Starting an Indexing Business

Rating:
Summary: useful, but too overpriced
Review: Indexing isn't just for books... there are journals, databases, government documents, recordings, cd-roms, product catalogs and more. Unless you've done some indexing, you may not realize that indexing requires considerable knowledge--and this rings more true when you consider that 35% of the indexers appearing in this book's 1997 survey have master's degrees.

This book does not explain how to do indexing... although it does list books and courses where you can get that kind of instruction. Instead, as its title suggests, it focuses on the business aspect.

There's information about how to find indexing jobs, decide on billing, and select the equipment you need to get started. There are indexing agreements (designed by the American Society of Indexers) that you can take directly from the book and modify for use with your indexing business. Because the vast majority of indexers work from home, there are also tips for how to continue working full-time, while running your indexing business part-time out of your den.

I liked the survey section of the book the most because it reveals a lot about the standard practices of indexers... how they bill for their work, how they handle billing issues, how often they work, and how much they make. The survey also includes demographic information.

My only problem with this book is its price. There is some excellent information and it may be difficult to find it elsewhere, given that indexing will probably never experience the popularity of day trading or web design. However, this is a *thin* little book, and there is a chunk of space devoted to some *very* general suggestions on how to set up your business. Some of it just seems like common sense.