Can you index my book?
Probably! It will depend on several factors, mainly the subject matter and whether the project fits into my current schedule. I’m happy to discuss whether I’m the right indexer for your book. You can get in touch with me through the contact page.
What do you charge?
My rates depend on the type and subject of the book, the density of the text (how many words per page), the complexity of the material, and how fast the turnaround is. I prefer to charge by the indexable page. If you would like to discuss rates for a specific project, please contact me via the contact form.
My manuscript is finished; can you get started now?
I prefer to index from the final page proofs. When I work from manuscript pages, I usually end up having to spend a lot of extra time changing all the locators (page numbers) once the text has been typeset and any major changes have been made. That extra time translates to additional cost for you, so it’s best to wait until the book is in proofs. Many publishing houses also prefer to have the index prepared at the same time as the proofreading, though usually not by the same person. However, you can (and should) try to schedule your project as soon as you know when the page proofs will be ready, since I often book projects several months in advance.
Why do I need a human indexer? Can’t a computer do the job?
If what you mean is, can indexing be done automatically by a computer, the answer is no. At this time, even with recent advances in AI, there is no program sophisticated enough to read and analyze the text and make the informed decisions that a human indexer must often make. For instance, a concept may be discussed without the concept term being used on that page. There are some computer programs that claim to produce an index, but in reality they create a concordance: a list of specific terms that appear in the book, and which pages they appear on. That can lead to an entry with over 100 locators (page numbers or page ranges) but no subheadings, which isn’t very helpful to a reader. And it can fail to include important discussions of a topic where the given search term did not appear on the page.
AI programs such as ChatGPT use predictive text rather than analyzing the content of a specific book, which can lead to significant errors and hallucinations (otherwise known as “making things up.”) For example, recently an indexer tested the software by prompting ChatGPT3 to produce an index for Darwin’s Origin of Species. The resulting “index” included several scientists not mentioned at all in Darwin’s book, including one well-known 20th-century scientist. The document also contained subject entries for topics not found in Origin of Species, while failing to include a number of topics and species that are covered in the book. The page numbers were randomly assigned and did not correlate to any specific edition of the book. And the document only went through the letter P. In other words, ChatGPT3 produced what it predicted an index of Origin of Species might look like, not an actual index of the material in the book. It’s also worth noting that copyright concerns would preclude feeding an unpublished book into any of the current Large Language Model (LLM) AI systems. (I’d like to thank John Magee, Director of Metadata Services at Cengage Gale, for his excellent presentation on his research into ChatGPT at the 2023 ASI Conference.)
For an article that discusses this question in more detail, read “Why can’t a computer index my book?” (Chicago Manual of Style‘s Shop Talk blog)
But you use a computer, don’t you?
Yes, we do. Thirty or forty years ago, creating an index meant writing each entry on an index card, sorting and filing those cards manually, and then typing up the index from the boxes and boxes of index cards. Thanks to computers, we no longer have to deal with index cards. Indexers today use dedicated software programs that take care of the “grunt work” of alphabetizing, sorting, and formatting the entries. This allows us to focus our time and energy on the skilled aspects of the job: reading and analyzing the text, creating the overall index structure, and choosing terms—deciding how to phrase each entry and subentry so it is succinct, clear, and easy to find.
There are four major indexing programs: Cindex, Macrex, SKY Index, and Index Manager. Think of them as the indexing equivalent of word processing and database software combined: they can’t create the content, but they can organize and format it. All four tools are flexible, powerful, and specifically designed for indexing. Using one of these programs, an indexer can quickly reformat an index from indented to run-in format, for instance, or switch the alphabetization style from word-by-word to letter-by-letter. The software can then generate an index file in Word, RTF, or any of several other formats, ready to send to the book’s editor. Index Manager also supports embedded indexing. Almost all professional indexers are proficient at least one of these programs; I use SKY Index.
My question isn’t covered here.
I would be happy to answer any other questions you have. You can get in touch with me through the contact page.