1. Comprehension skills.
2. Pattern recognition.
3. Language command.
4. Keyboarding speed.
5. Strong memory.
6. Instant recall.
7. Computer skills, both hardware and software.
8. Problem-solving skills.
9. Subject familiarity.
10. Physical capability.
11. Family situation and lifestyle preferences.
12. Research skills.
13. Communication skills.
14. Nail length.
15. Organizational skills.
16. Attitude toward spending money on the business.
So, let's move on....
17. TYPE OF MATERIAL. Some types of books are better written than others.
A book without meaningful subheadings takes more time to index. You don't have a clue what's coming. You have to figure that out. When the subheadings are meaningful, it makes indexing a lot faster, regardless of the niche it's in.
Now, let's look at this in combination to see how it works.
You take on a project in a niche that you're not familiar with. This is going to slow you down a bit to begin with. Now, add to this a book that has meaningless subheadings. Now you are really slowed down!
Contrast this to being very knowledgeable in the subject niche, and a book that has meaningful subheadings. You will index much faster! In fact, the difference in number of pages indexed can be at least 5 (or more!!) pages per hour!!!
Once experienced, an indexer who's knowledgeable in a subject niche, but indexes books with meaningless subheadings, might only be able to index 10 pages per hour. On the other hand, an experienced indexer who's knowledgeable in a subject niche, but indexes books with meaningful subheadings, can easily attain 15 or more pages per hour!
Just this one factor alone has a major impact on how fast you are!
The problem is that in many subject niches, meaningless subheadings are the norm! So, even if you are knowledgeable in these niches, the meaningless subheadings will noticeably slow you down!!
And this just has to do with the subheadings!
Add to this subheading problem material that rambles from subject to subject and back again, or takes 1,000 words to say one thing.
Now, you are really slowed down, even if you are knowledgeable and experienced in the subject niche! There is no fast way to index poorly written books. Period.
Does this mean you shouldn't index these types of books? Absolutely not! Many indexers prefer this type of material for various reasons: longer deadlines, avid interest in the subject material, challenging work, and other reasons.
So, the choice is yours. But realize that your choice does have consequences when it comes to speed!
18. DIRECTLY APPLICABLE INDEXING EDUCATION. I'm always amazed at how many indexers skimp on education for indexing.
