Nutshell Indexing

Rates:

Book indexers charge in a variety of ways - by the page, hour, entry, or project.
My preferred method is by the indexable page. Indexable pages include the introduction,
main body of the text, illustrations, and endnotes (if requested). My rates range from $3.00 to
$7.00 per indexable page, depending on certain factors:

**type of material (trade, scholarly or textbook)
**audience (general public, professional, researcher, student)
**density of material
**amount of time available to create the index

In order to determine the rate, it is helpful to see a representative sample of the text, usually a
few pages or a chapter from the middle of the book.

If the book's pagination changes during the indexing process, the fee will need to be
adjusted for the time necessary to make corrections.

Working with an Indexer:

The following links provide useful information for authors and publishers who are
considering hiring an indexer:

Why have an index?

Human or computer-produced indexes?

Working With Freelance Indexers

American Society for Indexing (ASI)

Indexing is a highly complex intellectual process involving the use of language in a
specific and somewhat artificial way, and it is also to a considerable extent a matter of
intuition, the workings of which cannot be reduced to fixed rules.
It is knowing 'what,' but not knowing 'how.'" ~Hans Wellisch

Indexes are important marketing tools. Buyers often peruse an index before making the decision
to purchase a book. They might check the index to gain an overview of the book or to see
whether a particular topic has been included. If the topic is not easily located in the index, or
worse, not included at all, a reader may decide that the book is not worth the investment. A good
index can sell a book, and a poor index can leave it languishing on the shelf.

Computers can create lists of words (or concordances), but indexers go far beyond mere
list-making. Using a combination of concise phrasing and careful analysis of the text, an indexer
distills the important topics and references into an interconnected, easily accessible whole. The
usability of an index is directly related to the skill of the indexer who has created it. Everything of
importance must be included in an index - no more, no less. An understanding of the reader's
perspective and a mastery of the written language are as essential to an indexer as to the best
creative writer.