FAQs
Does my book need an index?
Yes. Well, almost certainly. I did once index a book that I thought afterwards would probably have managed without one. In that instance, the book was structured in such a way, with repeated sections, a logical order and a very detailed Table of Contents, that the index didn't really add anything. But that was a rare – and so far unique – case.
Unless your book is so tightly-structured that it's obvious to everyone where every piece of information is to be found, or unless your book is totally full of waffle and contains nothing of interest or importance, it will benefit from an index.
How do you index a book?
When I'm indexing a book, I start at the beginning and work my way through the whole text, making index entries as I go along. People are sometimes surprised to know that an indexer actually has to read the book! (If I'm given enough time, I prefer to read right through before starting to index – it helps me index more thoroughly and efficiently.) After this initial stage the editing phase is where the index is really knocked into shape and tidied up. In a long and complex index the editing phase can take as long as creating the first rough draft. I use indexing software to help create, edit and format the index entries, but the actual process of deciding what needs to be indexed, how best to phrase the index terms and how to structure the index requires human intellectual input.
How do you not index a book?
No one ever asks me this, actually, but I'll tell you anyway. I don't use software to 'automatically' create an index at the touch of a button. At best, such software can only produce a concordance – a list of words and phrases that appear in the text. A real index needs a real brain at some point to apply intelligence, creativity and common sense.
And I also don't index by drawing up a list of terms and then adding the page numbers. That would be mind-numbingly boring and inefficient and would risk missing out loads of important stuff.
How long does it take?
Each book is unique, and the actual time taken for indexing varies. As a rule of thumb, for a 100,000 word book you should allow 3–4 weeks. Sometimes fast turnarounds are possible for a premium fee.
How much does it cost?
Indexing can seem expensive, but it takes time and skill. Various factors affect the time needed, and this will be reflected in the price. For example, an academic book will require slower and more careful reading than a popular-style book aimed at a wide audience. Some texts require many index entries per page; others may only need a few. Books which include lots of personal names are likely to need more time for checking the correct forms.
If you want a quote for indexing your book, I will usually ask to see a sample of the text so that I can assess the nature of the task. It is hard to make generalizations about prices, but for a 100,000 word book you should expect to pay in the region of £800–£1000.
Can I just have a short, simple index?
If by that you mean, 'my book is fairly short and simple, and doesn't need a complicated, academic-type index. Can I still have an index?' the answer is 'yes, of course.'
If the question is code for 'will it be less expensive if I have a short, simple index?' then the answer is 'not necessarily'. In my experience, most texts have a 'natural' level of indexing. By this I mean there are certain topics and pieces of information that you would naturally want to include in the index so people can find them. Some books lend themselves to light indexing; others are full of important details that the reader will want to look up specifically.
Trying to create a shorter index than the book naturally suggests is a pain. It requires extra thought and decision-making, and can be time-consuming because decisions taken for one part of the index can turn out to have unexpected consequences in another part, and so need to be re-considered. It makes indexers tear out their hair. It also short-changes your reader, because you will make it harder for them to find what they're looking for – indeed, they may miss it altogether.
Of course, sometimes space constraints dictate that an index needs to be shorter than one would ideally like. This may mean indexing to broader categories (for example, having an entry for 'animals' but not for individual types of animal such as 'dogs', 'cats' and 'horses'), or leaving our some categories altogether.
Do I need to supply you with a list of headings for the index?
No.
A longer answer is: you do not need to supply a list of headings unless you really want to. Bear in mind that I don't work by adding page numbers to a list of index terms (see above). I may not use all the terms you supply and will almost certainly add others.
If there's something you want indexed (or indexed in a particular way) that you think might not be immediately obvious, then do please say. This might be relevant, for example, if you're writing on a very niche or specialist subject.
