A book passes through many hands on its path to publication, and we as editorial freelancers can become better collaborators with each other and better guides for our authors the more we know about each stage of publishing. This session will spotlight indexing, the indispensable work of producing a detailed, searchable roadmap to a book, both an art and a craft that anticipates the information readers will need and where they will look for it. Indexing brings essential value to nonfiction works and requires the skill of a professional (and human) indexer. Rather than just plucking terms from a document, an indexer reads the entire book, analyzes and extracts substantive terms and concepts, chooses appropriate phrasing, and adds cross-references to help the reader effectively navigate the index.

Join professional indexers Elizabeth Bartmess and Michele Combs, both members of the American Society for Indexing’s AI Committee, for an intro to indexing that will cover the essentials:

What an index is and the history of indexing

How to hire and work with an indexer

How (and whether) to edit an index

Why AI isn’t up to the job

Audience Q&A

About the Speakers:

Elizabeth Bartmess is the chair of the American Society for Indexing’s AI Committee. She is an award-winning freelance indexer specializing in back-of-book and embedded indexes for scholarly, trade, and technology and design books. She also develops software utilities for indexers.

Michele Combs is a freelance indexer and editor with more than 20 years’ experience and also works full time as the lead archivist at Syracuse University’s Special Collections Research Center. She is a past president of the American Society for Indexing and a member of ASI’s AI Committee.

Questions?

Please contact the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter Coordinator Caitlan Cole at

caitlanc16@gmail.com .