So the next job in getting the Princeton book out: reading through the index.

Every publishing contract I’ve signed gives me two options: prepare the index myself, or else allow the publisher to hire a professional indexer and have half the costs deducted from my royalties. On my first book, I checked around with my writer friends to find out what the best option was. The vote was unanimous: everyone who had tried to save money by doing the index themselves wanted to put her head in an oven by the time it was done.

So I always take the second option. It usually ends up costing me in the neighborhood of a thousand dollars or a little more–which is a good thing, because the index rolls around at the point in the process when I’m thinking that I never want to see this leprous scabby book again.

AHEM.

It’s a good book. Really.

Anyway, even though the index gets outsourced to a professional freelancer, it then gets sent back to me for proofing. The indexing this time around struck me as very good indeed, but I did have a few suggestions. For example, here’s part of the A section, with my remarks in all caps:

Abbott, Lyman, 34
ABC News, 144, 153
abortion, 112, 113
Abzug, Bella, 113
African Americans, 175 I ASSUME THIS REFERENCE IS TO THE CLINTON CHAPTER, WHERE I COVER THE SUPPORT OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN VOTERS—IF SO, DOESN’T IT COVER MORE THAN ONE PAGE? (THROUGH THE END OF THE PARAGRAPH ABOUT LYNCHING.) I THINK IT WOULD BE GOOD TO ALSO INDEX WITH AFRICAN AMERICANS MY REFERENCE TO SOUTHERN BLACK CHURCH SERVICES (CH. 7).
Allen, A. A., 294n22
Allen, Steve, 119
altar call, 34, 65, 66, 109, 160
. See also revivals
America IS THERE ANY WAY TO DEFINE THIS ENTRY A LITTLE MORE AS “AMERICA, THE NATION” OR….SOMETHING LIKE THAT? THE WHOLE BOOK IS ABOUT AMERICAN DEMOCRATIC CULTURE AND AMERICAN EVANGLICALISM, AND WHEN I SEE THIS ENTRY I THINK THAT “DEMOCRACY IN” AND “EVANGELICAL RELIGION IN” AND EVEN ‘CATHOLIC CHURCH IN” SHOULD ALSO BE INDEXED UNDERNEATH IT, WHICH WOULD MAKE IT MUCH MORE EXTENSIVE. AS IT STANDS, IT STRIKES ME AS KIND OF A RANDOM SELECTION OF TOPICS. IF “AMERICA AND HAGGARD,” WHY NOT “AMERICA AND KENNEDY” OR “AMERICA AND CLINTON” OR “AMERICA AND BERNARD LAW”?
as decadent, 139
fundamentalist view of, 57
and Haggard, 211
and mythical Christian past, 125, 126
and popular culture, 67
renewal of, 57
repentance of, 6, 107, 127
American Catholic bishops, 186
American public, 158, 159, 162, 168, 177, 178, 181–82, 242, 243
American Puritans, 4–5, 26, 27, 127
American Religious Town Hall (television program), 296n35
Anderson, Jeffrey, 203
Angelus Temple, 38, 61
establishment of, 45
finances of, 41
and radio, 47
services at, 43, 44
tableaux staged at, 53, 54–55
anxious bench, 33, 34, 290n20
. See also revivals
apology HAGGARD ALSO OFFERED AN APOLOGY
and Bakker, 117, 133
and Clinton, 158, 163, 180–81
and confession, 2–3
and Kennedy, 79
and Law, 7, 188, 189–90, 191, 193, 195, 199, 265, 267, 269, 272, 284
as mainstay of American culture, 14
and Randolph, 199
The Apostle (film), 162
Armstrong, Ben, The Electric Church, 124
Armstrong, Neil, 90
Asbury, Francis, 32
Assemblies of God CAN YOU PROVIDE A “SEE ALSO PENTACOSTALISM” HERE? I TEND TO USE THE TWO INTERCHANGEABLY IN SOME CHAPTERS.
and Bakker, 137–38, 141, 142, 229, 232
and Christian Voice, 126
and Dortch, 231
and Fletcher, 233
and Swaggart, 143, 144, 145–46, 237, 238
Augusta Chronicle, 111, 140, 146
Augustine, 84–85, 108, 174, 180, 208, 209
Confessions, 84, 89
Azusa Street Revival, 53, 292n19

