An index helps your reader discover and efficiently access the content of your book or document.
Far more detailed than a table of contents, an index is often what a customer scans when thinking about buying a particular book, what researchers consult repeatedly over the course of their projects, and what librarians and booksellers use when making purchasing decisions. An index not only helps the reader get an idea of what the book covers, but also indicates the depth to which topics are discussed. An index, therefore, can determine the value of your book.
As an indexer, I will read your book closely so that I can connect the author’s knowledge and expertise with the anticipated reader’s questions, terminology, and thinking. In doing so, I read the entire work and analyse the information, ideas, language, and structure of the work. I carefully select search terms, note locators (often page numbers), and organize the structure of the index.
I build an index that helps meet the reader’s needs and accurately reflects the content of the text.
The indexer is often the last reader of the text before it goes to publication. All content will be in place and the editing and proofreading will be done. The work to be indexed usually comes to me as a PDF. As a result of entering the process so late in the game, the indexer may also find errors that have not yet been caught.
Once the index is complete, I can submit it as a Word or RTF file, depending on editor, printer, or publisher specifications. View a sample of my work here:
Rates vary by project. Once I know the details of your work, see a sample of the text, and have an idea of the timing, I will be happy to give you a better estimate of pricing.
Feel free to send me an email at jessica@cleartypesolutions.com.
Please include in your email
- Your work’s topic and description
- An approximate number of pages and/or words
- When you expect the page proofs to be ready
- The date the index has to be back to the press
- A sample chapter or two
- Your intended audience
I look forward to hearing about your work.