Shelby, Thomas · Curriculum Vitae Index · 311–312

Index

to the working life of Thomas Shelby, professional indexer, Minneapolis

thomas.shelby@example.com (612) 555-0148 thomasshelby.example.com Minneapolis, MN

Note to the reader. I have written 214 back-of-book indexes over 18 years, first in-house and since 2016 as principal of my own shop. Repeat clients account for 41 of my 63 accounts, which I take as the only review that matters. What follows is my career, filed the only way I know how.

A
alphabetization, letter-by-letter, preferred; word-by-word, tolerated, 12
authors, anxious, talked down by phone, 89; see also deadlines
B
budgets, defended, 33; production, kept under, 14 quarters running
back-of-book indexes, delivered, 214; average length, 1,400 entries
C
certification, Upper Midwest Indexing Guild, 2010
clients, repeat, 41 of 63; university presses among, 9
cross-references, circular, avoided, see references, circular
D
deadlines, met, 212 of 214; missed, 2, both January 2013, blizzard-related
dissertation indexes, rush, 26; shortest turnaround, 4 days
E
education, B.A. English, Prairie Bell College, 2004–2008; thesis on 18th-century concordances, 47 pages
embedded indexing (Word, InDesign), 78 titles since 2018
F
Shelby Indexing Services, principal, 2016–present
titles indexed, 118: scholarly, 74; trade, 44
client queries answered within 24 hours, 96 percent
style guides reconciled per project, up to 3
front matter, see back-of-book indexes
G
Gopher & Kade Publishing, editorial assistant, 2008–2011
page proofs checked, 31,000, approx.
errata lists cut, from 19 items to 6 per title
H
house styles, memorized, 11; Chicago, 17th ed., annotated copy of, 1
L
Loonwater Press, senior indexer, 2011–2016
indexes completed per year, 22 average
taxonomy for 9-volume regional history, built, 2014
junior indexers trained, 5; still in the trade, 4
M
Minneapolis, resident of, 2008–present; skyway system, navigated without map, 2012 onward
N
names, personal, inverted correctly, 60,000 plus; Icelandic patronymics, handled with care, 312
P
proper nouns, see names, personal
proofreading, second career in, politely declined, 2019
R
rates, see budgets
references, circular, see cross-references, circular
S
software: CINDEX, 16 years; SKY Index, 6 years; Excel, under protest
subheadings, limited to 2 levels, on principle, 108
T
typos, caught in other people's indexes, 340, approx.; gloated about publicly, 0
W
word-by-word, see alphabetization
workshops taught, "The Index as Argument," Twin Cities Book Fair, 2021–2024; attendees total, 190
Compiled by the subject herself References on request, alphabetized