Society of Indexers

17/06/2025

It's , so let's celebrate all the freelance indexers whose work helps you find that elusive fact or your favourite kimchi recipe. If you're already a publishing freelancer, or you'd like to become one, you can find out more about indexing as a career via our website https://buff.ly/BM3YHtT

Indexing offers the flexibility of working from home. For many it is part of a portfolio career encompassing other paid employment or freelance activities such as editorial work, or provides a means of income which fits round other commitments. If you are looking for an interesting, satisfying and i...

12/06/2025

Bookings are now open for our 2025 Conference, The Heart and Mind of Indexing. In person, 19-21 September, at The Writers’ Suite, Edgbaston Park Hotel and Conference Centre, University of Birmingham, UK. We have a full programme over three days of plenary presentations and smaller breakout sessions, with an international line-up of speakers and session leaders. Our conference is for indexers at any stage of their careers, students through to highly experienced, and there will be opportunities for networking, a gala dinner and a quiz. Join us for in Birmingham by booking at https://buff.ly/DMtUEAN

11/06/2025

Bookings are now open for our 2025 Conference, The Heart and Mind of Indexing. In person, 19-21 September, at The Writers’ Suite, Edgbaston Park Hotel and Conference Centre, University of Birmingham, UK. We have a full programme over three days of plenary presentations and smaller breakout sessions, with an international line-up of speakers and session leaders. Our conference is for indexers at any stage of their careers, students through to highly experienced, and there will be opportunities for networking, a gala dinner and a quiz. Join us in Birmingham by booking at https://buff.ly/DMtUEAN

02/06/2025

Bad indexes disappoint readers. Indexer Ruth Martin explains what we try to avoid in book indexing

In this post, Ruth Martin outlines the things that shouldn’t appear in an index. Write a bad index… us?! Surely members of the Society of Indexers couldn’t write a bad index?  Well, they could, but only in fun. In 2022, Society members took part in a peer review, indexing the same piece of te...

29/05/2025

A passing mention? In MY book? On our blog, indexer Tanya Izzard discusses passing or minor mentions in indexing, and why indexers sometimes have to leave things out

One of the most frequent queries indexers get from clients is “Why is this term not in the index?” In this post, indexer Tanya Izzard explains what passing mentions are, why we sometimes leave them out, and how we make that decision. Definitions Passing mentions (sometimes called passing referen...

27/05/2025

Thousands of non-fiction books are published every year; we can’t index them all! Help us out by joining the Society of Indexers. Our training course will prepare you for a stimulating career in book indexing. Find out more at https://buff.ly/Mb55OKB

23/05/2025

Could self-published authors be a key part of your indexing business? SI member Magda Wojcik has guidance for indexers on working with self-publishers in our blog post,

An introduction to working with self-publishing writers Did you know self-published authors sell over 300 million books annually? This burgeoning market presents exciting opportunities for indexers seeking to expand their clientele. However, working with self-publishing authors (also known as indepe...

21/05/2025

Are you a publishing professional who’s new to working with book indexers? Our guide to commissioning an index takes you through the whole process and helps you foster good working relationships and great indexes https://buff.ly/nlVK928

20/05/2025

Working on your own as a freelancer means motivating yourself, keeping yourself going and reminding yourself of the value of your work. We Asked the Indexers what they tell themselves while they are working, and our latest blog post shares their answers:

19/05/2025

Our training course will prepare you to start work as a professional indexer as soon as you complete it. Created and supported by professional indexers, it will launch you into a flexible and satisfying freelance career. Explore the course in our blog posts https://buff.ly/l60NN4T

16/05/2025

Excellent SI group visit to St Bride Foundation yesterday. We got a great insight into the history of printing, and we all enjoyed the chance to try it out for ourselves.

Amongst other things, we learned that compositors' trays have their own specific filing order - alphabetical order is never as straightforward as it seems - and some printing terminology. Ship is a part of a print room, a team; the clicker is the head of a ship; and a flong is a temporary paper mould of type, used in newspaper and magazine printing.

Other interesting aspects were the role of piece work in printing, and home working - in the early days, typeface masters were finished in domestic spaces. And that printing presses at one point were a sinister new technology that put the livelihoods of scribes and illustrators at risk.

Thanks to the volunteers at St Brides for hosting us, to Paula Clarke Bain and Nicola King for organising, and to everyone for coming along.

15/05/2025

The indexers are gathering in London today for a sociable lunch at the Old Bell Tavern on Fleet Street, followed by a tour of St Bride Foundation (https://sbf.org.uk/). We're all keen on the history of printing and publishing - we're part of it, after all - so it will be a real treat to see St Bride's collection, and a great pleasure to meet up in person.

Housed in a beautiful Grade II listed Victorian building, St Bride Foundation was originally set up to serve the burgeoning print and publishing trade of nearby Fleet Street, and is now finding a new contemporary audience of designers, printmakers and typographers who come to enjoy a regular program...