Why is an index important for your publications?

• Your readers can locate information quickly and efficiently.
• Readers continue to return to a well-indexed publication for information; they do not return to publications when finding information is a tedious, frustrating process.
• A well-crafted index makes the content accessible, ensuring that all the work and money invested in the publication is worthwhile.
• Libraries buy books with indexes over comparable books without indexes.
• An index groups together related information even if it is scattered in various places throughout the text.
• An index shows relationships among concepts.

What can I, as a professional indexer, do for you?

• Produce integrated, logical, and reader-friendly indexes for a variety of publications: trade non-fiction, reference books, textbooks, travel guides, professional journals, annual reports, scholarly books
• Ensure indexes fit into the number of pages or lines that you specify
• Meet your deadlines so there are no press delays
• Embed indexes in works that change frequently (see below)

How long does indexing take?

• This depends on the complexity of the material to be indexed, the density of the text, even the size of the pages.
• It can run from 4 or 5 pages an hour for dense, complex material to 15 or 18 pages an hour for material with many illustrations and less complex content.

How much does it cost?

• Rates are provided on request.
• Estimates are based on a sample of the text.
• Cost is directly related to the complexity and density of the material, plus its length.

What about embedded and XML indexes?

• These are useful, practical, and economical for publications that are revised frequently or if the publisher want to "single source" an index for different formats.
• They often take somewhat longer to create than regular back-of-the-book indexes as the complex formatting of entries slows down the indexer. However, indexing of subsequent editions is much faster as only the new or revised sections need indexing.
• Index "tags" are inserted in the publisher's InDesign files.

What about computer-generated "indexes"?

• These are really just concordances or lists of words, not indexes.
• They do not deal with relationships, concepts, and hierarchies.
• Computer-generated "indexes" split information among synonyms, e.g., First Nations, Aboriginal peoples, Indians, Natives. Information is not gathered in one location so readers may easily miss many references.
• Problems result from numbers, symbols, titles, abbreviations, acronyms, misspellings.
• Concepts, people, and places are not always referred to directly; these references are completely missed by computer passes.
• Page ranges are not available.