.

I was about to say the same thing, Hank. According to Olav Kvern and David Blatner, authors of the Real World InDesign CS3 bible:

"A Note to the Author Contemplating Self-Indexing.

Hire a professional indexer. The author of a text is the worst person for the job. You simply know the material too well (or, if you don't, why in the world did you write the book?) to create a useful index. A professional indexer will read and understand your text, and will create an index that opens it up to a wider range of possible readers than you ever could. It's what they do."

Don't despair Dave...I'm sure it will be fine! As I'm writing fiction the problem of indexing doesn't occur, but proofreading is making me want to weep even more than teaching myself CSS did, and the first thing I will budget for once my publishing company can afford it is a professional proofreader. I sigh over the idea of a proofreader like normal women sigh over shoes.

I do love writing all the squiggly marks though.

Especially the curly wurly delete mark.

Chuckle. Why not run the analysis on the decision...

2008-12-12T16:40:00.000-08:00

Chuckle. Why not run the analysis on the decisions about proofreading and indexing, in your copious spare time, if you can do that retroactively? It'd likely become a lively thread for your blog.

Having made a living for decades as a proofreader and editor, and created a few indexes, I can say with some assurance that indexing is quite a different task than proofreading, and a profession in its own right.

Good summary here:
http://www.indexers.org.uk/index.php?id=463

Judgment and Decision Making

> I can say with some assurance that indexing i...

Chuckle. Why not run the analysis on the decision...