Paula Clarke Bain, BA BSc

Location: STOCKPORT

Membership Grade: Fellow

Contact Info

Social Links

General Experience

I have been a full-time freelancer for over 20 years, creating quality indexes with quick turnaround times. I am Vice-Chair of the Society of Indexers and Conference Director on the SI Executive Board from November 2023. In 2022, I was the first indexer to achieve Fellowship under the revised pathway system (comprising CPD evidence and index evaluation), becoming the first new Fellow of the Society of Indexers in a decade. I work mainly on arts, humanities and social sciences texts, with over 900 commissions completed to date for a number of authors and publishers. I am also an Advanced Professional Member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP) (formerly Society for Editors and Proofreaders, SfEP). I have good French and German language skills, and I am now a daily Welsh learner (dysgwraig Gymraeg). I have a particular interest in comedy book indexes, on which I am writing a series of articles and blog posts on my website, and I am also a fledgling cryptic crossword setter (as Pixie).

See me also at: Bluesky @baindex.org | Mastodon @[email protected] | X/Twitter @PC_Bain

Subjects

Cinema and Film

Many commissions completed on cinema and film studies, including recent books on Asian cinema, horror movies and Turkish cinema.

Crime and Criminology

I have experience of working on several criminology books, including recent titles on intelligence-led policing and security ethics. I studied forensic psychology as part of my psychology degree.

Cultural Studies

Several commissions completed on titles in film studies, gender studies, literary studies, media studies, politics and social studies.

Dance

I have had dance training and passed many grades in ballet, modern and tap dance. I have worked on several dance books.

Drama/Theatre

Many commissions completed, including recent books on American musical theatre and Arthur Miller.

Economics

I have worked on many books on economic theory and several student revision guides.

English Literature

I have a BA (Hons) in English and American Literature, where particular interests included contemporary drama, Romantic poetry, modernism and postmodernism. I have worked on many commissions for books on literary studies, including recent indexes on William Morris, Gothic fiction and early print culture.

History (All Areas)

Experience of working on many books of cultural, political and social history, particularly British and American history, and including student revision guides.

Literature and Poetry In English

I have a BA (Hons) in English and American Literature. I have worked on many commissions for books on literary studies, including recent indexes on Herman Melville and postmodern American fiction.

Media Studies

Several books completed in film and television studies, including titles on American TV drama and cult British comedy shows. I have a particular interest in comedy and humour on film, radio and television.

Music

I read music and play several instruments (including flute, recorder, tin whistle and ukulele). I have worked on many music titles, including books about choral music, classical music, the psychology of music and music therapies. I have taken the CIEP (SfEP) Editing and Proofreading Music course.

Politics

Many book commissions competed on topics in British and world politics, including recent indexes on Islamism, neoliberalism, Northern Ireland and the Arab Spring.

Psychiatry/Psychology

I have a BSc (Hons) in Psychology, where my independent research projects included studies on stand-up comedians’ views of disparagement humour and the effect of background music on working memory. I have experience of working on many psychology books, including several on autism, dementia, mental health and arts and music therapies.

Social Sciences (All Areas)

Many commissions completed for books on criminology, economics, geography, history, philosophy, politics, psychology, social studies and sociology.

Related qualifications

BA (Hons) English and American Literature (UEA)
BSc (Hons) Psychology (Open University)
CIEP (SfEP) Advanced Professional Member


Other skills

Copy-Editing
I have copy-edited many books for authors and publishers, both hard copy and on screen in Word. I have often indexed books that I have previously copy-edited.

Embedded Indexing
I have experience of producing embedded indexes in Adobe InDesign and in Word (using WordEmbed and Index-Manager software), including several embedded indexes for CUP (Cambridge University Press).

Music (Editing And Proofreading)
I play several instruments, I read music and I have worked on many music books. CIEP (SfEP) Editing and Proofreading Music course taken.

Proofreading
I have an employment background in proofreading in house for publishers and printers. I have proofread many books, both hard copy and on screen with PDF mark-up.

Recent indexes include

Duncan, D., Index, A History of the, Allen Lane/Penguin
Gifford, T. (ed.), Ted Hughes in Context, Cambridge University Press
Groom, N., The Vampire: A New History, Yale University Press
Hunt, L., Cult British TV Comedy: From Reeves and Mortimer to Psychoville, Manchester University Press
Kennedy, S., T.S. Eliot and the Dynamic Imagination, Cambridge University Press
Lough, D., Darling Winston: Forty Years of Correspondence Between Churchill and His Mother, Head of Zeus
McGettigan, K., Herman Melville: Modernity and the Material Text, University of New Hampshire Press
Riding, J., Peterloo: The Story of the Manchester Massacre, Head of Zeus
Roberts, J., Soupy Twists! The Full, Official Story of the Sophisticated Silliness of Stephen Fry & Hugh Laurie, Unbound
Smith, E., This is Shakespeare, Pelican Books (Penguin Press)

Clients Include

Bloomsbury Publishing
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Canongate Books
Faber & Faber
Goldsmiths Press
Hodder Education
Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Penguin Random House
Profile Books
Routledge/Taylor & Francis
Unbound
Yale University Press

Special Publication Type

Biographies/ Autobiographies

I particularly enjoy working on autobiographical and biographical texts, including recent indexes on the lives and works of Josephine Baker and Katherine Dunham, Eileen Blair (wife of George Orwell), Nick Cave, G.K. Chesterton, Alice Farnham, William Faulkner, Bill Frisell, Arthur Guinness, Doris Hare, Steve Marriott, Herman Melville, William Morris and Nico.

Ebooks

I have training and experience in embedded indexing in Word and InDesign (using WordEmbed and Index-Manager software).

Fiction

I have experience of editing and proofreading fiction and I am interested in the unusual indexing of fictional works.

Music (As Media)

I read music, play several instruments and have worked on many musical publications.

Study Guides

Many study guides indexed in arts, humanities and social sciences, from high school to postgraduate level.

Textbooks

Many textbooks indexed in arts, humanities and social sciences, from high school to postgraduate level.

Tools

SKY INDEX
Adobe InDesign CC; Index-Manager; WordEmbed