Are Indexers Writers?

I doubt anyone grew up wanting to be an indexer. People get into indexing via other jobs or interests. I first began as an editor in 2001. From that, I branched into proofreading when working in-house for a magazine. While taking courses to obtain a certificate in professional editing, I took an elective course in indexing. And in that course, I found a new love.

Indexing is another form of writing. There isn’t the luxury of full sentences and paragraphs of explanation. Everything must be succinct and precise. Organization is even more important in indexing than it is in writing. I learned how to define a whole concept in just a word or small phrase. Language and usage have become more acute for me because of this.

Indexing requires judgment and selectivity. I must determine what is most important in the text and then make it accessible and understandable to readers. As in writing, the reader is the main focus in indexing.

Many do not see indexing as a form of writing. Popular opinion upholds indexing as a dull job, a life opposite to that of a glamorous writer, so it must not be in the same category. Often, indexers do not receive acknowledgement for work done on a manuscript, implying a lack of respect and accountability.

Indexers have a right to claim authorship of their indexes. The U.S. copyright laws cover indexes. If you compare two indexes of a same work done by different people, you will notice the originality of both. They will be different because each indexer will craft the index in a personal way.

If indexers are not writers, what are they?