Indexing Books: Academic, Scholarly, & Trade Publications

Whether you are an author or a publisher, I am here for you.

An index can make or break a book. Indexes are crucial for potential readers’ first impressions; through the index, readers — or potential readers — will determine the quality and contents of the book. I can state from experience that librarians (and other savvy readers) turn to the index first to see what the book is about, and whether it is worth spending time or money on it.

Any book can benefit from an index, as any reader may be interested in looking up a meaningful mention (as opposed to a passing mention) of a specific topic.

Why hire an indexer? Authors, as experts in the subject matter at-hand, tend to be too close to the material to be able to provide an index that would be useful to readers of different levels. Many publishers of nonfiction works and especially scholarly or trade publications will require an index, and for authors, after going through the whole writing process, spending another two weeks with the manuscript is likely be at the bottom of the to-do list. This is where a professional indexer comes in.

Why hire me? My interest in book indexing stems from my drive to connect people with the information they seek. In short, I provide quality back-of-the-book indexes to scholarly and trade publications, on time.

I am dedicated to providing quality book indexes on time, and am constantly working to improve my indexing skills. In 2017 I joined the American Society for Indexing (ASI). I am familiar with various style guides, including the Chicago Manual of Style, but will happily follow specific publishing house requirements and guidelines upon request.