Nicola King
@nicolaking.bsky.social
Fellow of the Society of Indexers, ex-archaeologist, also family historian, mum, bell ringer, knitter and learning the cornet. Easily found elsewhere. https://abookindexer.com/
Reposted by Nicola King
I'd rather eat broken glass than index another book... It's well worth the thousand bucks or so. #academicchatter
November 24, 2025 at 8:57 PM
I'd rather eat broken glass than index another book... It's well worth the thousand bucks or so. #academicchatter
Reposted by Nicola King
Are you a publishing professional who’s new to working with book indexers? Our guide to commissioning an index takes you through the whole process and helps you foster good working relationships and great indexes
buff.ly
November 25, 2025 at 9:15 AM
Are you a publishing professional who’s new to working with book indexers? Our guide to commissioning an index takes you through the whole process and helps you foster good working relationships and great indexes
That's my holiday reading sorted. Just got to get to the end of all the things before Christmas. Possibly 4 books to finish indexing. www.theguardian.com/books/2025/n...
Holbein: Renaissance Master by Elizabeth Goldring review – a magnificent portrait of the artist
The first scholarly biography in more than 100 years of the man who immortalised the Tudor court does not disappoint
www.theguardian.com
November 24, 2025 at 2:54 PM
That's my holiday reading sorted. Just got to get to the end of all the things before Christmas. Possibly 4 books to finish indexing. www.theguardian.com/books/2025/n...
#Showmeyourknits - Dark Academia by Sharon Hartley using Creative Anarchy Yarn Comfort in two shades. From two years ago. Both indi design and yarn
November 23, 2025 at 2:25 PM
#Showmeyourknits - Dark Academia by Sharon Hartley using Creative Anarchy Yarn Comfort in two shades. From two years ago. Both indi design and yarn
Our US colleagues are keeping an eye on that and would probably agree - indexing asindexing.org/ai-news/stat...
November 23, 2025 at 10:58 AM
Our US colleagues are keeping an eye on that and would probably agree - indexing asindexing.org/ai-news/stat...
Reposted by Nicola King
Hard to imagine anything an LLM would make more of an unholy mess of than a book index
November 22, 2025 at 5:25 PM
Hard to imagine anything an LLM would make more of an unholy mess of than a book index
Reposted by Nicola King
Not every author-created index is dreadful, but the dreadful ones stink to high heaven.
November 21, 2025 at 8:51 PM
Not every author-created index is dreadful, but the dreadful ones stink to high heaven.
Reposted by Nicola King
A page of index stamps
From: “Matthews' Book of Marking Devices and Metal Signs”
Jas. H. Matthews & Co., Pittsburgh
1914
Image: TheHoard Collection via @archive.org; archive.org/details/matt...
From: “Matthews' Book of Marking Devices and Metal Signs”
Jas. H. Matthews & Co., Pittsburgh
1914
Image: TheHoard Collection via @archive.org; archive.org/details/matt...
November 21, 2025 at 3:16 AM
A page of index stamps
From: “Matthews' Book of Marking Devices and Metal Signs”
Jas. H. Matthews & Co., Pittsburgh
1914
Image: TheHoard Collection via @archive.org; archive.org/details/matt...
From: “Matthews' Book of Marking Devices and Metal Signs”
Jas. H. Matthews & Co., Pittsburgh
1914
Image: TheHoard Collection via @archive.org; archive.org/details/matt...
Reposted by Nicola King
Thinking about indexing as a career during #WorkInPublishingWeek? Our online distance-learning training course will take you from beginner to accredited professional indexer. Explore the course modules and assessments in more detail through our blog post:
Becoming an indexer 2: the Society of Indexers training course modules
Are you thinking about training as an indexer? This is the first of three blog posts that give an overview of the Society of Indexers training course. It gives
buff.ly
November 19, 2025 at 9:15 AM
Thinking about indexing as a career during #WorkInPublishingWeek? Our online distance-learning training course will take you from beginner to accredited professional indexer. Explore the course modules and assessments in more detail through our blog post:
Reposted by Nicola King
We couldn't do the work we do without our excellent freelance indexers. So much invisible labor goes into the creation of a great index. Book authors: today is a great day to show your indexer some love and appreciation!
