Tips to Authors

Tips to Authors on Back-of-the-Book Indexes

Under most publishing contracts, the author is expected to either provide an index, or to pay the cost of having one created. Indexing is a highly specialized field. A professional indexer can create an index to meet any style requirements, complete the project quickly, and create an index that identifies both the terms used and the concepts discussed. A professional indexer will use the language of the text, but will also anticipate the needs of the reader.

During the writing and editing process

— Be consistent in the choice of terms. Include synonyms with the introduction of a concept, but then choose one term to use throughout.

— Identify people, places and organizations. At the first mention, give the name in full (along with any acronyms).

— Include all indexable names in the main body of the text. Keep in mind that footnotes and captions are not normally indexed. If you have a large number of resources, such as book titles or websites, they should be collected in a Resources section.

— Don't repeat yourself. If the information is important to several sections of the text, you can include a “See chapter three for discussion of xxx” reference. Any good indexer will ensure that topic “xxx” will appear in the index.

— Does the text use a large number of terms that need to be defined? If so then collect the definitions together in a Glossary and instruct the indexer to include all the terms in the Glossary. Similarly for a Table of Abbreviations and Acronyms.

— Make a list of name changes, synonyms, pseudonyms and other idiosyncrasies.

— Term selection is the task of the indexer, but an author can keep a list of terms to check against the final draft to check for completeness.

During the production planning process

Make sure that your publisher understands the importance of a good index. Educators and librarians look at the usability of the index when making purchasing decisions.

Plan for enough space. The average length of an index, for a general reference book, is 7-8% of the total indexable pages.

Finding an indexer

Names of freelance indexers can be found at the following web sites:

American Society of Indexers (ASI)

Find an Indexer

Indexing Society of Canada (ISC/SCI)

Cost (click here to see my rates)

The cost of an index is based on the number of hours it is expected to take to complete.

An experienced indexer can estimate how long it will take, when given the total number of indexable pages, and a sample section of the text. The actual billing method is often based on the number of indexable pages. The rate charged will depend on the density of the text and the academic level of the content.

Tips to Authors Agreements How Much Will It Cost? Sample Index Tips to Editors	Tips to Authors
	Tips to Authors on Back-of-the-Book Indexes Under most publishing contracts, the author is expected to either provide an index, or to pay the cost of having one created. Indexing is a highly specialized field. A professional indexer can create an index to meet any style requirements, complete the project quickly, and create an index that identifies both the terms used and the concepts discussed. A professional indexer will use the language of the text, but will also anticipate the needs of the reader. During the writing and editing process — Be consistent in the choice of terms. Include synonyms with the introduction of a concept, but then choose one term to use throughout. — Identify people, places and organizations. At the first mention, give the name in full (along with any acronyms). — Include all indexable names in the main body of the text. Keep in mind that footnotes and captions are not normally indexed. If you have a large number of resources, such as book titles or websites, they should be collected in a Resources section. — Don't repeat yourself. If the information is important to several sections of the text, you can include a “See chapter three for discussion of xxx” reference. Any good indexer will ensure that topic “xxx” will appear in the index. — Does the text use a large number of terms that need to be defined? If so then collect the definitions together in a Glossary and instruct the indexer to include all the terms in the Glossary. Similarly for a Table of Abbreviations and Acronyms. — Make a list of name changes, synonyms, pseudonyms and other idiosyncrasies. — Term selection is the task of the indexer, but an author can keep a list of terms to check against the final draft to check for completeness. During the production planning process Make sure that your publisher understands the importance of a good index. Educators and librarians look at the usability of the index when making purchasing decisions. Plan for enough space. The average length of an index, for a general reference book, is 7-8% of the total indexable pages. Finding an indexer Names of freelance indexers can be found at the following web sites: American Society of Indexers (ASI) Find an Indexer Indexing Society of Canada (ISC/SCI) Register of Indexers Available Cost (click here to see my rates) The cost of an index is based on the number of hours it is expected to take to complete. An experienced indexer can estimate how long it will take, when given the total number of indexable pages, and a sample section of the text. The actual billing method is often based on the number of indexable pages. The rate charged will depend on the density of the text and the academic level of the content.	Contact Information: Carol Hamill 180 Homer Road Victoria, BC, CANADA V8Z 1V6 (250) 658-2856 hamill@island.net Website design by Patrick Meyer copyright 2006-2008