The value of a carefully and thoughtfully crafted index is often underestimated. Information can easily be lost within the pages of a book or Web site if the right terms and concepts are not represented in the index, or, even worse, if there is no index at all. Many books have been re-shelved in frustration; and many a Web site abandoned because the reader/user was unable to find the sought-after information.

I produce indexes (or indices, if you prefer) of the highest quality in many subjects including, but not limited to: arts and culture, business, cooking and nutrition, education, history, lifestyle (fashion/travel/home), parenting, personal finance and investing, psychology and self-help, sports and fitness, and textbooks.

As a member of the New England Chapter of the American Society of Indexers (www.newenglandindexers.org ), I maintain relationships with many other indexers with diverse areas of expertise, and I don’t  hesitate to refer clients to my colleagues for work that may be beyond the scope of my knowledge or ability. I am also a member of IndexPeers, an online group of indexers who volunteer to critique each other’s work. When time allows, this is a great resource for improving the quality of a completed index before it is sent off to the client.

Because I am also a proofreader, I often come across missed typos and inconsistencies in the text as I index. I generally flag these as I work, passing the information along to the editor or production manager if desired. It’s not a thorough proofing, by any means, but the elimination of any errors in the text is always good thing.

Pages can be sent to me either electronically (Word or PDF is fine, PDF being ideal), or as hard copy, and there is no charge for printing out pages. The completed index will be returned electronically, in either .doc or .rtf format.

Rates are generally quoted at a per page basis for indexing services. This is based on indexable pages, i.e. any pages that may contain material relevant to the index. Blank pages and any material that is not meant to be indexed does not count toward the indexable page count. Most projects fall in the range of $3 to $6 per page, depending on the complexity of the material and the depth of indexing desired by the client, though extremely complex or technical projects can warrant higher fees. I usually request a sampling of pages prior to quoting on pricing.

If you have questions about indexing in general, or about whether or not your book or Web site needs an index (not all do!), feel free to contact me.