I just discovered this short video clip of Stephen Fry discussing his app, myFry, for his new book, The Fry Chronicles.  Quite interesting!

When I first became interested in the art of book indexing, I wanted to gather as much information as I could find.  Many of the books written on indexing were outdated, and the library I frequented didn't have much information to give me.

I began scouring the internet for any sources I could find.  I looked up any combination of keywords I could think of:  Book Indexing, Back of the Book Indexing, Freelance Indexing, Book Indexers...the list goes on and on.

By far the most useful source of information I could find was a large set of articles written on Suite 101.  Topics range from the definition of indexing to getting started in indexing to rates.  As someone who was interested in becoming an indexer, these articles were an integral key to my knowledge and understanding of becoming a book indexer and even today I will read through some of these articles or direct new indexers to them.  And while some of these articles are over ten years old, they are still a fantastic starting point for those who are interested.  Here is the complete set of the Suite 101 Indexing Articles.

Once I decided that indexing was a career I wanted to pursue, I signed up for a course.  I was already getting my Master's Degree in Library and Information Science, and they were offering a course on Indexing and Abstracting.  The course was extremely valuable in learning the skills and intricacies of indexing as an art.  Throughout the course, we used Nancy Mulvaney's book, Indexing Books and this is still a source that I use regularly while indexing.  Her book covers a wide variety of topics and is one I recommend to anyone interested in indexing or any current indexer.

Another valuable book has been the Chicago Manual of Style.  I believe you can purcahse the chapter on indexing separately, but I tend to look at other chapters and find that the full version is well worth the extra space it takes up on the bookshelf.

Last but certainly not least, the American Society for Indexing website is an incredible tool for indexers.  The site is very well organized (imagine that!) and has useful information for both members and non-members.  You can learn more about coursework in indexing, find other useful publications, discover other indexers, learn about special interest groups and a whole lot more.

Happy Indexing!

Recently, I discovered that the author Stephen Fry has a ''visual index'' app for his new book, ''The Fry Chronicles''.  This app, myFry, is available on iTunes and allows a user to browse tags, discover similar tags, and read through the book in a whole new way.

The app is visually stunning, innovative, and is downright fun.  It adds an entirely new spark to book indexing and I hope to see more of this kind of ingenuity in the future with book indexing.

Without further ado, here is the YouTube presentation of the myFry app. Enjoy!