what is an index in a nonfiction book
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. Most indexes are several pages long.
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20 of 20 OE.
. The index hides in the back of the book waiting patiently until its. The majority of books that are sold and read throughout America are nonfiction books. Some nonfiction books have illustrations pictures as well as words.
Identifies the topic of the texttells what the text will be about Title Page Tells a books title author illustrator and publisher Table of Contents Tells the names of chapters and what page the chapters can be found Index Tells what pages the reader can find certain topics Glossary. An index is curated written to guide the reader to what is most important and relevant. A professional can take your book and distill it to its essentials.
It can cover almost any topic from wild animals to Vikings. Book indexing is a vital job that professional book indexers. Definition Examples and 9 Essential Nonfiction Genres.
Your table of contents will contain your chapter heading titles and whatever subheadings you decide to choose whereas your index will include. In the age of smartphones and ebooks a book index might seem like a relic of the past. An index is a list of all the little details that make your book worth reading.
The index is a microcosm of the book. Apart from the obvious distinction that your table of contents appears at the front-matter section of the book and your index appears at the end these two content lists have different purposes. An alphabetized index takes it a step further.
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. Go to the back of the book where there will always be a few blank pages. There are three main reasons for this.
1 You can write your book quickly once your outline is complete. 19 of 20 If your book has one or more indexes say an index for topics one for images one for exercises etc theyll be typically located at the end of your back matter. When you sell your book on Amazon the Look Inside feature allows buyers to check out sample pages from your book read.
How to Write a Book Index. An index is essentially a roadmap to the book listing names places and things in alphabetical order and giving the page numbers associated with each topic. This section contains a list of external publications that youve referenced throughout your book.
It serves as a key or map for finding specific topics in lengthier books. On a related note consider that a single term sometimes has different meanings. In a traditional back-of-the-book index.
Most indexers welcome an authors suggestions and you should have a chance to edit the index after its done so you are not surrendering control by hiring someone else to. Indices yes thats the plural of index are alphabetical listings of the major topics and subtopics in the book with page numbers. If its about something that really happened or something that really exists it is nonfiction.
Also with an outline you can avoid the cursor of death and writers block because youve mapped out what you. The lack of an index can result in a lack of sales. An index is a critical yet often undervalued piece of many nonfiction books especially information-dense books like reference books self-help and advice books textbooks and cookbooks.
An index can include terms names events and even your books primary themes. It seems to be a growing trend in self-published books to skip creating an index but its an essential part of a nonfiction book. 2 You have a high word count which will keep your production high.
The words listed can be technical terms places persons or multiple words. For nonfiction books packed with valuable information a well-made index can help quickly direct the reader to the information theyre. A nonfiction piece has many threads of information woven throughout the text that all need to be gathered into index entries so that every chunk of information can be found by anyone who needs it.
See below is a list of words or phrases headings and associated pointers locators to where useful material relating to that heading can be found in a document or collection of documentsExamples are an index in the back matter of a book and an index that serves as a library catalog. 3 It prevents writers block. One of the elements of a book that doesnt get spoken of much is the index.
A nonfiction book is one that tells you facts and information about the world around you. In print books the table of contents sits at the front as a map of the readers journey ahead. Maria Popova says that its an index based not on keywords but on ideas.
4 It does not take a long time to create a good outline. Write down the page number of your highlight. An index is a roadmap.
When it comes to nonfiction especially encyclopedic works a key paratext element is an index. Readers Expect an Index. An index works well when customers can find what theyre looking for easily.
A non-fiction books table of contents can direct readers to whole sections of a book where they might find a particular topic of interest. The index may be the deciding factor when readers are choosing between two similar books. To create this the indexer needs to read the whole book from cover to cover.
I wrote it still read the book again. Usually indexes more rarely indices. For example the word sale could refer to the purchase of a product we had a lot of sales today or it could mean that the price is reduced that tv.
7 Steps for Creating an Index. It allows readers to pinpoint the exact pages within the book where specific names or. If they cant see what they are looking for they will move on to another title on the shelf.
Such books routinely top the New York Times bestseller list and are consumed by everyone from academics to hobbyists to professionals. But for most nonfiction books I think the answer is yes an index will add value. Learn About Nonfiction.
If you are thinking I already know what the book says. That being said many researchers and readers still rely on book indexes to assist them in navigating large books and aid them in research. An index adds a level of authority and professionalism to a book that readers often look for.
Buyers will skim the index to see if certain topics are covered in the book. Write down the name of the theme or idea.
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