In the rare event that I am unable to accept an indexing opportunity, below is a list of indexers, indexing services, and other resources for locating an indexer.  Please do your due diligence in locating the indexer best for you. Interview prospective indexers and review their work.

Lisa DeBoar, DeBoer Indexing

Wyman Indexing

Jan Wright, Wright Information

Indexer Locator, American Society For Indexing

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.

Mostly, I need authors to pay close attention to the spelling and formatting of proper nouns, which spell check can’t catch. Below are some time-saving tips for reviewing the index, and some notes on indexing logic, which can be complex and and unfamiliar to many. Please read through these brief guidelines before reviewing the index.

Time-savings tips for reviewing the index:

• To get a sense of how the index is organized and structured, read through it before making corrections. Many concepts are double posted and appear in multiple places.
• Edits and comments can be made using the tracking function in Microsoft Word.
• If you have trouble opening the RTF file: 1) save the file to your computer 2) open Microsoft Word, and 3) in Word, from the File menu, select Open and retrieve the document from where you saved it on your computer.

Notes related to indexing logic:

• Headings are intended to take readers to locations in the text, not to explain the text.
• Numerous (eight or more) page numbers without subheadings is unacceptable and not helpful for readers.
• Passing mentions are not indexed.
• Repeating the same page number under a main heading/entry should be avoided or limited.
• An index is not an outline or concordance. Try and avoid thinking of it this way. Don’t expect every appearance of a word or phrase to appear in the index.
• Double posting certain entries is common.
• Cross references (See and See also) are used sparingly.
• Parenthetical references that aren’t referenced in the narrative of the text are not indexed.