…and then there were a number of queries that the indexer had for me–he caught a good number of problems and inconsistencies. Such as the ones below (again, with my answers in all caps…)

QUERY
93: I assume that this is her last name: Wagner, Helga CORRECT
108.1:–this line doesn’t seem to make sense: SHOULD BE secular humanism?
“The political goal of religious humanism is a one-world government controlled by man, not God,” declared Christian evangelist and educator Bill Gothard. IT SHOULD BE SECULAR HUMANISM
125: Is this an advocacy group? If so, why italicized in text? Christian Voice (advocacy group) IT IS AN ADVOCACY GROUP, AND IT SHOULD NOT BE ITAL.
188-189, 265-266: I assume that Law’s press conf. took place on Jan 9, not Jan 10 (as stated on 188), and in 2002, not 2001 (as stated on 188). THAT IS CORRECT. THE PRESS CONFERENCE WAS JAN. 9, 2002. THE COVERAGE OF THE PRESS CONFERENCE APPEARED IN PAPERS ON JAN. 10, 2002, THE FOLLOWING DAY.
Law, Bernard Cardinal: press conference of January 9, 2001, , 265–68}
201: I assume that these are the same: U.S. Catholic Conference AND United States Conference of Catholic BISHOPS YES, THEY ARE THE SAME. THE ORIGINAL TITLE WAS THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS AND UNITED STATES CATHOLIC CONFERENCE. WE SHOULD ALWAYS USE UNITED STATES CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS FOR CONSISTENCY.

That’s the week’s excitement, folks. Indexing. If something more thrilling were going on, I would certainly tell you.

So the next thing that happens should be…the arrival of the ARCs, or galleys–these are the prepublication copies of the book, sent out to reviewers. When they get here I’ll take a picture. Meanwhile, I’m trying to figure out how to write about feudalism in a manner that doesn’t cause people to drop off to sleep as though hit by a somnolence virus.

Showing 9 comments
  • Bartender Brian

    No matter how much I’d like to write a book or two someday, you’re totally making me not want to. Is this intentional? 😉

  • Trish

    I really like how you keep your copyeditor and indexer on their toes. Nice job.

    And I wanted to read the book before, but now that you’ve quoted Bill Gothard, I REALLY want to. I’m a survivor of his poor excuse of a homeschooling program and I can’t tell you how many times he cited that as a reason for us to stick our head in the sand.

    Sending good writing vibes to you!

  • JFS in IL

    “how to write about feudalism in a manner that doesn’t cause people to drop off to sleep as though hit by a somnolence virus”

    Through in unexpected references to Monty Python and the Holy Grail?

  • JFS in IL

    THROW! I meant to type THROW! My brain is not working!

  • Meredith

    Every scholar I know at Oxford sneers at books without decent indexes, so definitely a good choice to go with the professional on this one! I confess I get upset at poorly-indexed books myself…

    Clearly you have excellent taste and good professional instincts. 🙂

  • JS

    So how does one get a job as an INDEXER or a REVIEWER? I’m just nerdy enough to enjoy something like that.

  • Eric Wesley

    My father-in-law is an indexer. All you have to do is survive graduate school in library science, the you’re off.

    As for book reviewing, again, find yourself any graduate program and you may do a few (hundred) during your studies. This should give you some idea of how to at least accomplish one. I’m working on three simultaneously while studying for midterms while looking for work while… you get the point. Graduate school is sure fun!

  • Eric Wesley

    The third word from the end of the first sentence is “then” not “the.”

    That’s what reviewing three books at one time will do to someone.

    Love the post on indexing, Susan. I’ll be sure to hire a professional when I get to that point. Hey, wait a minute…

  • Marsha

    This post explains why all the books on frugality and tightwaddery I’ve ever read have extremely poor indices.

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