Book Review: Guide for the Freelance Indexer

April Michelle Davis is a professional indexer who has studied the skill, written the technical book A Guide for the Freelance Indexer (Editorial Freelancers Association, 2012), and created indexes for all genres of books.

On Faye Roberts’ website, Roberts says that she is very aware that there is merit to a well-designed index because it is an aid to finding information. “An index is more than a concordance, which simply lists all the words in a book. An index organizes all the terms and topics covered by a book and provides the reference to each entry. It brings together related ideas and points readers to information they may have missed.”

After reading April Michelle’s book, Roberts reaffirmed her appreciation for indexes through April Michelle’s explanation of the true worth of an index and her tips on writing a user-friendly index. In this book review, Roberts recognizes and thanks indexers for their contribution to the research process. “In this concise publication Davis explains the importance of an index and offers tips for those new to this analytical work.”