Why use a professional indexer?
Producing the index requires a good understanding of the subject matter of the document; good linguistic knowledge to be able to choose index terms well; knowledge of the rules and standards of index production; and close attention to detail. While the author will have the best knowledge of the document they may be so familiar with it they find it difficult to see how it might be approached by a less knowledgeable reader. They may well not be practised at indexing and it is difficult to get a good result on one’s first attempt. A professional indexer will have the necessary subject knowledge (or they will direct you to an indexer who has), knowledge of indexing practices and standards and will use specialist software which will reduce the time required to produce the index and make later modifications easier. Perhaps you would simply prefer to spend your time doing things other than indexing. ” I would rather be dead than do it again.
