by Leslie Farrell

Make money while you read in the comfort of your own home! It may sound like a scam, but the field of indexing, in which you read a soon-to-be-published book and then develop its index, is a respected field and a marketable profession.

"I love to read, so indexing allows me to do something I enjoy while getting paid for it," said Sandi Schroeder, the American Society of Indexers president. She began indexing when she was pregnant, and her business grew along with her daughter. She is currently teaching her now grown daughter how to index.

How does the indexing process work? Schroeder compares it to putting together a crossword puzzle. The indexer gets assigned a book from a publisher, reads it, then determines what words should be indexed and how best to do it.

Different types of books have different challenges and methods, says Seth Maislin, indexing teacher, indexer, consultant and information architect. When indexing technical books, it may be easier to figure out what words should be indexed, but understanding the subject matter may be difficult. Technical books usually pay more, but the deadlines are tighter. When indexing collegiate books such as biographies and commentaries, it is usually more challenging to determine which words should be indexed, but the subject matter is likely more interesting. These books pay less, but their deadlines are more open.

Having worked on the publishing side where he hired and worked with indexers, as well as being an experienced indexer himself, Maislin offers advice for those getting started:

• Give your business time to succeed. "It's rare you could support yourself on indexing the first year. You have to have an alternate income such as a (working) spouse or part-time job," he said, adding that he did temporary work for six months before he could make enough money to successfully freelance.
• Dedicate yourself. You must network, distribute résumés, and do all the other things you normally must do to find a job. The difference is that you need to keep looking for new contracts.
• Contact companies as well as publishers because many need indexers for internal documentation.
• Ask questions. Understand what you read, and if you don't, ask questions. It's your job to get between the writer and readers. "If you don't understand what it's about, how can you predict what the readers need?" Maislin asks.
• Consider specializing. Use your areas of expertise, said Maislin, who has a BA and an MA in engineering, making indexing technical books a natural for him.
• Be creative. It's not as simple as looking up a word and then writing it down; it's fun and challenging.
• Meet deadlines and be accurate.
• Investigate the industry; know the publishing field. "It's easy for indexers to lead an isolated life. Anything other than isolation can only help," Maislin said.
• Charge what you're worth. (Don't undersell yourself.) "The biggest mistake self-employed people make is that they undervalue themselves. Indexing is a marketable, demanding skill·.The value of information is how you find it. If the index is poor, the book is poor," he said.

How much should a freelance indexer charge? The norm is $3.50 per page, Schroeder said, adding it can go up to $10 for complicated manuscripts. "The more you do it, the faster you work. If you're in it longer, you'll be offered more difficult books that pay more·.If a project has slipped, the company will ask how fast you can do it. If you can do it fast and get them back on schedule, the publishers will pay for it," she said.

The authors usually pay for the indexing because it's their responsibility. Some index themselves, but most hire professional indexers. "If you are fast and accurate, and they can depend on you, you'll get more primo books. Some authors will request you again," she said.

Indexers have an excellent support system. They meet and help each other through the American Society of Indexers and through e-mail lists INDEX-L@LISTSERV.BINGHAMTON.EDU and Indexstudents@onelist.com. While ASI does not have a Florida chapter, its web site (www.asindexing.org) is invaluable to anyone interested in the field. They refer work to each other and offer advice across the internet.

Naples resident Jan Mucciarone said other indexers have been a terrific resource for her. She is currently indexing her first paying book, a manuscript about mountain biking for an Alabama publisher.

Mucciarone's first book, a volunteer project, was one she indexed for Pineapple Press in Sarasota to gain experience. While many indexers start out on a volunteer project, Maislin advises against volunteering for a company you would like to eventually pay you. Publishers for which you volunteer will be less likely to pay you top fees later on, he said.

Mucciarone took the indexing correspondence course through the U.S. Department of Agriculture and studied an additional year on her own. The USDA course is the most popular way to start, Schroeder said. Information about this is available on the ASI web site.

When it comes to indexing, your location is unimportant. "Most of my indexes are being sent out by e-mail if not by Federal Express," Schroeder said. "I remember talking with someone whose husband was transferred overseas, and she continued to work even overseas."

Although indexers are great resources for each other and often help one another, the field is very competitive. The average response rate is 2 or 3 to 100 letters sent, said Mucciarone. And those aren't even necessarily positive responses.

Managing Editor Deidre Bryan, of University Press of Florida, said she has noticed a "startling increase" in the number of resumes she's gotten from freelance indexers over the last year. The University Press of Florida, the press that serves the public universities of the state's university system, relies on 5 or 6 regular indexers. "We've added more new ones in the last year than in past years," she said.

Mucciarone, a receptionist by day and indexer by night, speculated it takes three to five years before you can index full-time. "Some people start and get discouraged. The people who make it are the people who wait," she said.