That sounds like an interesting book and a good question about whether indexing the narrative legitimizes the fiction. If I understand correctly, the fictional story itself would be indexed, not just the research presented in the back matter?

I’m assuming that the book is being presented in such a way that it is clear to readers that this is historical fiction. So in that sense, I don’t think the index would legitimize the fiction. The index would simply point towards names, places, and events within the fictional work, which is what all indexes do–point back to the text.

To avoid readers mistaking fiction for fact, you could also be clear, with yourself and the reader, about which names, places, and events are being picked up. Will only the historically accurate people, places, and events be indexed? Or will all people, places, and events be indexed, including the fictional ones? A short headnote at the beginning of the index can explain what is included and why, which should set reader expectations.

All the best with the project! Sounds like a neat one.

That’s a very good point and thank you for raising it. I’ve indexed a book on Vietnam and faced this issue. One way or another, there needs to be an entry point for where readers are most likely to search, whether that is a cross-reference from the given name or making the given name the main entry.

Thanks for pointing out that review of AI-Indexing! The review came out after I published this piece, but yes, the review is another good resource.

Thank you for your comment. I appreciate knowing that you are behind IndexStudio.
That is an interesting assertion that AI will make software development and maintenance easier. That may well be a good application. It is important to have good tools to work with.
As for IndexStudio, good to know you intend it for self-published authors. I agree professional indexers can be expensive, which can be a barrier to authors. I do think about that. That said, I’m not convinced that an AI tool is a good replacement. Yes, AI can produce something that looks like an index, but is it actually useful? From what I’ve seen so far, the answer is no. And if authors don’t know enough about indexing to know the difference between a good index and a poor index, is encouraging them towards a poor index really of value to them? Even if it is cheap?

I’ve seen lots of thought pieces around AI and how it will impact index making, but I think one overlooked benefit is that AI will make all software, including indexing software will be easier to develop and maintain. So there might be hope here.

I’m a software developer and I’ve recently created IndexStudio, a tool for generating indexes. It uses AI to make a list of potential terms, then gives the editor tools to easily add/remove/merge terms to make a final index.

I built it for myself when I was considering self-publishing a book. It’s intended to fill the gap for the vast majority of self-published authors who can’t afford a professional indexer and currently publish without an index (not intended to replace the professionals).

On the economic question you posed – I’m charging for the software on a per index basis, which I hope correlates well to the value the average user gets.

That said, I’ve always been curious about Cindex, since so many professional indexers rely on it. It’s great to know it’s entering a new chapter with community support. I completely agree that the future of indexing software depends on long-term sustainability and shared effort, particularly in such a niche field.

Thanks again for the updates and thoughtful reflection. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on how the open-source Cindex journey unfolds!