Human expert indexers — not generic software
Professional Book Indexing Services — Expert-Built, Not Software-Generated
A poorly built index — or no index at all — devalues a book and quietly questions the author's credibility. We assign a human indexer who actually understands your subject matter to read your book and build a proper index: correctly weighted entries, real cross-references, formatted to industry standard. Not a list of frequently repeated words pulled by software.
Built by a Human Subject-Matter Indexer
Never generic software
Real Cross-References Between Terms
The way a reader actually searches
72-Hour Delivery
For most standard-length manuscripts
Available for Print and eBook Editions
Built correctly for each format
Get Your Index in 72 Hours
Built by a human specialist. No automation, ever.
HUMAN
INDEXER
72-HOUR
DELIVERY
REVISION
INCLUDED
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Manuscript over 500 pages, or need something special? We'll quote it personally.
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What's Included With Our Book Indexing Services
Print Index vs eBook Index — They're Not the Same
Most authors assume an index is an index regardless of format. It isn't, and the difference matters for how and when you should order this service.
A print index uses page numbers — which means it can only be built against your book's final, locked page layout. If a single line of text shifts, every page number after it can shift too. This is why professional indexing is traditionally one of the very last steps before a print book goes to press, not something done against an early draft.
An ebook index works better as clickable links than page numbers, since reflowable text has no fixed pages — the same paragraph might land on page 40 for one reader and page 55 for another, depending on their font size.
What this means for your order:
- ✓ Print only: send us your final, page-proofed manuscript — not an earlier draft — since the index has to be built against locked pagination. Pairs with our KDP Print Paperback formatting.
- ✓ eBook only: we build a linked index, with entries that jump directly to the right location instead of referencing a page number. Works with our Kindle and ePub conversions.
- ✓ Both editions: we build the print index with real page numbers first, then adapt it into a linked version for your ebook edition
What a Professional Index Looks Like
Print index — page numbers
climate change, 12, 45–52
agricultural effects of, 88–91
policy responses to, 104, 117–20
See also carbon emissions; renewable energy
carbon emissions, 47, 60–64
CO2. See carbon emissions
renewable energy, 131–38
Built against your final page layout, so every number points to the right page.
eBook index — linked locations
climate change, [1], [2]
agricultural effects of, [1]
policy responses to, [1], [2]
See also carbon emissions; renewable energy
carbon emissions, [1], [2]
CO2. See carbon emissions
renewable energy, [1]
Each number is a link that jumps to the exact passage, whatever font size the reader chooses.
The anatomy of a good index:
- Main headings — the topics a reader would actually look up, like climate change.
- Subheadings — break a big topic into specific aspects, so a reader goes straight to the right discussion instead of checking every page.
- Locators — where each discussion appears. In print, these are page numbers and page ranges written in Chicago's abbreviated style (117–20).
- See also references — point to related topics worth reading next.
- See references — catch the words readers use that the book doesn't, like CO2, and send them to the heading where the entries live.
Why Human Indexing Beats Software
What Automated Indexing Tools Produce
Generic indexing software works mechanically — it counts word frequency and pulls out whatever appears often, with no understanding of what's actually important versus just repeated. It cannot tell the difference between a passing mention and a genuine discussion of a topic. It cannot build a meaningful "see also" cross-reference between two related concepts, because it doesn't understand what the concepts mean. The result reads like a word-frequency list, not an index a reader would actually use.
What Ebookifi's Human Indexers Deliver
A specialist who understands your subject matter reads your book the way a reader would, identifies what's genuinely worth indexing, and builds the cross-references a reader actually needs to navigate your book's ideas — not just its vocabulary.
Common Indexing Mistakes We Avoid
Does Your Book Need an Index?
Indexes add real value to non-fiction, academic texts, textbooks, technical and reference books, and business titles — anywhere a reader is likely to come back looking for a specific topic rather than reading cover to cover. Most fiction — novels, memoirs written narratively, short story collections — doesn't need one, and readers don't expect to find one. If you're not sure whether your book is the kind that benefits from an index, tell us the genre and a brief description and we'll give you an honest answer before you order.
How Indexing Works — a Distinct Process
What to Send Us
- ✓ For a print index — the final, page-proofed PDF of your interior — the layout your printer will use, with final page numbers.
- ✓ For an eBook index — your final, edited manuscript (a Word file is ideal).
- ✓ Terms you want included — optional, but useful: names, concepts, or technical terms you know your readers will look for.
- ✓ Your reader — a line on who the book is for, so entries use the vocabulary they will actually search with.
- ✓ Any house style or length limit — if your publisher has an index style guide, or your print layout has a fixed number of pages for the index, tell us and we build to it.
Book Indexing Pricing — Simple and Transparent
$0.50 per page, billed in 100-page bands — $50 for up to 100 pages, then $50 for each additional 100 pages. The price you see at checkout is the price you pay.
| Manuscript Size | Price |
|---|---|
| Up to 100 pages | $50 |
| 101–200 pages | $100 |
| 201–300 pages | $150 |
| 301–400 pages | $200 |
| 401–500 pages | $250 |
| Over 500 pages | Contact us → |
Manuscript pages being indexed, not the finished index length. Standard Word formatting — 12pt font, double-spaced.
Every order includes: Full manuscript read-through · Real cross-references · Industry-standard formatting · One revision round · 72-hour delivery
What Authors Say
I submitted my complex 315-page self-help legal book to Ebookifi and they completed the conversion on time. I immediately checked in the Kindle program and was extremely pleased with how it came out. All of the many table of contents entries as well as hundreds of index entries all worked perfectly! Very pleased with their communication, price, and results.
Book Indexing — Frequently Asked Questions
Both — but they work differently. See the Print vs eBook section above for the full explanation. Tell us which edition (or both) you need when you order.
For a print index, send your final, page-proofed layout — page numbers can't be finalized against an earlier draft. For an ebook-only index, your finished manuscript is sufficient at any point after your final edit.
Our indexers follow professional publishing indexing conventions, commonly aligned with the Chicago Manual of Style's indexing guidelines — the standard most US publishers expect.
No. Indexes genuinely help non-fiction, academic, technical, and reference books. Most fiction doesn't need one. Tell us your genre and we'll give you an honest answer before you order.
Yes. We don't need to have handled your original conversion — send us your finished manuscript or page proofs and we'll index it regardless of who built the file. If you also need the eBook itself, see our Kindle + ePub Bundle.
Mention them in your order notes. Our revision round is specifically there to add or adjust anything you want included that wasn't captured in the first pass.
It depends on the book, not a formula. A narrative non-fiction title needs far fewer entries than a technical or reference book of the same length, where readers look things up constantly. If your print layout has a fixed number of pages set aside for the index, tell us when you order and we'll build to fit it.
Indexing is $0.50 per page of the manuscript being indexed, billed in 100-page bands: $50 for up to 100 pages, $100 for 101–200, $150 for 201–300, $200 for 301–400, and $250 for 401–500. It's based on the manuscript's page count, not the length of the finished index. Over 500 pages, we'll quote it personally.
Give Your Book the Index It Deserves
Book indexing from $50. Built by a human specialist. 72-hour delivery.