Back-of-the-Book Index Evaluation Service

A small but robust publisher asked me to evaluate an author-created index in one of his recently published books. He was concerned about the professionalism of the index, and worried that, if substandard, it would send a misleading signal to a potential buyer or reviewer about the contents of the book. He confessed he would not recognize a good index if it rose up and bit him.

The index was very poorly done - any novice indexer would have seen that immediately. When I took him my evaluation, he was very impressed.

Next thing I knew, I received a request to evaluate/edit the author-created indexes
of two of his upcoming books. This time I was able to intervene before the
books went to press. Both the publisher and the authors were very pleased. The
books’ overall presentations were greatly enhanced, which translates directly to better reviews and sales.

Of course I always recommend indexing by a trained professional, but many authors do create their own indexes. I would be happy to work with you to achieve the best result at a considerable savings.