Adding an Index to Your Non-fiction Book Increases its Value

The information below is something I had posted to Linked-In this past week, after having gotten all fired up about spreading the word re indexing due to attending an indexing workshop in Palm Springs.  I am pasting it here today because I felt it fits in very well with this group, which was created to support authors.

Rose, indexer

The American Society of Indexers (ASI) encourages indexers everywhere to be ambassadors for the craft & to take all opportunities to deepen authors' appreciation of indexes. The following is found in ASI's book on indexing services: "It's a truism in the publishing word that any serious book should have an index. Acquisitions librarians won't buy indexless books. Educated readers expect to find an index & are disapproving of indexless books & their publishers. For readers unfamiliar with the book's topic, a good index provides a link between their vocabulary & the jargon used by the author. Readers who have finished the book & want to recheck a certain passage can find it by means of the index. Indexes add competitive value by generating good reviews, which in turn increase sales."