Celebrate National Indexing Day on November 18
The American Society for Indexing (ASI) has designated November 18 as National Indexing Day to celebrate the making and using of indexes. Indexing is a largely hidden and important part of the publishing industry. Indexes are created for print…
The American Society for Indexing (ASI) has designated November 18 as National Indexing Day to celebrate the making and using of indexes. Indexing is a largely hidden and important part of the publishing industry. Indexes are created for print…
Celebrate National Indexing Day on November 18
The American Society for Indexing (ASI) has designated November 18 as National Indexing Day to celebrate the making and using of indexes. Indexing is a largely hidden and important part of the publishing industry. Indexes are created for print publications such as books and periodicals and for media such as websites, ebooks and other digital publications. Indexers provide access to published information.
asindexing.org
November 18, 2025 at 4:35 PM
We couldn't do the work we do without our excellent freelance indexers. So much invisible labor goes into the creation of a great index. Book authors: today is a great day to show your indexer some love and appreciation!
Reposted by Nicola King
Happy National Indexing Day! Quality indexes are an essential part of publishing. American Society for Indexing (ASI) has examined gen AI for book indexes. They require expert review to meet basic standards of quality or completeness, navigability, and accuracy: asindexing.org/ai-and-index....
AI and Indexing
As part of ASI’s commitment to excellence in indexing, ASI has formed a committee whose charge is to monitor, assess, investigate, and evaluate the impacts of AI on indexing. The AI Committee’…
asindexing.org
November 18, 2025 at 4:53 PM
Happy National Indexing Day! Quality indexes are an essential part of publishing. American Society for Indexing (ASI) has examined gen AI for book indexes. They require expert review to meet basic standards of quality or completeness, navigability, and accuracy: asindexing.org/ai-and-index....
Oh dear.
Unfortunately, the book has no index.
November 19, 2025 at 8:57 AM
Oh dear.
Hello to our US colleagues.
Celebrate National Indexing Day on November 18
The American Society for Indexing (ASI) has designated November 18 as National Indexing Day to celebrate the making and using of indexes. Indexing is a largely hidden and important part of the publishing industry. Indexes are created for print…
The American Society for Indexing (ASI) has designated November 18 as National Indexing Day to celebrate the making and using of indexes. Indexing is a largely hidden and important part of the publishing industry. Indexes are created for print…
Celebrate National Indexing Day on November 18
The American Society for Indexing (ASI) has designated November 18 as National Indexing Day to celebrate the making and using of indexes. Indexing is a largely hidden and important part of the publishing industry. Indexes are created for print publications such as books and periodicals and for media such as websites, ebooks and other digital publications. Indexers provide access to published information.
asindexing.org
November 18, 2025 at 2:22 PM
Hello to our US colleagues.
Cook book indexing is a skill, sadly not always paid for, or space allowed for these days.
The 1987 edition of Rick Bayless’ Authentic Mexican Cooking has 21 pages of index for a 384 page book. I really miss that level of thoroughness in modern cookbooks. So many publishers cheap out on the indexing.
November 17, 2025 at 12:22 PM
Cook book indexing is a skill, sadly not always paid for, or space allowed for these days.
Reposted by Nicola King
The 1987 edition of Rick Bayless’ Authentic Mexican Cooking has 21 pages of index for a 384 page book. I really miss that level of thoroughness in modern cookbooks. So many publishers cheap out on the indexing.
November 16, 2025 at 9:25 AM
The 1987 edition of Rick Bayless’ Authentic Mexican Cooking has 21 pages of index for a 384 page book. I really miss that level of thoroughness in modern cookbooks. So many publishers cheap out on the indexing.
Working on an index to a book about lighthouse keepers in my attic with the rain lashing down. Atmospheric.
November 14, 2025 at 11:54 AM
Working on an index to a book about lighthouse keepers in my attic with the rain lashing down. Atmospheric.
Reposted by Nicola King
CROWDFUNDING CAMPAIGN LAUNCH: ‘Rhynie, A Powerful Place of Pictland’
Please pre-order or donate before 6 December to enable us to print this book by Professor Gordon Noble FSAScot, which will have a major impact on the study of Pictish kingship and society: www.kickstarter.com/projects/soc...
Please pre-order or donate before 6 December to enable us to print this book by Professor Gordon Noble FSAScot, which will have a major impact on the study of Pictish kingship and society: www.kickstarter.com/projects/soc...
