Rates vary according to the complexity of the material and are based on a sample of the work to be indexed.
I
tend to be thorough in my indexing. For scholarly work, rates range
from $3.50 to $5.00 per indexable page. Catalogues and trade books
typically range from $2.50 to $4.00. Indexable pages are typically
those of the book's introduction, main body, and captioned
illustrations or tables. They usually do not include tables of
contents, photo credits, bibliographical materials, or pages with no
indexable text.
Unusual publishing demands sometimes result in
higher rates. These include, but are not limited to, excessively tight
deadlines, changes in pagination after the indexer has submitted the
index, and inability or refusal to submit drafts with final pagination.