Smith Editorial Services: Links for Editors & Indexers

Smith Editorial Services:
Links for Editors & Indexers

This is only a small selection of the sites that editors and indexers should find useful. I haven't included the more general reference sites – dictionaries, style guides, and such – because those are available on so many other large link lists. (But maybe we'll expand this list later on. . . .) Meanwhile, enjoy!

The American Society of Indexers is the only professional membership orgnization in the U.S. devoted solely to indexing, abstracting, and database building. This site provides online information about the indexing process, indexing software, and indexer education. There are also links to a number of related organizations, online discussion grups, and publisher's web sites. If you're interested in indexing as a freelancer, this is home base.
The Editor's Pen is a guide to editorial resources on the Net, brought together by a working editor/indexer with an addiction to surfing. There are also very detailed instructions on "How to Write a Manual" and a lengthy page of annotated links to the web sites of other editorial freelancers.
Bill Walsh of The Washington Post is a very experienced and thoroughly opinionated copyeditor with an excellent ear for sounds and sense. The Slot is his "Spot for Copy Editors" and his "Curmudgeon's Stylebook" alone is worth repeat visits.
The Thoughtful Nincompoop's Page is a great place to browse. To begin with, this is the home of Copyediting-L, the mailing list for this profession. You'll also find a collection of editor-contributed recipes, a list of links to recommended book stores, and lists of writing guides and reference tools. There are also links to other editors' web sites.
Editing Links comes to you courtesy of the federal government. Oddly enough, the U.S. Department of Agriculture also offers an excellent series of home study courses in editing, indexing, and technical writing.
The Copy Editor Home Page is mostly a promotional site for Copy Editor: Language News for the Publishing Profession, a paper publication – but you can download a sample issue here (in Adobe format). There's also information on editorial employment opportunities, editing workshops, and links to other online editorial resources.

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