November 6, 2025 at 9:20 AM
CROWDFUNDING CAMPAIGN LAUNCH: ‘Rhynie, A Powerful Place of Pictland’
Please pre-order or donate before 6 December to enable us to print this book by Professor Gordon Noble FSAScot, which will have a major impact on the study of Pictish kingship and society: www.kickstarter.com/projects/soc...
Please pre-order or donate before 6 December to enable us to print this book by Professor Gordon Noble FSAScot, which will have a major impact on the study of Pictish kingship and society: www.kickstarter.com/projects/soc...
Reposted by Nicola King
You might have been asked to provide an embedded index for your book, or find an indexer who can create one. What is this thing called embedded indexing? Indexer @tanyaizzard.bsky.social explains how it works in our latest blog post:
What is embedded indexing?
While most indexes are still compiled from page proofs, some indexes are embedded, where the index entries are added as tags or codes to a manuscript file. In t
buff.ly
November 4, 2025 at 9:15 AM
You might have been asked to provide an embedded index for your book, or find an indexer who can create one. What is this thing called embedded indexing? Indexer @tanyaizzard.bsky.social explains how it works in our latest blog post:
Reposted by Nicola King
How does a book indexing project work? What should I expect as a client? How do I find the right indexer for my project? Our blog series on index commissioning takes you through the process in helpful detail buff.ly/xI8HS6z
October 30, 2025 at 1:31 PM
How does a book indexing project work? What should I expect as a client? How do I find the right indexer for my project? Our blog series on index commissioning takes you through the process in helpful detail buff.ly/xI8HS6z
@djbduncan.bsky.social @baindex.org any bets about what book that might have been?
Sounds perfect. I once had a great holiday where my holiday reading was a (really good) book about the history of book indexes.
October 28, 2025 at 9:42 AM
@djbduncan.bsky.social @baindex.org any bets about what book that might have been?
Reposted by Nicola King
Recalling what a deeply human process it is to create a truly useful book index — not replicable by any automated or AI system, as it requires a theory of mind, a deep understanding of the audience & their likely needs, preferred search-terms, and points of confusion.
✍️📖💡
#AmEditing #AmIndexing
✍️📖💡
#AmEditing #AmIndexing
October 19, 2025 at 11:04 PM
Recalling what a deeply human process it is to create a truly useful book index — not replicable by any automated or AI system, as it requires a theory of mind, a deep understanding of the audience & their likely needs, preferred search-terms, and points of confusion.
✍️📖💡
#AmEditing #AmIndexing
✍️📖💡
#AmEditing #AmIndexing
#ShowMeYourKnits Three Halloween beanies, one leftover Jamieson&Smith, blue/red for me, the other seasonal green and orange from King Cole, and made for band buddies Heidi and Hannah.
October 19, 2025 at 12:03 PM
#ShowMeYourKnits Three Halloween beanies, one leftover Jamieson&Smith, blue/red for me, the other seasonal green and orange from King Cole, and made for band buddies Heidi and Hannah.
Thanks for promoting this Michelle, the more people that know that AI isn't going to do their book index the better. The speakers in the webinar are top-notch.
"I'll just have AI index my book." Please don't.
Whether you'll be working with a professional indexer or hoping to index your own book, this looks like a great free webinar on the 101s of Indexing!
tinyurl.com/ync23enc
Whether you'll be working with a professional indexer or hoping to index your own book, this looks like a great free webinar on the 101s of Indexing!
tinyurl.com/ync23enc
Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: Indexing 101 (see also Alphabetic Aces). After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting.
Nobody can deny that indexes bring essential value to nonfiction works; an index is a book’s detailed "roadmap", allowing the reader to locate specific information and transforming the book from a lin...
tinyurl.com
October 18, 2025 at 9:43 AM
Thanks for promoting this Michelle, the more people that know that AI isn't going to do their book index the better. The speakers in the webinar are top-notch.
Reposted by Nicola King
What makes a good book indexer? Our blog post explains what you need to work in this fascinating and varied job. Indexers come from all sorts of professional backgrounds and many work part-time alongside other jobs buff.ly/788iKOi
October 15, 2025 at 8:30 AM
What makes a good book indexer? Our blog post explains what you need to work in this fascinating and varied job. Indexers come from all sorts of professional backgrounds and many work part-time alongside other jobs buff.ly/788iKOi