Tips for creating a book index

How to create an index table like a pro with microsoft word. How to create awesome book displays a stepbystep list. Its quite easy from the standpoint of operating the software, but it wont turn you into a professional indexer, which. Lets take a closer look on how we can customize the index style. To roundup all the pages a certain topic falls on, search for that word or phrase in your microsoft word document.

Book indexing how to make a book index in microsoft word. Think in terms of 10thousand work increments and break each chapter into roughly equal lengths. But if i had to pick an area that takes up the majority of my bookrelated time, it would be creating library book displays. If you have finished writing your book then you should be willing to create an index for it. I am trying to create an index for a 150,000 word document actually a book. Its like youre poking holes in a dark box to let the light in. Following the success of the index card post, pollack and olen teamed to write a book, the index card. For further information on indexing, and other aspects of manuscript preparation, take a look at our book.

Theres four books in this series and ive already started to release the ebook versions, so im looking at the best route i should take to index my books. If youre writing a book and need to create an index, this article will tell you everything you need to knowfrom tips and tricks for identifying the best terms to. Read the first chapter and skim the remainder of the book. An online index is much the same except that you supply. Lets talk about the term index this can have two different meanings in. I have been sent a draft 6 chapter book prepared in adobe pdf library 11. M y book was published just over four years ago and part of the writing process was creating an index.

I love to index books, because it requires intense thinking thats like writing in reverse. Separate these terms into main entries and subentries. You can also use professional tools like cindex or sky index to build an index outside of microsoft word and then embed your index back into your original document using a thirdparty tool like dexembed or. Hi, i just wrote an article click here to see article that illustrates how btree indexes work. The beginners guide to indesign styles in this bitesize tutorial, well look at how to create styles and apply them to text and objects throughout your indesign documents. Important writing tips and a professional writing model are included. Writing means thinking of an idea and creating content for it. Once youve started writing, you need a total word count for your book. Fivestep process for writing a book index the writing. But if youre a firsttime indexer, or if youre looking for a bit of extra guidance on how to create a highquality index, read on for simple tips that will make your book stand out in the crowd.

Before you buy before you click the buy book button to place your order, do one last proofreading pass of any. August 8, 2016 by alex reading printed books, it is so common to. In this article im going to leave aside the editorial. To make an index you must ask, for every passage in a book, if i were looking for this, what words would describe what i.

An index lists the terms and topics that are discussed in a document, along with the pages that they appear on. Before you selfpublish your book, you can easily add an index to your back matter. Large files like real books are difficult to navigate because you cannot search them by the songs. Ill need to create an index for the print versions of my how to write and selfpublish a travel guide series. Theoretically, an index is a structured sequenceresulting from a thorough and complete analysis of textof synthesized access points to all the information contained in the text. For each idea segment, create an entry with a name that. Creating an index card for each individual entry can help you sort and organize the entries before typing them up. When you index a book, youre creating thousands of access points that allow a reader to quickly get to the sections they need. Ten tips to help you create a great book index index busters.

I have been writing indexes professionally since 2011, with over two hundred indexes under my belt, and i still get lost in the details for a particularly complex book or index. If youre creating an index for multiple documents in a book, create or open the document. Are you a nonfiction author tasked with creating an index for your soontobe published book. 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. This is a video tutorial on how to create an index of large scores in the ipad app forscore. The type of index we mean here is the classic backofbook index that shows page numbers on which topics and subtopics occur within the book. Now, for some libraries or book stores, creating displays requires. Weve put together this helpful infographic which offers 8 tips on compiling your index. In the age of smartphones and ebooks, a book index might seem like a relic of the past. To make the task easier i wrote a macro to assist me. You believe that an index will add value to your book, and maybe you have even sat down to write an index only to get lost in the details.

For further information on indexing, and other aspects of manuscript preparation, take a look at our book authors resources here. An index is a document reference or list word 2016 can build and format, providing that you know the trick. Go to the end of the master document and click the insert index button one more time and click the ok button this time to create the index. Pdf index generator is a powerful indexing utility for generating the back of your book index and writing it to your book in 4 easy steps. 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. If it freaks you out, well, that might tell you something. To make an index you must ask, for every passage in a book, if i were looking. How to make an index 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. I have a book mansucript in pdf, and i want to create an index. How to make a really good book index in word tck publishing. Basically, they store key values that are to be looked up in their associated table.

Creating a book index from pdf page proofs posted on august 20, 2012 august 8, 2016 updated. The index for a typical nonfiction book can look bewildering, with its entries and subentries, each with its own indentation plan. More tips for creating books here are some more advanced tips for creating photo books. I have index built across the songs and print the page numbers out with the index of titles. To gauge your own aptitude, you might look at the indexing chapter of the chicago manual of style. This list of five faqs, kindly provided by professional indexer amron gravett, who is currently. You must mark text in a document for inclusion in the index.

You can sign up for a monthly or annual subscription, and cancel anytime, so if you. How to create a key words index in back of pdf book. The sublime joy of making a book index without bullshit. Thats all we have on how to create an index table with a concordance file. An index is curated, written to guide the reader to what is most important and relevant. Fivestep process for writing a book index the writing cooperative. Read the whole book again during preparation of an edited book i figure i have probably read the. If youre creating an index for a single document, you may want to add a new page at the end of the document. Creating a book index by yourself is not impossible. Timeconsuming, yes, but most of my writers produce an index in the three or four weeks i give them, even while theyre teaching or traveling. Here are 10 tips to help you better understand all the main principles of book indexing. Creating an index in microsoft word typefi support. To create this, the indexer needs to read the whole book. A reader asked me to do a video on how to make a book index in word.

Sign up here to get james pattersons tips for writing mystery novels and. Apologies if this sounds mindnumbingly obvious but here are my 10 steps to generating a book index. An index is a critical, yet often undervalued, piece of many nonfiction books, especially informationdense books like reference books, selfhelp and advice books, textbooks, and cookbooks. How to create a key words index in back of pdf book edit pdf. Blog 10 tips youd know before creating a book index. X research source for example, if youre writing a book on bicycle. Its quite easy from the standpoint of operating the software, but it wont. A good index is accurate, concise, and provides complete coverage of the book s information. Book indexing for authors webinar learn how to index your own. Consider on a sliding scale where the book falls between a onetime read and a reference book, and provide less or more detail accordingly.