I’ve worked with many first-time authors and have discovered that many publishers do not guide their authors through the publishing process very well, and most authors don’t know what to expect when it comes to considering the index, let alone hiring or working with an indexer. The following is information I have found useful when working with authors who are publishing their first scholarly monograph.

What to know:

• The index is the last task in the production process before the book goes to press. Once indexing has started, pagination is not expected to change.

• A production editor often oversees the index. Some publishers now outsource the production process to book production companies.

• The last tasks in the book production process is the indexing and the proofreading of the book. The author will receive one set of page proofs to proofread the book for minor changes. The indexer will receive another set of page proofs for indexing. The author is expected to proofread the pages while the indexer is writing the index.
• Hire an indexer months before the page proofs for indexing are expected. Most production editors will have an expected due date for the page proofs well in advance of the page proofs’s due date. Most indexers are booked months in advance. Last minute and rush assignments will likely cost most more.

• Consider writing indexing costs into grants associated with your book project. Most indexers will be happy to give you a written quote.

• Most university presses have a 3-4 week turnaround time for indexes, and can provide you with a list of freelance indexers to consider hiring.

• Before agreeing to index a book, an indexer will want to know when the page proofs are expected, when the index is due to the publisher, and the estimated page length of the typeset page proofs.

• If you are unable to find and indexer, for whatever reason,the publisher will likely be willing to arrange for the indexing, for a cost of course.

• Another resource for finding an indexer is the American Society for Indexing’s Indexer Locator.