what is an index in a nonfiction book
3 It prevents writers block. It serves as a key or map for finding specific topics in lengthier books.
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There are three main reasons for this.
. June 18 2022. Start 30-Day Free Trial. Also with an outline you can avoid the cursor of death and writers block because youve mapped out what you.
Because the index has to be done at the very end after the book has been written rewritten edited edited some more copyedited designed and typeset the indexing schedule is vulnerable to being squeezed. Readers Expect an Index. An index is a critical yet often undervalued piece of many nonfiction books especially information-dense books like reference books self-help and advice books textbooks and cookbooks.
If you need to find specific information in the book use the index to locate the section or pages. For nonfiction books packed with valuable information a well-made index can. Sue Klefstad is also known as Sue the indexer.
Index entries must be created. Order the index entries you want. An index adds a level of authority and professionalism to a book that readers often look for.
Typically the last several pages of a nonfiction book contain. 4 It does not take a long time to create a good outline. Having made an index for several different nonfiction print books over the years I have a set of suggestions for how to create an index.
For more articles on indexes and indexing see Sues website. The majority of books that are sold and read throughout America are nonfiction books. But for most nonfiction books I think the answer is yes an index will add value.
Formatting questions should be addressed. When it comes to nonfiction especially encyclopedic works a key paratext element is an index. 1 You can write your book quickly once your outline is complete.
A good index will ultimately make your book more useful easier to navigate and will ensure that your readers refer back to your book time and time again. 3 It prevents writers block. If the designers hard drive crashes the author goes AWOL or the copyeditor has a baby the time reserved for the index gets shortened.
2 You have a high word count which will keep your production high. An index turns a nonfiction book into a reference book. An index is essentially a roadmap to the book listing names places and things in alphabetical order and giving the page numbers associated with each topic.
The words listed can be technical terms places persons or multiple words. One of the elements of a book that doesnt get spoken of much is the index. The purpose of the index is to give the reader an easy way to reference specific chunks of text or information and can also be a useful way to quickly find images or tables included in the book.
This is an alphabetical listing of the topics in the books and on what pages they can be found. This raises the distinction between an index and a concordance. I prefer to do this manually.
If you are only learning how to index here is a step-by-step guide that will help you get started. When I use the search tool that comes with an online article or an eBook Im often disappointed. With more than 15 years in publishing and a background spanning the sciences and technology Sue writes indexes that enhance the text make reviewers happy and sell more copies.
The index may be the deciding factor when readers are choosing between two similar books. Typically the last several pages of a nonfiction book contain the index. The use of indexing software is useful.
It easily pulls up every match of the word which isnt always helpful. It is a good idea to read the book ahead of time. This step may seem obvious but I think it is worth repeating that while it is possible to automate the formatting of an index and to even have software pull out keywords a human being still needs to select the index entries that will be relevant to the reader.
Ad Download Audiobooks Enjoy Unlimited Reading Listening. An index is an alphabetized list of subjects and terms used and discussed in the book with their corresponding page numbers and is great to use in nonfiction books. One of the elements of a book that doesnt get spoken of much is the index.
Nonfiction books provide factual information and cover almost any topic. In fact some books may have an entirely separate index for images maps or other aspects of the text in order to make this experience easier.
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