How did you become an Indexer?

I read an article by a freelance indexer in my professional journal (Library Association Record) and thought "I could do that". At the time, we didn't have any children, but we were living in the South-East and wanted to move back North to be nearer our families. The idea was that if I could work anywhere in the UK it would give us more flexibility.

Did you have formal training?

Yes I did the 'Society of Indexers' distance learning course (see http://www.indexers.org.uk/trquals/traininf.htm for details). This consists of four assessed modules on the theory and practice of indexing, plus a practical exercise where you index a full-length book. The assessments for all the modules include creating indexes for shorter documents so you do get some practice before leaping in at the deep end! It took me about a month to do each one, working in my spare time, but I didn't do the modules one after the other; there was a bit of a blip in the middle when I had a baby and wrote a book (not in that order) so it took me three years from start to finish. I'm now entitled to call myself an Accredited Indexer. The Society of Indexers also has a higher qualification, which you are eligible to do after you've been working as an indexer for two years. If you pass that you are a Registered Indexer.

How are you employed? Do you work as a freelance Indexer?

I am a freelance indexer; I also offer thesaurus construction (creating and organising lists of approved subject terms) and cataloguing of Internet resources. Many indexers offer more than one service; it's quite common to find indexers who also do copy-editing and proof-reading, for example.

If you are freelance - how do you find the jobs?

I was very lucky; most of my work has come to me through contacts made in my last job. I also got one indexing job through SIdeline, the Society of Indexers' email discussion list. Mostly, you find jobs by advertising your services to publishers, but it can be difficult in a large company to find out who you need to contact, as some publishers make the commissioning editors responsible for commissioning the indexes for their books, whereas others have a dedicated member of staff who deals with all the freelancers working for the company

How many hours do you work a week?

I aim to work full-time (35 hours per week) but it doesn't always work out that way. Last month I had to work several evenings because some data I was supposed to be working on was supplied late; I renegotiated the deadline, but I'd planned to have that piece of work done before our family holiday, and had to work longer when we got back to compensate. On the plus side, I did have a couple of free days before the holiday which I hadn't expected!

Do you work from home?

Yes. I use a laptop computer on my dining table. This is not an ideal set-up; I bought a keyboard and mouse to use with it so that I can put the computer on a box and have the screen higher up. I do have a proper computer chair, which looks very odd next to the dining chairs but is absolutely essential for preventing back pain. My ambition is to extend the house so I can have my own office, but getting a mortgage is more difficult if you're self-employed; most lenders require you to be self-employed for two years before they'll take that income into account when calculating how much you can borrow

How does the job fit round your family?

It's much, much easier to fit work around family life now that I am self-employed and can regulate my own working hours. Before I became self-employed I spent ten months working full-time on the other side of York, and the commuting was a real strain. Now that I don't have to commute, I have an extra two hours a day for a start; if I want to I can go to the gym after dropping my daughter off at nursery and then work through my lunch break or in the evening to make up the time. It made life a lot easier when my husband went into hospital last autumn; I could visit him in the afternoons and then work in the evenings, and when he came home I was there in case he needed me.

What exactly does the role encompass?

Indexers create the indexes at the back of (usually) non-fiction books; they also index journals, periodicals, newspapers and electronic resources such as websites. This involves reading through the text, marking down significant concepts/people/places/things mentioned in the text and then creating and organising a list with page references (or, in the case of an electronic resource, links to the relevant part). A lot of people, if they think about it at all, would assume that indexes are done by the authors, but usually they are done by professional specialists. Even where the author is an indexer herself, she may choose to employ someone else to index her book, as Pat Booth did for Indexing: the manual of good practice. If you have written the book yourself, it's quite difficult to distance yourself from the text and think how to construct an index in a way that will be most helpful for the reader.

To do the job you need to have good general knowledge, a high standard of written English, be able to read and understand texts quickly and to spot errors easily. You will also need to be computer literate with good communication skills.

Do you work as an Indexer in a specialist area?

Yes; my first degree is in linguistics, I spent most of my pre-indexing career working in higher education and I am very interested in history, so I offer linguistics, higher education and history as my specialist subjects. I haven't had any history books to index yet, but there aren't very many other indexers who specialise in linguistics.

Most indexers, whatever their specialist subject, will also consider doing 'popular' texts; for example, I'd be capable of indexing Bill Bryson or Stephen Jay Gould's next books (and I'd love to try, but I'm sure they're already taken!). Higher-level stuff in a subject I'm not familiar with, for example a book on quantum mechanics for postgraduates, would be beyond my capability.

Is the work interesting?

Well, that really depends on the author...One thing you have to remember (and this applies to all freelance work, not just indexing) is that you are also responsible for administration and record-keeping. There is something about the word 'accounts' that makes my brain stop with a loud thud, and I've never been fond of administration. But it has to be done; sending out invoices is particularly important!

What is the earning potential?

The Society of Indexers recommends an hourly rate of £16-£30, or a page rate of £1.20-£5.00. Most publishers prefer to negotiate a page rate, so that they know in advance how much they need to pay for the job. Indexers who offer highly specialised subjects tend to earn more; legal and medical indexing usually commands a higher rate of pay, for example, but you should not offer a specialist subject unless you have the knowledge to back it up. I aim to work at a speed that earns me at least £20 per hour.

Do you enjoy the job?

I enjoy the intellectual challenge. I also enjoy being able to say 'Yes, I'm working' when I'm sitting reading in the garden! I don't always enjoy the grind of checking and double-checking everything once the first draft is finished, but that's a necessary part of the job.

What is the best bit of business advice you have been given?

Don't miss a deadline.

Do you have any words of wisdom for Mums (or Dads!) who would like to become Indexers?

• Join the Society of Indexers (http://www.indexers.org.uk). As well as the initial training course, they offer regular workshops, an annual conference, a newsletter and a professional journal, together with a network of local groups so that you can get to know other indexers in your area. This is very important; one of the drawbacks of working at home is the risk of professional isolation, and making time to meet other people who do the same job helps to counteract this. Also, when you're just starting out, it's good to meet more experienced indexers. All the ones I've met have been very generous with advice; if they know you're there and they are offered work that they don't have time for, they may even pass your name on to a publisher.
• Contact your local Revenue & Customs Office and ask about free courses for the self-employed. There's one on registering as self-employed, National Insurance contributions and record-keeping, and another on filing a tax return. They are very good. Your local Business Support Team will also help you fill in your tax return if necessary.
• Allow at least three months before you expect to get paid. Most publishers pay on delivery of the completed index, though for a big job they might agree to pay you in instalments. Even if you get work as soon as you start advertising, you'll probably have to wait until the next time the publisher's finance department runs the payroll after sending in your invoice.
• Think very carefully before turning work down. However good your reasons for doing it, you'll go to the bottom of that publisher's list of freelance indexers. If it's a new client, you probably won't hear from them again. Of course, if the price was wrong, that may not be a problem!
• Don't try to look after your child and index at the same time; this is a job where you need all your concentration