Wordmaps Benefits

I create indexes that promote the goals of authors and publishers, whether that's to make money, make a name, earn fame, or entertain.

• A Wordmaps index helps market your book to your readers and creates reader loyalty to your name or your press.
• I can help you establish professional credibility and help your book win awards.
• The index I prepare can even help remedy mistakes in the book that are too late to correct.
• Always, I provide clear explanations for the indexing choices available to you.

What Are Wordmaps?

A map is a representation of a larger area on a much smaller scale. An index does much the same thing as a map, using words and concepts rather than line and color.

"Wordmaps: the best index for your book" is an indexing approach aimed at promoting books by ensuring that the index for each book fully supports the goals of the author(s) and publisher of that book.

The Wordmaps Process

Wordmaps are developed using the following five steps:

1. Identify the goals of the author and publisher.
2. Define the primary and secondary audiences for the book.
3. Match the content and style of the index to that of the book.
4. Whenever necessary, use the index to correct weaknesses in the book.
5. Always make sure the index maps the strengths of the book.

About Nancy Humphreys

Nancy Humphreys worked as a reference librarian at the University of Wisconsin, LaCrosse, the University of California at Berkeley, the Oakland Public Library, and various non-profit association libraries in the San Francisco Bay Area for over 20 years.

Nancy was trained in indexing by the Society of Indexers in England. She has been a member of the American Society of Indexers since 1985. She served as Vice President and President of the Golden Gate Chapter of the ASI from 2000 to 2002.

In addition to a Master of Librarianship (MLS) from the University of South Carolina, Nancy holds Master’s degrees in English and Economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

She is also a Certified Novell Engineer with three years experience as a computer network manager. She learned computer programming on a mainframe in 1972 and has worked with both Macintosh and PC computers.

In 1997 Nancy went into business full-time as a freelance back-of-the-book indexer and consultant. An author as well as indexer, Nancy is familiar with the concerns of authors and publishers as well as the benefits of indexing for fast retrieval of relevant information.

For a list of her published indexes and/or clients click here.